JOIN USIndia's main body of traders Tuesday offered special prayers to Lord Hanuman, saying only the "powerful" Hindu god will help them beat the challenge of FDI in retail trade.
Also on Diwali day Tuesday, members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) prayed to the modern tools of trade: computers, laptop and iPad, which have increasingly replaced traditional account registers.
"We are worshipping Lord Hanuman on Diwali as he is by tradition called 'Sankatmochan' (one who helps overcome crises). And today, we are facing a crisis of sorts," said CAIT leader Praveen Khandelwal.
The special 'puja' was offered at the CAIT office in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area. Priest Pramod Shastri told IANS: "I have never conducted a puja of this type before. But one must change with the times. And since the traders requested me to appropriate Lord Hanuman in this Diwali puja, I did so."
Besides reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa', the traders also invoked Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi, who are traditionally worshipped on Diwali. Also reflecting the changing times, the assembled traders offered prayers to computers, laptops, iPads and mobile phones.
"With changing times, iPad, laptop and computers have replaced account books while the mobile phone has become instrumental in conducting business in an efficient way," Khandelwal said.
"That is why, we worshipped these electronic gadgets this year," he said.