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Australian Carl Belle, 55, vowed to carry a kavadi during Thaipusam if his cancer-stricken wife overcame the illness.
She made an extraordinary recovery. So with his tongue and cheeks pierced with two-foot-long metal skewers, Belle carried his elaborate kavadi up the 272 steps to Batu Caves on Tuesday.
Next year, Belle�s wife, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, will join him and carry a paal kudam (pot of milk) in thanksgiving.
While this is the first time Belle has taken part in Thaipusam to fulfil a vow, he is no stranger to the weight of a laden kavadi.
Since 1981, Belle has taken part in 14 Thaipusam festivals - 12 in Batu Caves and one each in Penang and India.
His first experience of the festival was in 1978 when he went to Batu Caves as a spectator while working at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
�When I went back to Australia in 1979, my life started taking directions I didn�t really like� he said.
�Thaipusam had some magnetic power. It seemed to be offering an answer to get my life back in order�.
And so, after considering various philosophical paths for a new life, Belle decided to become a Hindu.
At first, his friends and family did not know what to make of Belle�s new rituals.
�Working for a conservative government in Canberra was tough, and my Thaipusam excursions did not go down particularly well,� he said.
However, when the family moved to the more diverse city of Adelaide, a Hindu lifestyle became easier for Belle, who is now the deputy president of the Hindu Association of South Australia.
But why a Hindu?
�It allows free expression, it is deeply philosophical, and every individual can follow his own unique path that ultimately leads to realisation,� he said.
This year, after 34 years of marriage, his faith has also apparently sustained the most valuable element of Belle�s life � his wife.
Australian Jamie Purdon, 30, an engineer who is working in Malay-sia for two weeks now, said he had heard about Belle and wanted to see him carry the kavadi.
His colleague and fellow Australian, Darren Russell, 32, said he had been on the lookout for Belle since he arrived at Batu Caves.
�I heard that he is here every year so I wanted to make sure that I get to see him,� he said.
From METROSTAR, KUALA LAMPUR
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Carl Vadivella Belle is a former diplomat whose career in the Australian Foreign Service was terminated on account of his devotional activities in Malaysia and Australia.. He is the author of Towards Truth: An Australian Spiritual Journey (Sydney: Pacific Press, 1992) and a practicing journalist and farmer outside Adelaide, Australia. He is also the editor of Bhakti! newsletter published in Canberra, Australia
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