A patient gets virtual darshan of Ganesh. (Express Photo)Written by TEJAS NAVALE
THIS YEAR, elderly patients will get ‘virtual’ darshan of Ganpati from their hospital beds. Shreemant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust started the experiment in a tie-up with virtual reality startup, Digital Art (VRE) Pvt Ltd. to provide the service to patients at 15 different city hospitals.
Mahesh Suryavanshi, treasurer of Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, said, “We have seen that during the pandemic, many people died panicking. Faith has a tremendous power and is known to bring positive change among the ailing. This Ganesh festival, we have decided to take Bappa to people who are not able to come here for darshan due to ill health. We have obtained permission from 15 hospitals and will reach out to at least 500 patients during the festival.”
According to the founder of Digital art (VRE) Pvt Ltd., Ajjay Parge, the technology will simultaneously work on multiple platforms and users’ ‘avatar’ will get synced to the environment. It is a free-of-cost initiative and any devotee who is not able to physically go for darshan, can contact the Trust and get virtual darshan of Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati.