Preachers put faith in virtual reality

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 15

Though religious and social gatherings have not resumed even after the lockdown ended, religious preachers and activists have resorted to online platforms to keep in touch with their audience. A large number of religious preachers and activists, who generally attend religious functions in towns and villages, have now initiated their own YouTube channels and Facebook pages.

Preachers in the city said even though the government ended restrictions on gathering at public places; organisers have been avoiding arranging the functions. During the past one month, two gurpurbs were celebrated and the 551th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev is round the corner but the gurdwaras and religious organisations did not arrange major functions.

Sarabjit Singh Dhotian, preacher of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said: “Our routine meetings keep taking place but we do not organise any major meeting. We used to visit other states for preaching on the occasions of Gurpurb. This year, I did not get even a single invitation from Delhi or any other state.”

Dhotian stated that preachers and activists have not been sitting idle. They have been shifted to the social media. “I have my own YouTube channel since 2012. Initially, I uploaded some of the interpretations of Gurbani and the Sikh history. Later, several TV channels began telecasting preaching sessions. After a long gap, I have again started using the social media to keep in touch with our regular listeners. I got good response all over.”

Kuldeep Singh, a religious activist, said, “The religious functions have not resumed yet. We are getting invitations for lectures. I have activated my Facebook page and also joined a private channel. Online preaching sessions are now the new normal for our profession. The private channel is also paying me for the interpretation of Gurbani.”

With the suspension of religious functions, a number of preachers and clergy face financial problems too. They are waiting for the situation to get back to normal in order to revive the business.