Recently, a few Pandits asked me a question that made me think:

“Why is Poojat charging a commission on Pooja? Pooja is a matter of faith. You cannot take a commission on someone’s faith.”

I completely respect the sentiment behind this question. Pooja is deeply connected with people's faith, emotions, traditions and beliefs. But I believe we need to understand the difference between charging for a religious ritual and charging for the services and infrastructure that make that ritual accessible.

Poojat is not charging a commission on someone's faith. Poojat is a technology and service platform that connects devotees with Pandits and temples.

When someone books a Pandit through Poojat, a lot happens behind that simple booking.

Poojat has to build and maintain its website and mobile application. Servers have to run 24×7. Payment systems, databases, security, customer accounts and booking technology all require continuous investment.

Then comes marketing.

People need to discover Poojat. We invest in Google, social media, SEO, content, advertising and other marketing activities to bring customers to the platform. In many cases, Poojat is effectively bringing a customer to a Pandit who may otherwise have never reached that customer.

Then there are operations and customer support.

Someone has to coordinate bookings, confirm Pandit availability, handle customer questions, manage cancellations and rescheduling, resolve issues and make sure the Pooja happens properly.

Behind all this are people working in technology, marketing, operations, customer support, finance and management. They have salaries and professional responsibilities.

There are also payment gateway charges, software costs, taxes, office expenses, logistics and many other operational expenses that customers and Pandits generally don't see.

So if Poojat doesn't earn anything from a booking, how are we supposed to pay for all of this?

Would anyone expect a Pandit to perform a Pooja without receiving a professional fee simply because the Pooja is connected to faith?

Of course not.

A Pandit invests years learning rituals, scriptures, Sanskrit, traditions and procedures. The Pandit deserves to be paid for their time, knowledge and professional service.

In exactly the same way, Poojat invests in technology, customer acquisition, infrastructure, operations and convenience. Poojat needs revenue to sustain that service.

The faith belongs to the devotee.
The knowledge belongs to the Pandit.
The technology and service belong to Poojat.

These are three different things.

In fact, Poojat's objective is to create more opportunities for Pandits—not to take away from them.

Through Poojat, Pandits can reach customers beyond their immediate network, receive digital bookings, build their professional presence and spend less time searching for customers.

We also believe that everything should be transparent. Pandits should know exactly what Poojat charges, customers should understand what they are paying for, and there should be no hidden deductions.

The model is simple:

The customer gets convenience.
The Pandit gets a booking and professional income.
Poojat earns for providing the technology, marketing and operational infrastructure.

Pooja is about faith, devotion and tradition.

Running Poojat is a business.

There is nothing contradictory about using a modern business model to make India's ancient spiritual traditions more accessible.

If Poojat can use technology to help one more family find the right Pandit, perform their Pooja on time and continue their tradition with convenience, then we believe the service has value.

We are not monetising faith.
We are building the infrastructure that helps people practice it.