Unabashedly spoken about by men, unfortunately discussed in hushed tones among women, maybe not an acceptable topic for dinner table conversation yet, but porn is very much a part of an Indian adult’s life. And yet, time and again, we’ve watched the government try to ban porn, as unsuccessful as that might be. But it’s not just the government that’s so adamant on moral policing its citizens; educational institutes, it seems, too have a similar agenda on their plate.

When you think of technological progress in 21st century modern India, I’m pretty sure a porn-blocking application isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind.

In November 2017, Dr Vijay Nath Mishra, of Institute of Medical Sciences at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), decided to take the matter in his own hands by developing an application that would prevent the user from accessing ‘inappropriate’ websites, like those carrying content that is pornographic, vulgar, violent, or sadistic in any sense.

Named ‘Har Har Mahadev’, the application is inspired by the name of Hindu God Shiva who is known to kill social evils. And according to the neurological department of BHU, pornography is one such social evil. Other social evils include anything that can be classified as violent, like the game ‘Blue Whale’. The application is available for both smartphones and desktop.

According to The Indian Express, every time a user tries to open a pornographic website, the app will redirect them to devotional songs like bhajans and inspirational speeches by famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. A product of Mishra’s blood and sweat, the app took six months to create and can block almost 3,800 pornographic and violent content websites. As the application’s official website states, “You don’t even need to be actively looking for pornographic sites, you simply come across them – no one is protected from such sites.”

“When I decided to develop this app, I had my children and family in mind and my patients who come in with behavioural problems. Devotional songs praising God will play if anyone tries to open a porn site. Addiction to pornography cannot be treated but this is a humble attempt at changing one’s behaviour,” said Mishra, who belongs to a family of high priests in Varanasi.

An earnest initiative to “cure those suffering from porn addiction”, Mishra has specified that installing this app would be a voluntary gesture and could not be forced upon anyone. Moreover, he hopes to make the app even more inclusive in the future by adding an option for religion. So for Muslims, the app would redirect the user to “Allah o Akbar” chants instead of Hindu devotional songs. Similarly chants of other religion will also be incorporated with time.

The application’s official website, replete with an FAQ page and an archive of Har Har Mahadev’s media mentions, is a fascinating experience of its own. From browsing through the application’s several benefits like “the assurance that you and your family are now protected against indiscriminate content” to learning more about the duo (Mishra and his web developer, Ankit Srivastava) behind the app, the website has pretty much all the information you will need including samples of motivational songs that will play every time you get redirected.

To protect yourself from social evils like porn, you can download the application here.

Feature image credit: Har Har Mahadev (L) and desiblitz.com (R)

If you enjoyed reading this, we suggest you read:

Chatpate Lokgeet - The Bhojpuri Music Industry’s Absurdly Raunchy Obsession With Vegetables

India Is Trying To Ban Porn Again, Access Blocked To Over 800 Adult Sites

Apparently, Indians Watch The Least Porn During Diwali