The waiting period to carry “paal kudam” (milk offering) up and into the temple is shorter now, says Kathiran Mahalingam, a devotee from Bahau.

“The SOPs in place have made the whole process more seamless and systematic.

“There are no long queues and long hours of waiting in the crowd while carrying paal kudam or kavadi. Everything is faster and smoother,” he told FMT.

Parameswary, a devotee from Puchong who just fulfilled her vows by carrying the “paal kudam” with her family said that she understands why the SOPs are in place and is just thankful to be able to complete her vows safely this year.

“First of all, I am very happy to be able to carry paal kudam for Thaipusam this year despite the current situation with Covid-19 and all.

“Although the festive mood is not as lively as before, I feel that this time around we devotees get to calmly fulfil our vows and pray comfortably because there is no crowd,” she told FMT.

She hopes and prays that the situation will get better and more people will be able to fulfil their vows next year but in this same comfortable and calm manner.

Meanwhile, Kunalan Manogaran a devotee from Tampin expressed his gratitude to the government and relevant authorities for their effort in allowing devotees to fulfil their vows safely this year.

“I am very happy and thankful that we get to fulfil our vows this year safely even though the usual atmosphere and crowd are not present.

“Thaipusam in Batu Caves is synonymous with a large crowd of devotees fulfilling their vows to Lord Murugan, especially the kavadis. So, I hope that next year everything will be back to normal and we get to see the usual Thaipusam celebrations in place,” Kunalan told FMT.

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