Given the lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, scores of city residents who usually organised in-person meeting to discuss spirituality, religious texts, culture and Indian tradition have taken to technology. These in-person meetings have now been replaced by conferences in cyberspace and are facilitated by a host of online tools.

Take for instance, Venkatraman Ramachandran. An entrepreneur and Carnatic musician, he is part of a couple of groups which meet online on Zoom, a video conferencing app, to discuss the Vedic concepts, including dharma.

“We are trying to understand such concepts and frame them in such a way that do not create schisms. For instance, we interpret dharma as something which enlivens the self, the other and the context. I am also a part of a group where we try to understand and pronounce Sanskrit words properly with due adherence to diacritics,” he says.

Importance of charity

Others such as Waseem Ahmed, a senior manager who works with a prominent banking firm, are part of such groups which convene in cyberspace frequently to discuss important aspects of the faith and the significance of being charitable during testing times.

“Over the past few days, around 25 people are sharing insights on how to deal with crises in light of the scriptures. We have been speaking of, and putting into practice how to help the less privileged. One of the things we have been focusing on is prayers for all people in these testing times,” Mr Ahmed says.

Religious scholars, too, have taken to social media to broadcast their lectures online. Maulana Ahsan al Hamoumi, khateeb of the Shahi Masjid in Public Gardens, has taken to Facebook to speak about Shab-e-Baraat, popularly known as Jaagne ki Raat.

On the other hand, Mufti Omar Abedeen, deputy director of Islamic seminary Al Mahaad ul Aali al Islami, has launched a course on the basics of the faith.