Buying a new car? What about going to a dealer who offers a free ‘puja’ for the car performed by an in-house priest as well?
NEW DELHI: Buying a new car? What about going to a dealer who offers a free ‘puja’ for the car performed by an in-house priest as well?
Priests now have a new job opening — performing quick pujas for car customers at showrooms before they drive away with the four-wheeler.
Many dealers have now started providing services like performing customary rituals and ceremonies right at the car showrooms.
Raman Gupta, manager (operations) in a leading IT company, recently bought a Maruti from a car dealer in the capital. A firm believer in starting any new work only after performing some rituals, he was just about to leave for a Hanuman mandir nearby, when a person from the showroom approached him and introduced himself as Pandit Radhamohan Tyagi, a priest deployed by the outlet manager for carrying out the “customary rituals and ceremonies” for the occasion.
“We are here for your convenience sir,” the priest told them. “In just 15 minutes, he along with an assistant, performed all the rituals from coconut-breaking and marking a ‘swastik’ to ‘aarti’ and all. I am really delighted at the service offered by the company,” says Raman’s wife Seema.
Panditji is happy too. “We perform every ritual according to the demand of the customer and get paid by the company,” he says.
Regarding the change in his traditional way of working, he says, “Car dealers are arranging pujas, where a priest blesses a car for good luck. The showrooms also sell small statues of Hindu gods to be placed on dashboards.”
“Moreover, we get handsomely paid by the owners of the showroom as against the low income from temples and homes. So, I have opted to work for them,” he adds.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing car markets. Sales are growing at the rate of 15% a year, with volumes due to rise from 1.3 million to 2.1 million by 2010, according to Frost & Sullivan, a consultancy.
As such the manufacturers are focusing to develop an intimate bond with each
customer by providing these services.
Another priest, Krishnamurari Jha , employed at a leading car showroom, says, “Average Indians are spending more and buying cars. This augurs well for us as more and more priests would be hired by the dealers in the coming days.”
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