Dato Chachar: Celebrating devotion and tradition

[VIDEO} The Dato’ Chachar festival is a joyous occasion for the Chitty community as families come together in traditional attire to celebrate.

The Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple in Gajah Berang, Melaka, was flooded with thousands of devotees yesterday as they celebrated the annual Dato Chachar festival.

Dato Chachar, also known as Megamey or Mengamay, is the biggest Hindu event of the year in Melaka and a major celebration among the Chitty diaspora, who are currently spread over Malaysia and Singapore.

The festival is named after the Goddess Mariamman, believed to cure ailments such as chickenpox, known as Chachar in Malay. It is one of two unique festivals of the Chitty Community.

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Navin Kumar Perianen

Navin Kumar completed this technical studies at Finas Film Institute in 2009 and began his career as assistant cameraman, working his way up through the ranks while focusing primarily on various documentary projects. He is inspired by textures, light, shades, angles and emotions with a genuine passion for visual artistic and stories revolving around people. In 2012, he directed and edited a short documentary titled "Here to Help" on the struggle of Nepali migrants in Malaysia. He goes on hibernation whenever he is not behind a camera.