Author: SUSHAMA KASBEKAR

Robots are entering temples, raising a question: can machines perform faith? Imagine attending a religious ceremony where a robot performs the puja. It lights the lamps, recites the aarti perfectly and distributes the prasad. There is no faltering or hesitation. The robot priest neither asks for money nor a donation, and performs the ceremony efficiently and quickly. Is this fantasy? Certainly not. It is already becoming a reality in parts of India. As early as 2017, a technology expert developed a robotic arm to perform aarti, in which an oil lamp is offered to the deity to symbolise the removal…