Condekedar alerted us to an interesting story in the Chicago Tribune, via our NewsTab. Eva Mehta, a 17-year old from Evanston, set a local record by fasting for over a month:
At times, the 17-year-old was so weak and nauseated that her parents had to use a wheelchair to bring her from their van to their Jain temple in Bartlett. When the hunger pangs hit hard, she would pinch her ears. But she kept up her fast, even when she went to bed hungry and dreamed of food.
“I would just say in my mind, ‘No, it’s not real. I just won’t eat it. I’m not going to eat this until I’m done fasting,’ ” she said.
That’s trippy— so she was fasting, even in her dreams. Homegirl is hard-core!
How did she do it?
“I always tried to keep my mind, just pray to my god every day,” Mehta said recently, appearing happy and relaxed. “I would pray, just help me get rid of this feeling. I always pinch my ear and pray whenever I’m hungry.”
I’m going to have to remember that ear-pinching thing, for later. In other news, I always thought there were more Jains in India. Well, I learned something new for today:
Her fast ended Sept. 3 after 34 days. By then the 5-foot-4 Evanston teen had lost 33 pounds, her weight dropping to 119.
Chicago-area Jains rejoiced at her feat. Members of the ancient Indian religion fast every year in honor of the festival of Paryushan Parva. They regard fasting as a spiritual discipline, a way to remove bad karma and bring blessings to a person strong enough to survive for days or weeks on nothing but water.
Dating to as early as the 7th Century B.C., Jainism teaches a path to enlightenment through a life founded on nonviolence to all creatures. Jains represent less than 1 percent of the Indian population.
Many faiths have ascetic traditions that embrace fasting, but few carry it to such lengths as the Jains. In some cases, Jains practice santhara, or fasting until death, in order to free the soul from its sins.
Fasts are often held during the festival of Paryushan Parva, which is celebrated by the two major sects of Jains: the Swetambaras and Digambaras, members of whom fasted through Sunday…When the fast ends, Jains ask for forgiveness for any violence or wrong they may have done in the past year.
Eva has been preparing herself for this feat, for years:
Mehta has been fasting for her faith from the time she was 13. She started with a three-day fast and increased the days of fasting each year, until this year when she insisted she would go a month.
When I was Eva’s age, I fought with my parents about fasting for seven weeks, for Lent. Jain, Christian, whatever…we all have desi parents in common. ;)
Her parents were of mixed minds. Her father, Subhash, had no doubt she could do it, but her mother, Smita, was hesitant.
“I worried about her health,” her mother said. “I finally said, ‘If you’re going to be sick, we don’t want [you to fast] anymore. Next day, you can use the food. Don’t do the fasting.’ Well, she was OK.”
This bit has riled some of the commenters under the news article, who think it is proof that Eva’s fasting was tantamount to neglect or abuse:
She skipped the first week of school at Evanston Township High School.
I know my parents wouldn’t have allowed me to miss any school or work. They’re just not that holy. ;) Speaking of, here comes the brownest part of the story:
Although he is proud of his daughter, her dad said she will not attempt such a feat next year.
“One-day, two-day, three-day fast—that’s all,” he said. “I don’t want her to miss school.”
Some of our readers are still fasting, for Ramadan; they have two weeks to go. While Ramadan requires fasting during the day, eating is allowed at night. In contrast, Eva was only allowed water, but only before sundown.
