She is wrapped in a traditional as she speaks, a kindly twinkle in her eye even as she seems to chide in an Instagram video posted in March. “Kids often tell me they have no time for puja,” The Hindu Grandma says with a scolding finger, referencing a common . “They seem to have time for Instagram.
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But puja? Eh.” But the petite, kindly woman ― whose real name is Ranjani Saigal ― has a solution. Today, , she’ll demonstrate a brief version of the prayer, one “that can fit into anybody’s schedule.
” Six months ago, the 63-year-old former computer scientist had barely dipped her toes into the waters of social media; now, as The Hindu Grandma, she’s earned thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok, sharing her knowledge of and verses with Hindu youth and adults around the globe. She personifies how social media has permeated so many facets of daily life - from idle chit-chat to religious teachings that, in some cases, simply aren't available anywhere else for the vast majority of people. “It’s for them to understand the meaning of why we do something, so it’s not just hocus pocus,” she said.
“Hindu traditions are so beautiful. It’s about celebrating and connecting with nature.” Saigal hopes her daily videos, aimed at Hindu youth growing up in the U.
S., give Hindu American parents another way to face the challenges of instilling faith traditions in their children in a country in which Hindus represent barely 1% of the population a.