Last Sunday, we went to Batu Caves on the occassion of Thaipusam to fulfil my vow. Thaipusam fell on Wednesday (23/1/08) and there was still a big crowd on Sunday. Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon. A few years back, I vowed that if certain of my dreams were to come true, I will carry pal kudam (milk pot) up the 272 steps in Batu Caves. If you ask me, I was in a desperate position to complete my Masters thesis and get it accepted after slogging on it for day and night; and I decided to make a vow. It all boils down to how much faith you have in the things that you do or think; if you make a vow just to 'test' whether it works, then there is no point. I believe that faith makes all things possible; it doesn't matter which religion you are in. What matters is your unwavering faith and above all having equal respect, love, and kindness to all human race irrespective of race, religion, and nationality. It's easy to be condescending by questioning certain held beliefs, which we find it hard to explain scientifically or logically. I believe that scientific or logical explanation is just to fulfill the insecurities of human being, who finds it more convenient to believe what he/she sees rather that what cannot be seen.
Anyway, back to our journey to Batu Caves. I felt a deep sense of fulfillment for successfully carrying out my vow; which I missed last year due to unforeseen reasons. After prayers, we went around the stalls and bought some sweets (laddu). Went back home straight after that.
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