Along with Lord Ganesha and goddess Laxmi, electronic gadgets will also enter the pantheon of Hindu gods this Diwali. 

The traders in Delhi are planning to worship iPads, laptops, computers and mobiles in their Diwali puja along with other traditional gods on Thursday.

The move comes at a time when e-tailers are giving a tough time to the trading community. 

Priests and vedic scholars will be roped in for the puja. According to Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of Confederation of All India Traders, the blend of age-old Indian culture and modern gadgets would drive home a message to the traders.

Offline retailers have been under severe pressure from growing competition from online retailers, though the latter is just about one  per cent of India’s total retail market. 

The battle escalated into higher levels with companies such as Flipkart and Amazon belting out huge discounts. The response from consumers has been motivating,  as online retailers witnessed ten times more traffic this season.

India is seen as one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets with an estimated size of about $6 billion by next year.

Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters