Devotional Hinduism has been quick to use technology in its chase of spirituality, with worshippers staying safe at home while performing their rituals in coincidence with a global community of devotees. To see these practices as being seperate from the political project of consolidating the nation on religious lines would be a mistake.
Once the coronavirus recedes into history, we will remember the pandemic of 2020 as ushering in a new era of digital darshan’s of virtual gods that stream in through Microsoft windows more steadily than through the temple doors.
The beginning of the lockdown in March across most of the world coincided with important days on the ritual calendar of nearly all faiths, and all of them turned to the internet of worship. Catholics got to see and hear, in real time, Pope Francis deliver his Easter sermon in the deserted St. Petres Square; Muslims joined in Ramzan prayers streamed from mosques; Jews participated in Passover seders over Zoom; while Hindus got to participate remotely in Ram Navami celebrations, complete with bhajans and aartis. Virtual darshan’s and aartis became a daily affair for many, as did the daily masses and calls to prayer from countless churches and mosques. Online scripture reading groups sprung up, and sadly, online funeral services thrived.