BHU professor creates app that blocks porn websites, plays bhajans instead

VARANASI: A professor at Varanasi’s Banaras Hindu University and his programmer associate have created an application that will block access to pornographic websites and begin playing Hindu devotional songs when a user makes an attempt.

The creators of the application — called Har Har Mahadev — are Ankit Srivastava and VN Mishra, a neurologist who also describes himself as a “sociologist, social awakener” and an anti-pornography crusader.

› By next month we will give a religion option. For example, if a Muslim tries to open a porn site then ‘Allah o Akbar’ will be played, similarly chants of other religion will be loaded as well

VN MISHRA, creator of the app

“By next month we will give a religion option. For example, if a Muslim tries to open (a pornographic website) then ‘Allah o Akbar’ will be played, similarly chants of other religion will be loaded as well,” Mishra, said.

The medical superintendent of BHU said the effort will help curb “corruption of mentality”. “This is a very good step, it will help curb the corrupted mentality being spread in society. This is the land of Madan Mohan Malviya, hum maryadaon ke pujari hain (we worship dignity),” said OP Upadhyay, the medical superintendent of BHU.

The application appears to be currently limited to the Microsoft Windows platform and its website describes it as being in a beta phase.

Mishra said the programme can block over 3,800 websites.

Such applications are not new. But what has been a matter of much amusement, at least for people on social media, is how the programme apparently starts playing bhajans when someone tries to access porn.