Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Syncretism is possible among Dhammic religions: the case of a Sikh & a Chinese participating in a Hindu festival
Thursday June 11, 2009 [The Star Online]
‘Painless’ feat by devout seven By DERRICK VINESH
The youths went into a trance as they pulled the 5.7m-high kavadi bearing the statue of Lord Anjaneyar (also known as Hanuman) for about 5km, walking barefoot amid thunderous drumbeats and bhajans (religious songs) played in the background.
“A graphic artist, Kughan from Weld Quay helped us design the kavadi. Some of us contributed our bonus and raised funds to build the kavadi,” he said in an interview in Kampung Acham, here yesterday.
‘Painless’ feat by devout seven By DERRICK VINESH
A SENSE of camaraderie was prevalent as seven friends, including a Chinese and Sikh, pulled a two-ton chariot kavadi with hooks on their backs at the annual Hindu fire walking (Thee Mithi) festival in Butterworth.
The youths went into a trance as they pulled the 5.7m-high kavadi bearing the statue of Lord Anjaneyar (also known as Hanuman) for about 5km, walking barefoot amid thunderous drumbeats and bhajans (religious songs) played in the background.
They started their journey from Jalan Chain Ferry at about 7.30pm on Tuesday passing through Jalan Sungai Nyior, Jalan Siram, Jalan Telaga Air and Jalan Mengkuang before heading toward the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Tokong.
Each of them had 56 hooks on their backs that were tied to the kavadi with fine nylon strings.
Six of them had 120 mini paal kodam (silver milkpots) and a string of conches hooked on their chest apart from a vel (spear) and several hooks on chains pierced their cheek.
Their leader Kumanaan Anthony Vincent, 24, said about 30 youths from the Butterworth Sivasakthi Urimi Melam group as well as friends and volunteers took three months to build the kavadi costing about RM48,000.
“A graphic artist, Kughan from Weld Quay helped us design the kavadi. Some of us contributed our bonus and raised funds to build the kavadi,” he said in an interview in Kampung Acham, here yesterday.
Their kavadi was the biggest among seven kavadis during the ceremony.
Apart from a giant statue of Lord Anjaneyar, their kavadi also bore eight smaller polystyrene statues of him. Kumanaan said they also added a figurine of Lord Anjaneyar hugging Lord Ramar as well as a mini fountain with a marble statue of the Chinese Goddess of Mercy – Kuan Yin - in the middle.
Chin Yoke Wah, 48, from Chong Than Yan Soi Religious Association, who was among the seven who pulled the kavadi, said he wanted to fulfill a personal vow and help his Hindu friends achieve the feat.
“I helped with the chariot’s main frame welding and mounting of the statues, he said, adding that the non-motorised structure was built on a platform with six tyres.
Ravinder Pal Singh, 22, said he observed a 12-day vegetarian diet before joining his friends to pull the kavadi. “Last year, I carried a small kavadi on my shoulders,” he said. Besides Kumanaan and Chin, the others who pulled the kavadi were S. Murugan Thevar, 23, V. Kesavan, 22, K. Surendran, 23, and K. Subramaniam, 21.
