8/14/2019 Meet the Teen Who Fasted for 34 Days

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Meet the teen who fasted for 34 days Arthur J Pais | October 06, 2008

Do not ask 17-year-old Eva Mehta if her recent 34-day fast during the Jain holy season of  Paryushan Parva, that

she brought to an end recently and which has merited considerable notice in the mainstream media, was intended tget into the record books.

"I did not fast to break any records, and though I prayed every hour during the fasting -- like I do every day -- I did

not ask God for any favors for myself. I kept reciting my favorite prayer  Navakar Mahamantra, and all that I wasthinking of in my own small way was that I could ask God to give peace to everyone."

She says part of the reason she fasted -- and she quickly points out that she had not planned to do it for more than afew days -- was to pay tribute to her late grandmother, Sushilaben Shah. "She used to fast a lot, and she has taught

me the importance of prayers, the importance of many virtues, why we should be kind to all creatures, and she got

me to read many Jain holy scriptures."Fasting for a few days during the holy month is common among Jains and fasting always helps her clarify thought

 become less materialistic, and think of being more helpful to the needy.

She recalls how during this period she used to dream of food -- her favorite Gujarati dishes, and even the vegetaria

 pasta dishes she is fond of.

Doshi said as Eva entered the final week of her fast, she had already shed over 25 pounds and her weight had

dropped to 110. Eva looked frail, "but there was joy on her face," Doshi said. "We could look into her eyes and feeshe had indeed been fasting, taking only water and that too never after sunset."

As the fast lengthened and Eva weakened, her parents pitched in to an increasing degree. During the last eight day

of her fast, Eva was brought to the temple in a borrowed wheelchair in the family van by mother Smita, a bank teller, and father Subhash, who helps out in a local firm.

Interestingly, when she returned to school, her classmates and teachers did not treat her like some record-setting

instant celebrity, but engaged her in substantive discussions on Jainism, and on the concept of fasting in thatreligion.

Eva Mehta was the only one who undertook the mas ksaman, giving up food and all kinds of drinks except water for a whole month.

Eva has her own ambitions, the main one being to become a doctor. "Over the years, so many people in my familyand so many family friends and doctors have helped me whenever I have fallen sick," she says. "I look around the

world and I tell myself, I too want to help people. I want to help many, many people, especially children."