For others, it is a way to send a subtle message to callers. Sandeep Shenoy, a strategist at brokerage firm Pioneer Intermediaries Pvt. Ltd, plays Shri Ram Chandra as his caller greeting. “But I change it five to six times a year. Around Christmas, I play carols. Around Ganapati (Ganesh Chaturthi), I play Ganesha bhajans.” The idea, he says, is to offer “soothing respite to people during stressful workdays.”
The Gayatri Mantra remains in the top 10 ringtones for most service providers, along with Jai Ganesha and Navkar Mantra. The top 10 charts are compiled on a weekly basis, because they vary so much depending on what songs are popular at the time. While tunes easily soar to the top 10 and then vanish, the Gayatri Mantra has stayed steady, said Sujai Srivastava, a Reliance spokesman.
Customers such as Christopher say their text messages are less about religion than about sharing a beautiful idea with friends. He signed up for the service through the website www.mytodaysms.com. The firm charges Rs2 to start and stop services and the SMS itself is free of cost, sponsored by churches and other religious organizations. Netcore Solutions Pvt. Ltd, which runs the site, declined to give details about its business model.
“I think quotations are beautiful thoughts put together in a few words,” Christopher says, and recites his favourite, from Psalm, Chapter 23.
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
“For you are with me…”
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