The Puja : Ancient, Timeless, and Ever-adapting

How can Hinduism become incorporated into the corporate, ever-bustling Western world? 

Author: Tracy Anumolu written for the BookPujaOnline site
 

The temple lights its’ earthy incense, the ghanta rings in the smoky air--the official beginnings of a new puja chosen carefully for its’ auspicious timing.  Bananas, coconuts, fragrant flowers and turmeric adorn the ceremonious area, all strategically placed for their role in this significant ritual.  The marked presence of a half-dressed, head-shaven priest loudly chanting in Sanskrit fixates even the non-believers in the crowd.  Hinduism is transcending to Westerners, most who have never even been to ancient India.  But what makes Gods, such as Krishna and Lakshmi, so mysteriously special?  And how can one bridge together two vastly different worlds, which are already intermingling today?

This question is of personal interest not only to Hindus in India, but also to the Indian living abroad.  Indians can’t manage the time to worship the multitude of deities, Westerners cautiously question the divinity of any of them, and yet Hinduism is currently the fastest growing Eastern religion in the West.

But how can Hinduism become incorporated into the corporate, ever-bustling Western world?  Cultural and practical boundaries persist, generations bicker over its’ relevance and yet somewhere, within a Hindu’s heart, dwells the tug of at least acknowledging their ancestral religion and rituals.  It is not enough today for even the most devout Hindu to want to practice their faith. It must be exercised in a way that is efficient, practical to their living in whatever country they reside, but achieved with all the correct, timeless and sensitive measures required of it.

Today there is a way to bridge these worlds with television and iPhone applications, such as Tarpan.  Television can now broadcast puja’s from all over the world and Tarpan can guide in offering oblation to ancestors.  There is also the website  BookPujaOnline.  A company devoted to taking the coordination efforts out of the specifically involved puja via online booking, thus allowing all its’ followers more time to reflect on the darshan and receive blessings.  An ageless religion professionally handled for new world logistical issues, the perfect blend of spiritual awakening from the East to meet the efficiency of the West.  
  

About the author: 

Tracy Anumolu is a free-lance writer whose primary interests include: culture, philanthropy, women's rights and finance. Her educational background is in economics and investment banking.  She resides in Hyderabad, India with her young daughter