IT IS the busiest time of the year for kavadi makers as they rush to put the finishing touches to their works of art ahead of Thaipusam on Monday.
Thaipusam is a thanksgiving celebration observed by Hindus, whereby devotees carry paal kodam (milk pots) or attach them to the kavadi (decorated steel or wooden frames) as an offering to Lord Murugan on the first full moon in the month of Thai in the Tamil calendar.
Among them is 50-year-old businessman Sevaraja Kaliyaperumal from Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam.
He and his team are working around the clock to ensure that their kavadi are ready in time for the festivities.
“I have been making kavadi for 22 years and have been carrying them annually for the last 25 years.
“As a child, I grew up watching my father carry the kavadi for Thaipusam, so it was only natural for me to follow in his footsteps.
“I realised the designs then were very similar and lacked creativity. So, I started making my own kavadi for people to rent,” he said.
As a devotee of Lord Ganesha, carrying the kavadi was Sevaraja’s way of being grateful for his blessings.
He said he was the first person to bring kavadi with LED lights to Batu Caves.
“I used a car battery to power the lights instead of a generator, but I had to carry it and it was heavy.
“I have also carried a 24ft kavadi before, which was the tallest so far,” he said.
This year, Sevaraja created something very different.
He carved out a design from
polystyrene, and decorated it with lights and flowers as a replica of the Kortu Malai Pillayar temple’s Lord Ganesha statue that he has carried since 2010.
His son Satish Raj, 20, will also carry a kavadi with the same design. Satish has carried the
kavadi since he was eight years old, and now, he helps his father make them.
As a self-taught kavadi maker, Sevaraja learned the art of kavadi from watching others do it.
“It is not easy to make a good kavadi because it needs to be steady, balanced and comfortable when the carrier straps it on.
“Carrying a kavadi can be hard. I have seen many youngsters struggle to carry a kavadi, and many fail to make the full journey up the cave temple,” said Sevaraja, who always offers advice when people approach him to rent a kavadi.
A regular kavadi can weigh between 30kg and 45kg, and it takes about five to six hours to carry it from the riverbank to the cave temple due to the massive crowd on Thaipusam day.
“It is mentally and physically challenging. One tip is not to drink too much water, otherwise the kavadi bearers might suffer cramps,” added Sevaraja.
A devotee should also observe a proper fast for 48 days. It is during this period that they are vegetarians, but it is also about self-control, which is more difficult.
“That is why I do not work during this time in my day job. I spend most of my days at the store to focus on making kavadi to keep my mind occupied,” he said.
This year, Sevaraja’s team are putting up 10 kavadi for rent.
A member of his team will accompany the kavadi bearer up to the cave temple and help transport it back to their base.
“This is to ensure the kavadi is returned quickly to avoid damage, so it will be in good condition for the next person to rent it.”
Peacock feathers, which dominate the kavadi decorations, are selling at RM1.30 each. It takes about 1,000 feathers to make a kavadi.
“Usually, after Thaipusam, we will dismantle the kavadi and store the feathers carefully to be reused for many years,” he said.
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