Danish Fairoz: January 2011

Made an impromptu plan to photograph Thaipusam, after being invited by Brownteddy. Went on a 11pm train from Seremban, and only arrived home at 8am in the morning. Enjoyed 6 hours of pure shooting ! Only managed to expose 2 rolls though. Ok, let's go back to the matter at hand.

Thaipusam.. Thaipusam celebrates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a spear, so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman, a rakshasa. Hindu devotees would present their gods with fruits and flowers, of yellow or orange, being Murugan's favourite colour.

To give you a peek on how Thaipusam looks like, here's a preview before I elucidate in detail what Thaipusam's all about.

During the celebration of Thaipusam, devotees would offer their gods Kavadhi, which is a structure tied to their backs, or pulled by cows. Devotees would also offer gods offerings in the form of physical burdens, be it in the form of a pot of milk, or by the act of piercing.

Piercing, piercing is normally done through the tongue or cheek to remind devotees of Lord Murugan. This holy act prevents devotees from speaking, thus giving them great power of endurance, by eliminating the urge to speak.

( Right after being pierced, notice both devotees have their eyes shut )

While in the process of piercing iron hooks or spears, some devotees would smoke cigars. I initially thought the cigars were some sort of painkiller, and was I wrong ! People smoke cigarettes, or sometimes eat apples because that's what their god likes to do. Some gods eat apples, and some smoke cigars.

Some devotees were happily jumping and dancing, while some were in trance. Turning away from the physical world, and immersing their souls in being one with god.

The over-photographed part of Thaipusam, the act of cleansing. After seeing too many "close ups" on devotees showering, I decided to try something different, including some background elements. That said, waited for an interesting element, and the figure of a woman ( on a kavadi ). The act of cleansing ones soul is done in preparation to walk up the stairs of Batu Caves.

The art of shaving ones head bald. There's a reason behind this occurrence, which I don't know. After shaving, they undertake a pilgrimage while engaging in acts of devotion. In this image, I find the shadow on the pillar rather peculiar.

To end my blather, I'd like to show something rather touching. Many people perceive Thaipusam as a dangerous ritual. With the spears, hooks, etc. That was what I perceived Thaipusam as initially. But, after spending a cool 6 hours there, I was bedazzled by the uniqueness of Thaipusam, the people, the culture and the traditions. Thaipusam is also about finding your inner strength. This image below changed my perception of Thaipusam. The act of expressing love. You don't normally see a grandfather carrying his grandson.