Fulfilling Vow ~Thaipusam 2010~

I made a vow last year to shave my head bald for Thaipusam this year. We went to Batu Caves to fulfill our vow before the actual Thaipusam day, which falls on the 30th of January. On January 20th, we fulfilled our vow and felt grateful for the gift of health and blessings that God has granted us.

Herewith is the before and after pictures:

Before:

 

After:

Angels and Demons

Haven't gone for a movie for a long time (okay, the recent one is X-Men: Wolverine - but that was because Alfred and John wanted to watch it and I was dragged along last week :P). I haven't watched a good movie for a long time - the type of movies that are of interest to me - anything about animals, comedy, romance, adventure, and thriller.

Yesterday, we watched Angels and Demons at TGV, KLCC and I kinda enjoyed the movie - Mr. Alf didn't find the movie good. There was a suspense element to the movie - but in one of the scenes, I kinda figured out who was the culprit - it was quite a give-away-acting on the part of the villain - quite dissapointing on that part.

I've always been intrigued with the historical conflict between science and religion (unreconcilable conflict between knowledge and belief - the concept of God-matter that defines the birth of the universe - scientific attempts to explain the origin of species - how it all started). I believe in God and that every element has energy and that everything is interconnected and interwoven in intricate ways beyond our understanding. It's quite interesting to view things in this light - to get a different picture of any situation/circumstances.

Well, talking about movies, Mr. Alf's next must-watch movies are "Terminator Salvation", "Star-Trek"- none of which are my types of movies - *rolls her eyes*, hehe.

Thaipusam 2009

Yesterday I drove to Batu Caves with my family - it's the time of the year for me to fulfill vows - to carry pal kudam (milk pot) up to the temple. As usual, we'll go there a week after Thaipusam and we'll go early in the morning when there's not much crowd. This year, it was a pleasant walk up the stairs - it's nice to have your own space while fulfilling religious duty - a peaceful and a beautiful morning.

Chitra Pournami (Full Moon Day)

I must say that I am not religious enough to observe all the festivities in Hindu calendar and this at times makes me feel awkward when my neighbors/colleagues/friends talk about these occasions on which I don't keep myself abreast with. My family and I are the most low profile individuals when it comes to being involved in temple celebrations. We are spiritual people and we love to go to temple just to pray and sit around the peaceful surroundings of the temple. But when it comes to all these temple-social aspects, we don't involve ourselves.

So, yesterday was Chitra Pournami day (of which I only came to know from my grandfather. Frankly speaking, despite Deepavali and Thaipusam, I have been totally ignorant of other festivities in Hindu calendar). I google-ed on Chitra Pournami and learnt a few things.

Chitra Pournami is observed on the full moon day in the month of Chitirai (April/May). In this month, the sunshine is in its entire splendour, and the moon which borrows its luster from the sun is just as resplendent. The day is believed to be conducive to the happiness of humanity in general. According to Hindu mythology, Chithragupta, the chief accountant of Lord Yama or the God of Death, keeps a record of all the good and bad deeds of men. On the day of Chitra Pournami or full moon day, which falls in the Tamil month of Chittirai, people make special offerings to please Chithragupta. The full moon shining in all its splendour is a sight to watch. Special prayers are arranged at all the temples.

There was a procession with a chariot around my neighbourhood yesterday. Every year we look forward to that. Although we only joined the procession once (a few years back) we always look forward to the chariot passing by our house. I managed to take some shots (not very good shots, though) of the colorful and vibrant chariot.

The lights glimerring on the chariot

My dogs were totally enthralled by all these :)

Fulfilling Vow

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.