Ramzan traditions come online on YouTube
ICT Desk
banglanews24.com
DHAKA: Google is bringing some of the venerable Ramzan traditions online with the launch of a new YouTube Ramzan channel lets viewers see more than 50 premium Ramzan shows the same day they air.
Islamic prayers will be streamed live from Mecca on a dedicated YouTube channel and millions of users from around the world will be able to experience and comment on the event by tuning in via video, the Internet giant said in a post on its official blog.
‘Ramzan is about more than just prayer; it is also a special moment to gather with friends and family. Muslims gather to watch special television shows produced for the holiday and shown only during Ramzan. Often the shows overlap in scheduling. This year, for the first time, YouTube is enabling people to watch their favourite shows anytime, anywhere,’ Google said in the blog post.
Google is also making use of its nascent social networking service Google Plus for its Ramzan coverage, reports IBN Live.
Through Google Plus Hangouts, Google will host 30 virtual get-togethers in the 30 days of the holy month, in which celebrity chefs will share their favourite recipes and doctors will give tips on eating healthy.
Actors will talk about their favourite Ramzan shows. Poets will discuss literature inspired by the holiday. Religious figures will answer questions. The Google Plus Ramzan activity updates will be available on the Google Arabia page on Google+.
Google had also in 2011 partnered with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information to broadcast Islamic prayers live during Ramzan from the Holy Mosque in Mecca and in November YouTube had broadcast the live coverage of the annual Islamic pilgrimage of Haj for the first time.
BDST: 1502 HRS, JUL 21, 2012
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor