This article appeared in Malaysiakini.com on January 19th, 2009
citizen journalist report On the auspicious full moon of Thaii, which occurs between January and February, thousands of devotees will converge on houses of Lord Muruga, a popular deity among the Tamil community of south India.
In fulfilment of a vow taken a year before for protection, a new lease on life, good health, wealth, strength or many more reasons, a devotee will carry a kavadi as a gesture of thanks.
Thaipusam will be celebrated on Jan 30 this year. In Selangor and Penang, it is preceded by a chariot procession that carries the statue of Lord Muruga from the temple to his ‘abode’ in the hills two days earlier. Smaller events are held in Johor, Perak and Negri Sembilan.
In Penang, the Thanner Malai Murugan temple in Waterfalls Road is the focal point of the festival.
Penang Hindu Sangam chairperson Ravichandran Balasandorom said the Penang Hindu Endowment Board has been doing a remarkable job in organising the annual event.
However, littering remains a big problem and invariably mars the occasion.
“Devotees and visitors have a tendency to litter the procession route, even though rubbish bins are set up at designated places,” said Ravichandran.
“The Penang government is now going green and we should support it by not littering during the celebration. This is also in keeping with the auspiciousness of the occasion.”
Another worrying issue, said Ravichandran is the tendency of some devotees, especially youths, to be boisterous. Most of the time, this creates a disturbance and sometimes, leads into fights.
He reminded youth that Thaipusam is a religious festival and that devotees should observe moderation in everything they do.
‘Show respect’
Ravichandran also said it is inappropriate and disrespectful to place emblems of English premier league football clubs and other unrelated pictures and logos on the kavadi.
“There was one occasion where a kavadi resembled a popular beer logo. The Penang Hindu Sangam strongly objects to, and rejects, this irresponsible attitude.
“There is no need to have modernised versions of the kavadi. Thaipusam in Malaysia has became the focus all over the world for the worship of Lord Muruga. Thus we must be on our best behaviour.”
He added that the organising committee and the authorities will work together to ensure a safe celebration for devotees.
LEOW BENG HOCK is a Citizen Journalist trained by Malaysiakini through the CJ.MY project. He is an environmentalist who loves the outdoors and is always on the lookout for issues affecting the public. He believes social justice is achieved through mediation and not through extremism.
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