The woman Jayashree Ballikar is an ardent devotee of Goddess Vaishno Devi and she also paid her priest through online transfer.
A screengrab of the video, in which the woman performs a digital yagna.
A 50-year-old woman performed ‘digital yagna’ on Mahashtami of Chaitra Navratra at her home in Grant Road on Wednesday, amid the nationwide lockdown. Jayashree Ballikar is an ardent devotee of Goddess Vaishno Devi and she also paid her priest through online transfer.
Ballikar connected with her priest on WhatsApp video call in the afternoon. "There is a complete lockdown and the government has suggested us to stay indoors. I have been performing this yagyna for years and did not want to miss it this time. So I went digital after requesting my priest to connect with me on WhatsApp video call," said Ballikar, who lives with her family at Nasarwanji Petit Street, Grand Road East.
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Ballikar followed all rituals during the yagyna, which lasted for over 2.5 hours. The yagna was performed by the priest Santosh Joshi, who also performs puja at the Omarkhadi Ganpati temple near JJ hospital.
A 50-year-old woman performed ‘digital yagna’ on Mahashtami of Chaitra Navratra at her home in Grant Road on Wednesday, amid the nationwide lockdown. Jayashree Ballikar is an ardent devotee of Goddess Vaishno Devi and she also paid her priest through online transfer. pic.twitter.com/PNaMFVlozf
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"By going digital, I have followed all the instructions of government like social distancing, staying indoors. I have prayed to God for the well-being of mankind amid this global crisis," said Ballikar.
Talking to mid-day, the priest, said, "I have been performing puja at her house for the last 13 years. Since we cannot go out during the lockdown, she called me and requested if I can perform havan via video"
He said he was confused at first, but she explained the process and they connected via video. He added that dakshina (religious offering) was transferred directly to his bank account. Ballikar also went live on Facebook at 7pm to perform the Maha Aarti.
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