Live music back at Thaipusam for the first time in 42 years

SINGAPORE — Serangoon Road was awash in dazzling colours and lively music yesterday as crowds of devotees and onlookers gathered for the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, which featured “live” religious music for the first time in 42 years.

Thousands lined the 4km route from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road to watch devotees carry kavadis — steel and wood structures supported by rods and hooks that are pierced into bodies as a ceremonial sacrifice — and milkpots, jigging to drumbeats and religious music thumping from three stages at Hastings Road, Short Street and Dhoby Ghaut Green. There were about 320 kavadi carriers this year, a 25 per cent jump from last year.

Thaipusam is a thanksgiving festival that falls on the full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai, and is a day for devotees to celebrate the fulfilment of their vows. Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) chairman R Jayachandran said the additional music points — apart from the new “live” music points, four more music transmission points were introduced this year — added to a lively affair.

“Everyone appreciated the fact that we have created ‘live’ music points. When the kavadi carriers are in pain and walking a distance, they need the assistance of music (to) relieve their pain,” he said. “It’ll also enhance the spiritual focus ... (and) I believe everything has pointed to a smooth and very great spiritual experience.”

The changes were based on recommendations from the HEB, which had collected feedback from over 100 members of the community. Other recommendations implemented this year included having resting bays and a dedicated lane for women and children along Clemenceau Avenue.

Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam, who joined devotees in the celebration yesterday morning, highlighted that a highly visible festival like Thaipusam helps reinforce the multi-racial and multi-religious aspect of Singapore.

“There’s a bit of disamenities in the neighbourhood and (on) the road, and everyone comes together to accept it,” he said. “It’s a multiracial event (with) quite a lot of non-Indians taking part. Also, the very visible way in which this is being celebrated brings home the fact that we’re a multiracial community, and that we live and breathe multiracialism and (a) multi-religion approach.”

After visiting the music point at Dhoby Ghaut Green, Mr Shanmugam said the mood of the festival has been very positive and “energising”.

Asked whether security measures were stepped up this year, Mr Shanmugam said the number of police officers involved has “substantially increased”. “The number of volunteers that HEB has recruited for the event has also increased (to) over 300 volunteers. (There were) a lot more briefings, a lot more points along the route to help people,” he added.

Besides roping in grassroots leaders to help, HEB has also reached out to Indian nationals working in Singapore. Mr Manibalan Dhanabalan, 33, and 24 of his other colleagues from a company called Multi-Heights said this was their third year volunteering. Originally from Tamil Nadu, Mr Manibalan was assigned to be a route marshall.