Offering the virtual experience of paying obeisance to god has become possible now. This Durga puja, utsavlive.com will help the devotees to offer their prayers as e-Pujas. With a click on a mouse, the lamp would light, if the cursor is dragged the garland would move towards the deity. The bells ring when clicked on the bells. Now the recitation of prayers has moved to the cyber space too.
"We are trying to reach out to people who are unable to participate in the festivities because of old age or disabilities or on account of being abroad," says Saikat Sengupta of UtsavLive.com.
The site also has an interactive e-Puja presentation, where devotees can offer flowers, light lamps, play dhak, and do aarti, all virtually.
On similar lines operates Bangalinet.com. With the tagline 'Home away from home', it has a large following in India and abroad. Another site, Theholidayspot.com, is dedicated to celebrating all major events, holidays and festivals. These websites also offer e-calendars, lessons in Bengali language, Facebook greetings, Durga Puja recipes and fashion and routes to the 'pandals'.
A change in cultures, religious practices and people's perception have ensured these websites' success.
