Singapore-based Hindus celebrates Thaipusam

Among those who joined the procession that began late on Saturday night and continued through Sunday were Singapores Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Manpower, Dinesh Vasu Dash, who carried the paalkudam, and his wife Dr Rathiga Velaithan, the Hindu Endowments Board HEB said.

A Singapore minister was among the thousands of Hindu devotees who took part in the Thaipusam celebration on Sunday, according to a state agency managing Indian temples here. A 3.2 km procession with the devotees carrying paalkudams (milk pots) set off from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road in the Little India precinct towards Sri Thendayuthapani Temple at Tank Road on the outskirts of the central business district. Among those who joined the procession that began late on Saturday night and continued through Sunday were Singapore's Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Manpower, Dinesh Vasu Dash, who carried the paalkudam, and his wife Dr Rathiga Velaithan, the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) said. ''Walking with them gave me a deeper sense of their experience,'' Dinesh told reporters on the sidelines, noting that participation had increased by about 20 to 30 per cent this year. More than 19,000 devotees carried paalkudams (milk pots) on their heads to offer to Lord Murugan while about 350 devotees bore kavadis -- elaborately decorated metal structures attached to the body with hooks and needles -- as part of Thaipusam celebration. The minister appreciated the improvements in crowd and queue management at both the temples. ''We were determined to ensure that no devotee should return without fulfilling their vows,'' HEB CEO Sarojini Padmanathan was quoted as saying by an Indian-community focused portal tabla! Along the procession route, Serangoon Road was awash in yellow and orange – colours associated with Lord Murugan. Instrumentalists added to the festive atmosphere, their beats inspiring spontaneous dancing among kavadi bearers, while volunteers stationed along the route offered water and managed the flow of devotees, the portal said. Thaipusam is held around January-February every year.

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