Thaipusam is the yearly festival that everyone eagerly awaits for. Due to the pandemic, it has been on hold for a year. Bad things don’t last forever and for all you devotees the Thaipusam festival is all set for 18th January 2022 along with the Golden chariot and Kavadi procession.
According to The Star, Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) chairman Dr P. Ramasamy stated that this festival will be conducted under strict guidelines.
Ramasamy said they will carry out the festival according to a precise SOP (standard operating procedure) that covers every aspect.
Datuk M. Ramachandran, the executive director of PHEB pleads all devotees attending this event to follow the SOP to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
“We have a team working on the SOP which will be submitted to the police and the Health Department for approval,” he said.
Every year, the Golden Chariot will stop every 100m to 200m for the devotees to give their offerings. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the chariot will stop at three places only until it reaches Arulmigu Sree Balathandayuthapani Hilltop temple at Waterfall Road.
“However, we still need to iron out the physical distancing part to avoid a huge crowd at each stop,” said Ramachandran.
Following the SOP, only 10 people will be allowed to carry paal kudam (milk pots) at one time.
The team will also address how the thaneer panthals (refreshment stalls) should be set up, as well as how the kavadi procession should be conducted out, Ramachandran added.
“On traffic and crowd management along the routes, we will request the guidance of the police,” he mentioned.
According to Ramachandran, Nattukotai Chettiar Temple, which runs the Silver Chariot will not be running the two chariots next year.
“We are not looking into any cooperation with them this time,” he said.
However, Dr. A. Narayanan, managing trustee of the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple said the police’s cooperation and guidance would be requested for the Silver Chariot procession.
“The chariot procession is something we’ve done for over a century. We will have a meeting with the police to address the SOP,” he stated.
Since 2017, when the PHEB for the first time put out the Golden Chariot during Thaipusam, the board and the committee members from the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple have been in conflict.
The chettiars organised a scaled-down Silver Chariot parade from Penang Street to the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple in January, despite the fact that the Thaipusam celebration was not held this year.
Please adhere to the SOPs and guidelines in order to have a smooth Thaipusam celebration.
