Thaipusam festival next year falls on Feb 5

Compiled by C. ARUNO, KHOO GEK SAN and R. ARAVINTHAN

THAIPUSAM will fall on Feb 5 next year, according to the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), Makkal Osai reported.

The festival, which is dedicated to Lord Murugan, is celebrated on the first full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, and this coincides with the auspicious Pusam star reaching its highest point in the celestial position.

MHS president T. Ganesan said the Pusam star would reach its position on the 4th at around 1.13pm.

“But it is customary for the Thaipusam celebrations to begin after the Theertha Urchavam ceremony for Lord Murugan’s divine spear and this ceremony can only be conducted in the morning.

“So, the entire process will only be conducted on the 5th,” he said, while urging the Hindu community to not be confused on the date.

> A college student from the Andra Pradesh state in India had to endure being trapped between a train and the platform for two hours before she was rescued, Malaysia Nanban reported.

The woman, identified only as Sasikala, reportedly slipped as she disembarked from the train and fell into the gap between the train and the platform.

She got stuck in the gap.

Passengers rushed to her aid and tried to pull her out but failed.

Railway staff and police officers who were called to the scene could not bring her to safety either.

At last, firefighters had to break a part of the platform to free her.

The student was unhurt.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.