Gujarat diamond merchant's 9-year-old daughter turns to monkhood, gives up luxurious life

New Delhi: In an unusual turn of events, a nine-year-old daughter of a wealthy diamond merchant in Gujarat has renounced material comforts and embraced monkhood. Devanshi, the eldest daughter of Dhanesh and Ami Sanghvi, took 'diksha' in the presence of Jain monk Acharya Vijay Kirtiyashsuri and hundreds of other people at a venue in Vesu locality of Surat. Her father is the owner of Sanghvi and Sons, a nearly three-decade-old diamond polishing and export firm in Surat.

She will now shun all material comforts, luxury

Devanshi's 'diksha' marks her initiation into the ascetic life, and she will now shun all the material comforts and luxury that her family of diamond merchants could have provided her.

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According to family friend Nirav Shah, Devanshi has been inclined towards spiritual life since a very young age and had even walked about 700 km with other monks before formally being initiated into monkhood. She is fluent in five languages and has other skills as well.

The ceremony began last Saturday, and a day before Devanshi took 'diksha', a religious procession was taken out with fanfare in the city, Mr. Shah tolf PTI. This news has created quite a buzz in the Jain community, especially among diamond traders, who have close business links with Belgium.

(With PTI inputs)