When Pundit Sunil Seetahal Maharaj took a dig at the Stink+Dutty fete and wining patrons in an address to his devotees at the Ganesh Utsav Foundation’s Maha Shivaratri celebrations on Monday, he did not expect his unconventional call to worship would ricochet across social media.

But by yesterday morning, as the country approached its annual Carnival celebrations and a number of religious celebrations, his comments had already struck a nerve and had gone viral.

An impassioned Maharaj had, throughout the delivery of a two-hour discourse, expressed disappointment in some Hindus, whom he said often made excuses for their lack of involvement in God and religion.