Indicom has already begun to spin off and form mobile “affinity groups” for existing religious groups, such as the non-profit Art of Living Foundation and Iskcon. Both organizations declined to comment for this story.
“The groups act as the content providers for us and we aggregate that content into a mobile-friendly format,” Sethi said. For instance, the sayings, pictures, messages and voice and video clips of the Art of Living-founder, who goes by the name Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and the group’s special bhajans are adapted for mobile usage.
“What we do is tailor his message to fit 161 characters, consult his senior teachers to make sure that his message was not lost in translation, and then we send it out as an SMS to all subscribers every day,” Sethi said.
Sethi says that the financial arrangement between his company and such niche groups follows industry standards, but refused to elaborate further. Such arrangements, according to telecommunications experts, can vary widely, from revenues split 50:50 to other deals more favourable to the cellphone service providers, since religious content is often available freely and some groups are grateful to spread their message.
Now, Tata Indicom is planning a similar alliance with two other religious congregations to form more exclusive partnerships. Sethi said he could not mention any names yet “because we’re working on the deals and it’s a fluid situation.”
Reliance, too, has begun personalizing the practice of devotion. Working with B.R. Films, producer of the highly successful 1980s’ television serials based on the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, Reliance has created a condensed version of the Mahabharata for its mobile users. “Now, you can watch it on your mobile for Rs15,” said Prasad. “During festivals again, we create a whole gamut of content to help people enjoy the spirit of things.”
For example, last year during Navaratri, Reliance provided information about where Garba and Dandiya events were being held across India. It also gives sunrise and sunset times for Muslims fasting during Ramadan. The company’s other, most popular personalization stems from ringtones, where users can assign different songs for spouses, friends, family and colleagues.
When friends call Ankush Khanna, a Delhi-based content-writer for web-portal Sify, they say they never quite know what music to expect. It could be the bhajan Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, or the Gayatri Mantra, or the Jai Ganesha chant, or the Hanuman Chalisa. “I am not actually a religious guy,” he said. “I don’t go to temples… But then, religious tunes are better than playing item numbers for people who call me.”
Prasad says some people take their ringtones very seriously. “Sometimes, they put in Gayatri Mantra for the morning, another in the afternoon, and some other one in the evening… You see, Indians tend to treat the mobile as an extension of themselves.”
Sonal Pathak, a Mumbai-based homemaker, would agree. Her ringtone is the bhajan Aye Malik because “it reflects who I am and how I try to live my life.”