Campaign to change name of school

SEVERAL associations and NGOs in Penang are campaigning to change the name of SJK (T) Jalan Sungai (River Road) to reflect its founder Pulavar Ramathasar, Malaysia Nanban reported.

The school was started in the 1950s by the poet for the benefit of the island’s Indian community, the Mutthamizh Pulavar Ramathasar Mandram representatives said.

The school was later supported by the government and became a fully government-funded school.

This history of the school has been captured in the research book written by the Penangbased writer Kamalatchi Arumugam on the poet’s contributions.

The campaign is also supported by the school’s former student association, its current chairman N.Selvaraju said.

The renaming of the school after its founder and community leader would help preserve its history for the future generation, he said during a discussion between various parties.

The students association has also written to the Mandram in support of its campaign to rename the school, he said.

> A cave near the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath in India has seen a resurgence of interest from Hindu pilgrims after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was photographed meditating in it, Malaysia Nanban reported.

Modi visited the Kedarnath Mandir, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva during his visit to Uttarakhand state’s revered holy sites.

The caves were upgraded in conjunction with Modi’s visit and meditation there.

The caves are now available for 990 Rupees (RM60) for the public to stay and meditate in.

The temple and the caves are only open to visitors between April and November due to extreme weather conditions at other times.