Pokemon Go has millenials rushing to the mandirs

On July 7, Angelina Dholekar aimed a red-and-white ball at her manager's head. The 22-year-old CA intern has nothing against her boss but that day, inside an auditor's cabin in Malad, something reduced Dholekar to her 12-year-old self. As she prepared to fling the virtual red ball from her Android phone, her boss — a middle-aged, sari-clad woman — wondered why Dholekar was taking a picture of her. The reply befuddled her even more: "There is a Bulbasaur sitting on your head."

Bulbasaur, for the uninitiated, is the small, green dinosaur from Pokemon Go — an augmented reality mobile game that has infested India even before its official release here. Since July 6 — when the app was officially released in Australia, the US and New Zealand — millennials, who hacked the game, have started hanging around temples and churches, trading phrases like "lighting incense" and "hatching eggs". The gods must be very confused.

You see, this gaming app — which detects the user's location through the phone's GPS — makes characters from the '90s Japanese cartoon series 'Pokemon' pop up in the vicinity. It expects users to walk to search for these imaginary animals and later, train and battle them. You can play either by switching on your phone camera or in augmented reality mode. Seduced by this treasure-hunt-like promise and the hype of the app that is already bigger than the dating app Tinder, many young Indians have resorted to various hacks to download the game on their Android and iOS phones.


(Image: AFP)

To their surprise, they've discovered that many of the Pokestops (places where you can collect items that would help you catch these creatures) and even the gyms (Pokemon battlegrounds) — are located at shrines. This is why commerce student Ameya Sawant, who used to visit only on Tuesdays has now started going daily. "I even play while at the gym," says the Prabhadevi resident, who has covered quite a distance both on and off his treadmill, reaching the nooks of Worli and Koliwada.

For many, it doubles up as an exercise app. Every night after dinner, Raj Mungekar, a 25-year-old banker from Prabhadevi, sneaks out for walks along with a team of 12 other Pokemon hunters in his locality. Mungekar has even stopped taking the bus to Dadar station and the shared cab from CST to his office at Churchgate so he can pursue these virtual animals on foot. His booty: over 50 Pokemons.


(Image: AP)

To a generation that grew up on this '90s cartoon staple, the game gifts the childlike joy of discovery. "You don't know which Pokemons you are tracking so there is an element of surprise," says Dholekar, who treasures the Snorlax — a docile blue-green Pokemon — that she found after completing 10 km. As an only child, Dholekar treated these creatures as friends. "Back in 2004, I saved up all my pocket money to buy the CD of one Pokemon episode for Rs 300," says Dholekar.

Given how effortlessly the game helps breaks the ice, it is no surprise that within a week, the craze has spawned several social events. Last night, Mumbai saw a Pokewalk at Bandra while another Pokewalk and even a PokeGo bar crawl have been planned for this month. For a taste of the game's networking power, all you have to do is visit Dadar's Shivaji Park or what Pokemon-hunters now call Mumbai's Central Park for its promise of Gyms and rare Pokemon breeds.


(Image: AFP)

"Hey guys, did you find Drowzee here?" a boy with a hybrid green-and-black bicycle by his side, asks two strangers. "No, just Bulbasaur," quip Akilesh and Akash, who have just battled each other at the gym here. "Would you please take care of my bike?" requests the boy, disappearing to cross puddles and startle crows in pursuit of the rare bipedal creature that turns out to be right at the centre of the football field. This adventurous hunter, 22-year-old Nihal Devaya, aka JonSnow139, was recently chased by a guard for venturing into a ground in Juhu looking for a Charmander.

To be sure, the game — with its power to sap both attention and battery — has its risks. Abroad, Pokemon Go is said to have caused robberies and accidents. Closer home, "I almost got run over at Lajpat Nagar once while playing," says Guwahati resident Trishant Bora, who is in Delhi on vacation. He now tries to get his mother to walk with him to keep an eye on the road as he captures his prey.


(Image: Reuters)

While a rare sighting merits an instant update on social media, players love to find patterns. A covert consensus pegs Navi Mumbai as having the "worst Pokemons" with its propensity for Pidgeys. Also, theories on the likelihood of finding water Pokemon near water bodies and grass-dwelling Pokemon in parks are popular. Mazgaon's 19-year-old Ishan Patil, for instance, found more than ten water Pokemon recently at Ferry Wharf. "My friend found one in his bathroom," says Patil.

Vashi resident Sreejata Gupta — who even directs Uber drivers to the side with the most Pokestops — says she fears losing her job as these creatures keep popping up near her laptop. "I am constantly thinking of strategies," says Gupta, who was tempted to outsource walking to the bride and groom at a wedding recently. "I contemplated handing the phone to the couple as they did the seven pheras," says Gupta, who had calculated that seven rounds would mean roughly one kilometre. "That's when you can hatch an egg," says Gupta.

Also read: What is Pokémon GO? Find out here

Also read: Pokemon Go raises users' security, safety concerns