CHASING
A CHARIOT
by
TV Smith & Lu Sean
12/02/06
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Lu Sean: We spent 6 hours the other
night chasing a chariot. It was the annual
festival of Thaipusam where devotees thronged
the streets to walk the approximately 15km
from Chinatown to Batu Caves. This could be
an 8-hour journey culminating in a flight
of 272 steps to the top of the caves.
TV: For us, it was to become a six
hour journey that zig zag through the streets
of Kuala Lumpur, Gombak and Selayang, both
on foot and wheels. She had originally planned
to walk with the worshippers, while I'll trail
in the car, get some pics and her, if she
falters. I also had this ambitious plan to
webcast
from the vicinity of the Sri Maha Mariamman
Temple in Chinatown, where the procession
begins.
On arrival at the starting point at midnight,
we found out that the logistics weren't as
simple as we have envisioned. There must be
at least a hundred thousand devotees there
and we could barely inch towards the enchanting
chariot. Besides, we stood out visibly like
two intrusive backpackers. That turned out
to be a good thing actually, as people offered
us food, drinks and information enthusiastically.
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| Traveling
light. Not even with her inseparable
iPod... |
Me
checking out the free and very yummy
vegetarian nasi lemak |
Lu Sean: It was amazing! There were
so many people on the streets. Apparently
100,000 were expected, though it looked like
a lot more. Followers of all ages, shapes
and sizes. Some carrying milk pots, small
kavadis or children on their heads. The persistent
drizzle did not dampen the spirits of the
devotees who were out in force. They all seemed
happy to be there and some had such a sublime
look of devotion on their faces, that little
old agnostic me felt a pang for such unwavering
and unquestioning faith.
TV: I quickly located an empty hawker
kiosk, parked my notebook on it and mounted
the webcam as high as possible. As expected,
3G coverage was good in the heart of the city
and the images
were soon transmitted to my server in Cyberjaya
and out to the world at large. There were
about 900 concurrent viewers, since Jeff
Ooi kindly made an announcement
on his site hours earlier. (continued here)
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| From
this vantage point, the images were
broadcast via a 3G data card in my laptop |
Moments
before the chariot begins its long journey
to the caves. |
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TV
Smith's cameras furnished by Olympus
Malaysia.
©
2006 TV SMITH
Link to this article: http://www.tvsmith.net.my/duasen/120206_chariot.html
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