CHENNAI: Overseas Indians who wish to go through the annual ritual of changing the sacred thread (poonool) on August 5 (for Yajur Veda adherents), need not worry about finding a guru to perform the Upakarma rituals.
All they need to do now is to log on to www.traditionalwisdom.in, and they can find a guru to chant the right mantras.
Designed by two Chennai-based persons, S K Sundararajan, who is concerned about preserving the country’s traditions and heritage, and Ramkumar Ramamurthy, an IT professional, the web initiative will help Brahmins living in four time zones — Australia, Middle-East, the USA and Europe — to go through the Anushthanam with ease at home in front of their PCs.
All one has to do to avail of the services of a guru back home is to register with the website (there is no charge) and keep ready the items required for the ceremony, including the sacred thread, at the time specified on the online portal.
Although there is a school of thought that anyone going out of this Karma Bhoomi (India) loses the eligibility to perform such rituals, this initiative provides an opportunity for all Brahmins to perform Upakarma all over the world even if finding a guru to chant the mantras in their area is a stupendous task.
Details about the day’s events are available on the website, which also seeks a purely voluntary donation as vadhiyar dakshinai ( a token for the services performed by the guru) and for continuing its research and service in preserving the Indian heritage.