Vei! Vei!

“Vei! Vei!”, the pilgrims and devotees chanted in unison, extolling the resident deity Lord Murugan. For the pierced kavadi bearers, the physical bondage is more than an act of spiritual devotion. It is also an act of penance, the fulfilment of vows for prayers answered. The many shutterbugs there were blessed, too. After weeks of dull weather, the sky over Batu Caves took on a deep blue glow, this morning…

Sharp As A Spear

The new Panasonic LX-5 with the ’17 mm lens’ is as sharp as a spear (vei). See the details captured in her forehead and eyebrows.

Fire & Cockerel

When I arrived, there was already action in the dark. Here, I used an external flash for foreground fill. This cross-dressing team attracted a lot of whistling and cheering.

Orangy Sunrise

The Indian-Chinese Team

Up-Close & Emotional

Nothing beats a small camera where you can get it in position with just one arm outstretched, instantly. The totally silent LX-5 is also less obtrusive.

The Curut Man

The curut or cheroot (a leftover from the British colonial days) is featured prominently.

Hot Hot Day

Dainty Deities

Don’t ask me why the Chinese deities were there

Boy Band

Unisex, For A Day

I tried taking the scheduled 5:42 am train, which didn’t arrive at my boarding station (Kampung Batu) until 6:15 am. The new Batu Caves KTM Railway Station handled more than a million passengers today, I think.

My Kit

My mobile and lightweight reporting kit. Panasonic Lumix LX-5 and Apple iPad 3G (in an Orkio Bag) With it, I can photo-blog from just about anywhere. The iPad requires a suite of apps like Photo Resizer, Watermarking, FTP and the Camera Connecting Kit, of course.

See also: Thaipusam Eve Chariot Procession 2011 by TV Smith

Tip: You can view larger versions of the images here, gallery-style. When the page finishes loading, click on any picture. Navigate via the arrows on each side of the frame.

All pictures captured with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 camera by TV Smith