I am a pretty sure that by now everyone knows what had actually transpired at Batu Caves on the wee morning of the Hindraf rally. Unless, of course, you are still reading the mainsteam media. I think everyone should boycott Batu Caves for Thaipusam next year. Allow me to explain.

History has taught us that any place of worship - be it a mosque, church, temple, synagogue or any other sanctuary - is always off-limits to any aggression or aggressor. The keeper of such places never takes the role of an instigator.

How and why were the authorities alerted to that gathering there? Naturally, the goons that run the temple have alerted them. We all know who these stooges are representing. The actions of the gatekeeper clearly shows us, the public, their biased stand as opposed to the neutrality that is expected of them.

If the temple's gatekeeper has the audacity to create such a ruckus for the very people seeking solace in such a premise, then why should the public continue to enrich them, as when the temple rakes in millions of dollars during the festival season?

Thaipusam in Batu Caves attracts over a million of people both locals and tourists. The very people cornered on the rally day are patrons of this festival. The temple is a place of sanctity not a caged arena to unleash cruel and inhumane acts. There are thousands of temples in Malaysia to celebrate Thaipusam, the ones in Ipoh and Penang are fairly popular. Why not, for a change, the public reroute themselves to these other destinations next year?

After all, God is everywhere. As long as you believe, ritual does not really matter. So why don't we break the ritual of attending Thaipusam in Batu Caves in the coming year to show that without the public, it would not be such a great festival there after all? Public solidarity is paramount in this symbolic effort to achieve the objectives and show that it is not easily quelled. Let's hit them where it naturally hurts most - $$$.