JAMMU: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has started streaming live ‘aarti’ of Shri Amarnathji Shrine on JioTV to aid devotees unable to have physical ‘darshan’ of the holy shrine.
The company has laid the necessary network and infrastructure to support live streaming in a short turnaround time, despite difficult terrain and challenging conditions, people aware of the matter said. Last week, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had launched various online services of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board to provide a personal experience to the devotees. “For millions of devotees who are unable to visit the holy cave of Shri Amarnathji this year due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Shrine Board has brought darshan, hawan, and prasad facility under the virtual mode.
“The devotees can book their pooja, hawan, and prasad online, and priests at the holy cave will offer it in the devotee”s name. Prasad will be subsequently delivered at doorsteps of the devotees,” a spokesman of the board had said. With the launch of new online services of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, the devotees of Lord Shiva from across the world can perform online virtual ”pooja” and ”hawan” at the holy cave. And now, Reliance Jio has introduced an immersive virtual experience of the shrine with live streaming of the aarti on JioTV and a host of other services through its various apps to benefit millions of devotees across the country, the people said. The Amarnath Yatra has been cancelled for 2021 by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) on account of the ongoing pandemic due to which the devotees cannot participate in the sacred pilgrimage to the holy shrine this year.
To ensure that devotees can continue to connect with and participate in this sacred pilgrimage, Jio has created an immersive virtual experience, powered by Jio Digital Life, which includes live streaming of aartis on JioTV on a dedicated channel, and virtual pooja and hawan through JioMeet that allows devotees to join a virtual pooja room with the priest at the shrine and have a hawan / pooja performed in their name and ”gotra”. Also, it has Chalo Amarnath, a curated playlist on JioSaavn comprising songs and ”bhajans” dedicated to Shri Amarnathji. Amarnath Darshan Channel on JioChat provides information on live darshan, aarti timings, methodology for offerings and donations as well as live and recorded aarti broadcasts.
The people said despite extremely difficult terrain and challenging conditions, Jio has set up the infrastructure, systems, and bandwidth required to deliver live aarti feed and also developed other services across various platforms and apps within a very short turn-around time for the devotees of Shri Amarnathji.
