ANUSHA SELVAMANI
The annual Hindu festival Thaipusam, which was held on Jan 25 in Singapore, attracted more than 18,000 devotees who fulfilled their vows to Lord Murugan undeterred by the inclement weather.
Despite the roads being slippery, many of them carried kavadis and milk pots and completed the 4km foot procession from Sri Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road without a hitch.
The festival was a success thanks to 1,500 volunteers, who set up drinks and food booths along the route.
“Rain or shine, the entire journey is strenuous for devotees,” said housewife Mala Sundaraja, 47, who served bandung (rose syrup with milk) and buttermilk, much like her family has been doing for the past 60 years. “This year, there was rain, and they needed food and drinks to replenish their energy.”
Civil engineer S. Shanmuganathan, 64, along with his friends and family members, distributed food such as mee hoon goreng as well as drinks to the devotees.
“Starting from breakfast, we arrived at the booth early and started preparing,” he said. “We find joy in this and we wanted to keep the devotees in good cheer. The women in my family also sang devotional songs to lift the mood.”
The 4km path was barricaded and policemen were on hand to ensure the smooth flow of traffic on a weekday.
A group of volunteers also directed pedestrians to prevent congestion.
Engineer Nadarajan Thirukumaran, 46, who has been volunteering at Thaipusam for 12 years, said: “It was raining heavily, but that did not deter me from helping the devotees. Volunteers are mostly needed when it rains because plans can go awry.”
Volunteers from the Hindu Endowments Board also served as first-aiders.
Mr Arul Govindasamy, 65, a nurse from the Institute of Mental Health, said: “I feel so grateful to have played a small part in helping out devotees who needed medical help.”
