Happy Thaipusam

Today is Thaipusam Day. Hindus celebrate this occasion as the day when the goddess Parvathi awarded her son (terlupa nama) a special spear with which her son defeated the forces of evil. The theme is always about good defeating bad. The message is universal. 

How the Thaipusam is celebrated can be made more and more better by the Hindu conregations themselves.  Avoiding waste is important. Just a small point.

Anyway here is an interesting picture from Thaipusam at  Batu Caves today.

This picture is making the rounds. Only in Malaysia will a picture like this need to go around.  

I was born and raised (until 14 years old) in lovely Ipoh - perhaps the loveliest town in Malaysia - other than Taiping and Penang (Its my prejudice ok, I finished school in Penang, began work in Penang, my father also worked in Taiping for two years - I spent wonderful weekends and holidays in Taiping, a beautiful place until today.)  

In the 60s and 70s Thaipusam was big in Ipoh. Ipoh had the second biggest celebration  of Thaipusam after Penang. Batu Caves was quite unknown in the 1960s.

In those days the Thaipusam celebration at Waterfall Road in the Botanical Gardens was an international tourist attraction. The highlight of course were the kavadis and the really loud banging of the drums. 

Happy Thaipusam.