Even as Indians are rapidly adopting technology from the 21st century, they’re still very connected with their roots.
Hanuman Chalisa was the most played song on Alexa in 2019 in India, Amazon announced. Alexa users in India requested for Hanuman Chalisa to be played 4 times every minute. It was followed by children’s song Baby Shark in second place, which was played three times per minute. The cult Punjabi track Lamberghini finished in the third spot.
It’s interesting how Hanuman Chalisa is the most requested song on Alexa — liberal media outlets often like to portray religious Hindus as those belonging to the hinterland, and seem to think that religion in India isn’t taken as seriously in the big metros. Also, the liberal media seems to hint that religion is a part of the lives of people who’re from economically weaker sections, while saying that richer people tend to not be as religious.
But Alexa’s data belies such impressions — people who use home speakers are much more likely to live in metros than in small cittes. Also, they’re quite likely to be well-off — Amazon’s Echo speakers can cost as much as Rs. 10,000, and it’s only the upwardly mobile who’d use them.
The news would also serve as an interesting data point for companies that seek to target India’s young, upwardly mobile cohorts. Netflix, in particular, has been panned for promoting Hinduphobia through its shows Leila and Sacred Games, while companies like Zomato and Hindustan Unilever have often taken decidedly Hinduphobic stances in their social media. But while the urban Indian Hindu might not be very vocal about his religion, as Amazon’s data shows, Hinduism still ends up being a large part of his life.
