Hello and Jay Jinendra!

My name is Anastasia and I am currently doing research with Harvard
University's Pluralism Project, which studies different religious
communities in America.  This year I am studying the Jain community
in the US, focusing particularly on the visions of future among the
American-based, American-born and raised Jains.  I am interested in
the ways in which such a small community with barely any figures of
religious authority present is able to sustain its religous identity
and practice.  I have compiled a brief questionnaire in hopes that I
can get more opinions regarding the life of the community directly
from the community's members themselves.  Below you will find ten
simple questions, which should not take more than 10 minutes to
answer, but will be of tremendous help to my study.  Simply copy the
below questionnaire into a reply message, answer some questions and
you are done.  You do not have to answer all questions, but the more
you do, the more helpful it is.  Of course, all the information is
strictly confidential, will be used for research purposes only, and
destroyed immediately thereafter.

If you have any further questions regarding my research or the work
of The Pluralism Project, I would love to answer them, so please feel
free to contact me. 
Thank you many times--are are an enormous help!

Anastasia Piliavsky
Affiliate Researcher
Harvard University
The Pluralism Project
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1.Your age is
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2.You live in (country and city)
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3.If you live in the US, how long have you lived here?
Answer:

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4.Very few people in the US have heard of Jainism.  When people ask
you to tell them about your religion, what do you say?
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5.Do you have a local Jain center or temple?  How often to you attend
it?
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6.  What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges faced by the
younger generation of American-born American-grown Jains in
preserving their religious identity?
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7.  Is your Jain center engaged in any activities with other non-Jain
organizations?  Would you like to see more interfaith and/or inter-
ethnic activities happen?
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8.  In twenty-thirty yearswhen you are an "uncle" or an "auntie,"
what do you think American Jainism and American Jains will be like? 
Will it be a ritual-bound religion or more of a philosophy of life?
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9.  What makes you a Jain?  (i.e. last name (being born a Jain),
vegetarianism, ritual practice, personal conviction, etc.)
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10.  If you could sum up what Jainism means to you in a few words,
what would you say? 
Answer:

Above is a forwarded mail , plzzz do answer & reply back to anastasia_piliavsky@yahoo.com for her research work on jainism

Anastasia Piliavsky
Affiliate Researcher
Harvard University
The Pluralism Project