Labour of love: Dineskumaran adding a finishing touch to the Lord Muruga statue. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: There is an artistic side to electrician C. Dineskumaran.
The 29-year-old makes intricate and elaborate kavadis that are sought after, even in Singapore.
One of Dineskumaran’s majestic creations, is a kavadi of Lord Muruga sitting on top of a Garuda, which will be carried on the eve of Thaipusam.
The design was inspired by the statue of Lord Vishnu on the Indonesian mythological bird in Bali, Indonesia, Dineskumaran said in an interview.
The Lord Muruga kavadi took him a month to make using styrofoam, sequins, jewellery and wood.
“The statue alone is 20kg without the weight of the frame. With the frame, the total weight will come up to about 30kg,” he said at his workshop in First Garden near here yesterday.
He believed the kavadi is the first of its kind in Malaysia and is expected to be carried by a devotee in Ipoh during the eve of Thaipusam.
Thaipusam, celebrated on Jan 25, is an important festival for Hindus.
It is celebrated on the first full moon in the Tamil month of Thai to commemorate Goddess Parvati, who gave her son Lord Muruga a spear (vel) to eliminate the evil power, Soorapadman.
On Thaipusam, thousands of Hindus carry kavadi and “paal kudam” (milk pots) to pay homage to Lord Muruga and to fulfil their vows.
Besides the Lord Muruga kavadi, Dineskumaran is also making a 2.1m-high statue of Goddess Kaliamman for a chariot procession in Lumut.
“With the frame, this statue weighs about 65kg. The Goddess on this statue has five curved heads,” he said.
Both the Lord Muruga and Kaliamman kavadis come with LED lights, which is a specialty, thanks to Dineskumaran’s job as an electrician.
His interest in making kavadis started at 15 when he was living in Buntong.
“I used to visit a kavadi maker’s house every night ahead of the festival.
“After three months of watching and learning, I made my first two-decked kavadi with a peacock motif for a friend to carry for Thaipusam.
“Since then, there is no turning back. I post my artistic work on social media and that is how people from Singapore came to know about me,” he added.
Of the six kavadis he is making this year, three have been booked by customers in Singapore.
“Most of my customers are from Singapore. This year, I am only able to make six because of the intricate work involved,” he said, adding that he sells and rents out his creations.
