Kavadi’s makers face unfamiliar situation of being left idle this Thaipusam
GEORGE TOWN: Whenever Thaipusam draws near, kavadi makers in Penang would be working around the clock, sculpting vibrant and eyecatching kavadis for the bearers and showing off their amazing craftsmanship displayed in the chariot procession during the auspicious Hindu festival.
The annual celebrations in Penang, and throughout the country, however, has been cancelled for the first time in over a century due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.
One kavadi maker, C. Muniswaren, 40, usually has friends and regulars commissioning him to design and craft kavadis at least one month before every Thaipusam, but sadly, not this time around.
“Last month (December 2020), I did not receive any orders for Thaipusam this year,” he told Bernama.
Having at least 13 years in kavadi making under his belt, he usually makes between six and eight kavadis every year and would take between two weeks and one and a half months to craft one, depending on the complexity of the design requested by his clients. His craftsmanship has been showcased by kavadi bearers throughout Penang during the Thaipusam celebration, from Lorong Kulit to Queensbay and even in Seberang Perai.
But with the Thaipusam festival in Penang called off this year, Muniswaren has shifted his focus from kavadi making to prayers at home.
“I do hope that the pandemic would end soon so that everyone can celebrate Thaipusam as usual and I get to show off my kavadis out in the streets once more,” he added.
Another kavadi maker in Penang who shared a similar fate as Muniswaren was R. Ramesh, who expressed disappointment that he has can’t show off his passion for sculpting due this year.
The 51-year-old sculptor said he made at least 10 kavadis for his clients last year, with the simplest kavadi design taking him just a day to complete.
“This is the first time in 30 years I had no clients requesting kavadis.
“However, this (the cancellation of the Thaipusam festival) cannot be helped and we are unable to do anything other than to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) set in place by the government, so I would think of it as a ‘holiday’ with my family,” he said.
He also prayed that the pandemic situation would improve soon, so that religious and cultural celebrations can be enjoyed once more in the country.
On Jan 8, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof P. Ramasamy said the state’s famous week-long Thaipusam festivities would not take place this year due to the alarming rate of Covid-19 cases in the state.
Ramasamy, who is also the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) chairman, said that festivities such as the silver and gold chariot procession, devotees carrying milk pots or kavadis, the breaking of coconuts and mass hair shaving are banned in an effort to curb the Covid-19 pandemic from further transmission.
He also noted that prayers on Thaipusam day at the Nattukottai Chettiar temple and Hilltop Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani temple would only be attended by priests and committee members who are bound by the health ministry’s SOPs.
Devotees, on the other hand, are not allowed to enter the temple and urged to do their prayers at home. –