Dedicated: Dineskumaran preparing a kavadi at his workshop in Ipoh. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: He may be an electrician by profession, but 31-year-old C. Dineskumaran takes pride in crafting kavadis for Thaipusam, which are sought after by devotees from around the country and Singapore.
This year is no exception, as Dineskumaran rushes to put the finishing touches on a kavadi, which he described as one of the most striking and elaborate he has ever made.
The kavadi, meant for a devotee from Ipoh, is a towering two-tiered structure adorned with some 1,300 peacock feathers and stands nearly 2.74m tall.
“This Ipoh kavadi is special because it has two layers. Usually, customers only request a single layer but this one is double-layered, making it heavier and more elaborate,” he said when met at his workshop here.
Dineskumaran said the kavadi, weighing about 40kg, features a statue of Lord Murugan and is adorned with peacock feather arrangements and lighting effects.
“It’s a style that has become increasingly popular in Perak as we prefer more lights, LEDs, and decorative elements. It’s more colourful and vibrant,” he said.
He added that this particular kavadi will be carried by a devotee in his mid-20s.
“I advised him not to take something too heavy but he said he wanted to do it for Lord Murugan,” he added.
While stopping short of claiming it as the biggest kavadi in Ipoh, Dineskumaran said it was the largest he had personally made.
“There are many kavadi makers, so I can’t say for sure. But for me, this is the biggest I have done,” he said proudly.
In contrast, a separate kavadi being prepared for a devotee in Kuala Lumpur was crafted using a more traditional approach commonly seen at Batu Caves.
He said that devotees from the capital city prefer the ‘saddle-type’ kavadi, in which the peacock feathers are usually tied behind the statue, without the round feather arrangements.
“This kavadi features statue of Lord Murugan on one side and the statue of Lord Muniswaran on the other side.
“It is slightly lighter at about 30kg compared to the Ipoh kavadi, although standing at the same height,” he said, adding that some 300 peacock feathers were used for this particular kavadi.
Besides orders from devotees in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur, he said three kavadis were for devotees from Singapore, who opted for simpler structured kavadis without feather decorations.
