Tradition goes digital as Kalnirnay launches iPad app
Indians around the world will now be able to check their auspicious tithis and muhurats at the tips of their fingers.
Indians around the world will now be able to check their auspicious tithis and muhurats at the tips of their fingers. In an instance of tradition going digital, Kalnirnay, one of the most popular calendar and almanac brands in the country, launched its application on Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on Thursday evening.
The application can currently be downloaded only in Marathi, but multiple versions in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada will be available by next month.
“There has been a great demand for our calendars among Indians settled abroad, particularly those above the age of 30,” said Jayraj Salgaonkar, managing director of Kalnirnay. “The iPad and iPhone are the most advanced ways to reach out to them.”
In the new application, users can browse through each month of the Hindu calendar, zoom in and read details about particular dates and check for bhavishya (predictions) and marriage muhurats. One can also set reminders on important dates and festivals and read about the festivals of Indian religions.
In another three months, Kalnirnay also plans to launch an Android version of its application. “This will enable mobile users to carry the whole almanac in their pockets,” said Salgaonkar.
“This application heralds the moving of this almanac into the 21st century, and with Indian and American engineers working on it together, it is a proof of how the world is shrinking,” said Paul Folmsbee, consul general of the US in Mumbai who formally launched the application on Friday.
Kalnirnay, published by the city-based Sumangal Press, currently prints editions in seven languages and sells more than 1.65 crore copies annually. Of these, nearly 64 lakh copies are in Marathi.