Compiled by SALMA FAIRUS, C.ARUNO AND R.ARAVINTAN
A BOY in India has died after choking on a balloon, Makkal Osai reported.
The three-year-old boy was playing with a balloon at his house in Ranipettai, Tamil Nadu, when he accidentally swallowed it.
His mother, noticing that he was struggling to breathe, rushed him to a hospital. However, he had already died from asphyxiation.
The child’s untimely death from a common toy has left his family and the neighbourhood in shock.
> The Malaysia Hindu Sangam has urged the Hindu community to be more discerning about the products they buy and use for their prayers and poojas, Makkal Osai reported.
MHS president T. Ganesan said manufacturers of these products should focus on making products suited to the sanctity of the ceremonies instead of maximising their profit.
He noted that many of the prayer products sold in the market are cheap, chemical-based products that are devoid of the benefits of the traditional products.
“Even the packaging of prayer materials are not suitable as they are printed with images of deities which end up in the trash or on the ground where they are stepped on. This should be avoided,” Ganesan said.
He urged manufacturers to take into account the sanctity of the practice, adding that consumers should also be selective about the products they buy.
(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.)
