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It's not a question of gold or silver but of tradition

I refer to the letter by A Vaithilingam, ‘Gold or silver has no merit, it is true Bhakti that’s important’.

It is very surprising to see such a simplistic and shallow view coming from a person who is the former president and current adviser of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam. Obviously, he was unable to appreciate the Penang Thaipusam chariot issue in the right perspective. The vast experience and knowledge he ought to have accumulated while helming that religious body for several years did not seem to have helped him understand the issue at hand.

The issue here is not a question of gold or silver but adherence to traditions and Hindu religious principles.

Traditionally Thaipusam in Penang begins with the bringing of Vel from the Queen Street Maha Mariamman temple to the Waterfall Murugan temple. The Chettiar chariot would begin its journey only after that. The Chettiars, too, know of this and have been observing this tradition all this while. Why would they want to do it differently this year?

Don’t they know that their attempt to begin their chariot journey before the Vel procession begins its journey to the Waterfall Murugan temple is not only against the age-old tradition but also opposed to the Hindu religious principles?

The present predicament was caused by the attitude of the Naatukotai Chettiar Temple Committee. If only the Chettiar Temple Committee have had any respect for the Hindu traditions, the question of which chariot should go first would not have arisen at all in the first place.

As mentioned above, the Vel procession should precede the Chettiar chariot. Vaithilingam, perhaps, was not aware of this simple truth, hence, had unnecessarily subjected himself to great disappointment and extreme disturbance.

On this aspect, Vaithilingam’s suggestion that the assistance of Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) should be sought to sort out the chariot problem is also of no use. The Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) has already made ample efforts to sort out the issue with the Chettiar Temple Committee but to no avail.

That aside, there are hundreds of other more pressing problems faced by the Hindus in this country that need urgent and effective attention from the Malaysia Hindu Sangam. Thus, it is grossly imprudent to drag the MHS into this issue.

In conclusion, I would suggest that Vaithilngam should, by right, be advising the Chettiars to adhere to the age-old tradition rather than trying to gauge the merits of gold and silver. It's also well for him to understand that the PHEB’s attempt to use the golden chariot does not mean that they are not giving importance to Bhakti.


DR A ANBALAGAN is a former senior lecturer in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), former commissioner of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board and currently the chairperson of the Penang Tamil Schools Committee.

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