Religious messages such as "Lord Ganesha, I love you, come into my heart now" are being sent around with the plea that they be forwarded to more people. These chain messages seem to be becoming more common, according to a Times of India report.
Users usually follow instructions to send them on to keep evil at bay, as a sign of religious devotion or to receive good luck. There are even suspicions that the cellular companies may be initiating some of these chain SMSs, said the report.
''Earlier, people used to send postcards with such messages, asking recipients to forward them to other people. These play on a person's guilt and inherent fear when they speak of 'mataji no prakop"--the goddess' anger--if the chain is broken,'' Ahmedabad-based psychiatrist Mrugesh Vaishnav was quoted as saying.
''This may well the cellphone companies' ploy to increase use of SMS. It might be a marketing strategy."
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