Mangaldeep Agarbattis Launches an Innovative Devotional Mobile App


Hyderabad, 23 September 2016: ITC Limited’s Agarbatti business division has just launched a one of a kind mobile app called Mangaldeep Pujas, Bhajans, Mantras & More. The app will offer the users an extensive collection of devotional content including information on how to perform various pujas, popular devotional songs, panchaang calendar, temple locator, chant counter and more. There is also an editorial section which will have interesting and topical stories around temples, festivals, musicians, religion and mythology. The app is available on both Android and iOS platforms. In the initial phase the application has been launched in English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages while the Hindi and Bengali version of the application will be fully launched by September. Thus, the application aspires to enable its users to access all the information and content in their preferred languages without being restricted to English alone. Presently the application is devised to cover the most important themes and areas and over time more information will be added after taking feedback from users. 
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Mr.V.M.Rajasekharan, Chief Executive, ITC’s Agarbatti business, said “Mangaldeep has over the years built a trusted relationship with consumers. It has been achieved through our superior offerings and distribution infrastructure while working with small scale enterprises to create sustainable livelihoods. As an established brand, going forward we see an opportunity to have a deeper role in our consumer’s lives by evolving ourselves from a product brand into an enabler for the devotional lives of our consumers.”

When asked about the thought behind the brand creating a service on the mobile platform, Mr. Rajasekharan added, “Our research has shown us that the current generation has a need for understanding and expertise when it comes to performing pujas, be it every day or during festivals. The consumption of devotional content like bhajans and mantras on the digital space has also been on the rise. Further, they are looking for convenience through the ability to access the information anywhere and anytime when required. This inspired us to create a mobile based devotional app which is a meaningful combination of expertise and convenience and satisfies the user’s devotional needs in one place.” 
In the devotional music section, users can choose to view the collection by deity or by artist. songs performed by eminent singers like SP Balasubramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan and Nithyashree among others. The app keeps track of the most played songs by the user in the playlist view. The best thing about this section is that the songs can be downloaded and listened to offline using the app. 
There is a comprehensive list of over 30 Mantras including Gayatri Mantra, Mahamrityunjay Mantra, Ganesh Bheej Mantra, Kubera Mantra, Shani Mantra and Shirdi Sai Mantra. The Mantras section gives the significance of each mantra and also has the most popular shlokas and ashtothras used during various aartis and pujas. The mantras are also linked to the chant counter which is an innovative simulation of a Japamala that helps to track count of the mantra as it is being chanted by the user.

The highlight of the app is the Pujas section which contains a comprehensive guide to daily pujas, festival pujas as well as special pujas making it a useful ready reckoner to refer to when the person wants to perform any puja like Vinayaka Chathurti, Ramnavami, Shiv Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Satyanarayana Puja and many more.

Nowadays, as people are always moving from place to place, identifying nearby temples of the deities they worship becomes difficult. The temple locator section is a great way of finding information about and directions to temples near the user, as it also helps in identifying temples based on deities.

Mangaldeep Brand & Business Info: The Agarbatti business is an integral part of ITC’s business strategy of creating multiple drivers of growth in the FMCG sector. The company sources Agarbattis (Incense sticks) from the small-scale and cottage unit since 2003. It has supported the creation of livelihoods for more than 10,000 people in the country, many of whom belong to the weaker sections of society. This Business leverages the core strengths of ITC in nation-wide distribution and marketing, brand building, supply chain management, manufacture of high quality paperboards and creating innovative packaging solutions to offer Indian consumers high quality Agarbattis through the brand Mangaldeep. Growing at a CAGR of more than 20%, it is also the fastest growing brand in the category. Going forward, the brand is looking launching regionally relevant offerings to further customise the portfolio in line with local consumer preferences.