Sabarimala Festival Calendar 2014-2015

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Pooja Timings at Sabarimala         

Morning
Opening of sanctum sanctorum	4.00 a.m.
Nirmalya darshanam	4.05 a.m.
Ganapati homam	4.15 a.m.
Neyyabhishekam	4.15 a.m. to 12.00 p.m
Usha pooja	7.30 a.m.
Kalabhabhishekam	12.30 p.m.
Ucha pooja	1.00 p.m.
Closing of sanctum sanctorum	1.30 p.m.
Evening
Opening of sanctum sanctorum	4.00 p.m.
Deeparadhana	6.30 p.m.
Pushpabhishekam	7.00 p.m.
Athazha pooja	10.30 p.m.
Harivarasanam	10.50 p.m.
Closing of sanctum sanctorum	11.00 p.m.

Thaipusam ignites racist rants on Twitter

The annual Thaipusam festival never fails to bring traffic at Batu Caves and its surrounding areas to a crawl.

The Hindu homage to Lord Muruga draws more than a million people, among them devotees, tourists and Malaysians of all faiths.

Since taking over the reins in 2009, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has also made it a point to visit the iconic Batu Caves temple on Thaipusam, which is a public holiday in several states.

This year, Thaipusam fell on a Friday (Jan 17), which is also the day that Muslims perform their Solat Jumaat in mosques.

And the traffic congestion as a result of Thaipusam saw a slew of racist and derogatory remarks made on Twitter.

Among others, one tweet says: “Bodoh punya keling (derogatory term for Indians) paria baruah anjing! Thaipusam kau, kau cuti. Aku nak pergi Solat Jumaat, kau tak bagi. Keling sakai anjing.”

(Stupid pariah Indian dogs. It is your Thaipusam, you go on leave. I want to go carry out Friday prayers, you do not allow. Keling sakai dogs.)

'Politicians to blame'

Screen captures of these messages have now gone viral.

Observers have blamed politicians from race-based parties for the regression in racial ties due to the playing up of racial and religious sentiments to garner votes.

Umno and its leaders often shoulder the lion’s share of the blame.

Some have claimed that Umno has chosen to up the racial and religious ante as its leaders are aware that it is the only formula that can ensure the party continues to remain in power.

Prior to this, MIC lodged a police report against a Facebook user, "Man Namblast", who posted a status on Jan 18 that read: "Berpuluh ribu syaitan sedang berarak menaiki tangga Batu Cave." (Tens of thousands of devils are marching up the steps of Batu Caves).


Source : http://beta.malaysiakini.com/news/252341

Dare an Umno member assault an Umno minister? Sorry Kamalanathan, you're from MIC

COMMENT: It's sad but true. Politically-associated violence is becoming more rampant in the country.
Politicians receiving bodily harm and cases of assault in public are not uncommon these days and no longer perceived as isolated incidents.

It's not surprising too when some Malaysian politicians are also being called gangsters publicly.

The recent assault of Deputy Education Minister Datuk P Kamalanathan by an Umno Youth member only seems to suggest that violence is deemed acceptable in a society which values peace and harmony.

Isn't that shameful!

The act of violence by the Hulu Selangor division Umno Youth member should be condemned outright, no matter which way one looks at it.

He has absolutely no right to punch the deputy minister who was at that time performing his official duty.
If there was a misunderstanding, the matter should have been settled amicably instead of violently.

Was it a case of Umno having no respect for an MIC leader like Kamalanathan or was it just a matter between the two men?

On Jan 12, Kamalanathan, who is also Hulu Selangor MP, was assaulted by a man who was later identified as Mohamad Rizuan Suhaimi, the Hulu Selangor Umno Youth assistant secretary.

The power of ritual and Thaipusam celebration

We are all – irrespective of race or religion – products and participants, even creators, of ritual. Take the handshake. This is a daily ritual for most of us. 

The moment we see a friend or relative, or someone next to a friend or relative, we automatically extend a hand.

Why do we shake hands? It probably started during tribal times when body language was used to gauge one’s intentions.

So, when a person came with open palms it would mean he came in peace – or at last you would know he held no weapon. The handshake was the best way to discover if the other held a weapon.

Today, of course, this ritual is a symbol of goodwill, of welcome.

There are many other rituals in our daily life, from the way we start our day to the way we mourn at a funeral.

Religious rituals, however, are richer, with depths of meaning that can inspire and astound. Kavadi carrying and other rituals associated with Thaipusam, for instance, fall into this category.

Why no Tamil on signboards in KLIA 2?

COMMENT: An airport is one main gateway into a country. What you see on signboards there are supposed to reflect the main racial composition and the cultures of the country you are stepping into.

But it seems that is not the case in Malaysia. The Tamil language -- the mother tongue of some 75% of the third largest race in the country, Indians (about two million), has been conveniently left out of the signboards of the soon-to-be-opened KLIA 2 airport.

The exclusion has created a furore in the Tamil dailies with many of them highlighting the matter on their front pages.

The issue came to light following a recent media tour with the acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to the airport.

What fuelled the fire is the inclusion of the Japanese language on the signboards, alongside Jawi and the more prominent English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese.

It is a fact that many Indians, especially the younger generation, cannot read and write Tamil but that is not reason enough for ignoring it totally, language activists decried.