India is home to one of the highest population of god-loving and god-fearing people. Devotees are finding it difficult to take ‘Darshan’ (see the deity) or avail his or her blessings in the form of a ‘Prasad’ (sweet offerings distributed as blessing). Realizing the acute problems faced by devout Hindus and Muslims, tech entrepreneurs are asking them to take a leap of faith using technology as the diving board.
Indian festivals may be numerous, but the population too is humongous. This causes a huge rush during the festivals in which millions of Indians make a beeline towards the primary place of worship in the honor of whom the festival is being celebrated. The excessive congregation of people, often in a relatively tiny location can throw the local infrastructure out of gear.
Though Indians are quite adept at living in deplorable conditions in order to seek the blessings if the gods and goddesses, what they can’t tolerate is leaving without receiving the token of the blessing; the Prasad, a sweet offering made to Hindu Gods and distributed amongst devotees who seek divine blessing. A devotee’s holy experience is often marred with serpentine queues, persistent and pestering touts promising quick turn-around times and utter mismanagement of the entire local premises.
Religion and science may not be best friends, but tech entrepreneurs in India have managed to reliably ask these devotees to take a leap of faith using technology. Information technology and the World Wide Web are now allowing people to avail the Prasad without testing their faith, patience and finances. These devotees don’t need to leap from one ordeal to another just to seek blessings from the preferred god.
26-year-old engineer Goonjan Mall has come up with OnlinePrasad.com , a simplistic solution that allows people to order Prasad and get it home delivered, reported CNBC . Devotees do not need to have their faith rewarded with the sweet offering only when they visit the temple. So far OnlinePrasad has managed to tie-up with 50 temples to offer their Prasad to the devotees. They can also organize a ‘Pooja’, an elaborate prayer ritual at any temple and buy any of the 300 religious symbols and products.
If the Hindus have taken a leap of faith with sites like OnlinePrasad and Shubhpuja.com , ProudUmmah.com has done the same for Muslims, reported India Everyday . Simplifying the visit to the holy city of Mecca for the ‘Hajj’, ProudUmmah has managed to earn the title of ‘Best Internet Startup’ by Silicon India.
While these sites still have a trickle of online visitors, will the hardcore devotees truly take the leap of faith with these technological advances?
[Image Credit | MSN, John Moore/Getty Images North America]
