The last time I shot Thaipusam was just before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was in early 2019, I was with my friend Amir, and it was quite a fun session. I guess the reason I have not been back to shoot another one was due to the fact that we were actively avoiding crowded spaces even after the pandemic. But hey it has been so long now, I guess it should be as safe as it can be, so I decided to make a return to Batu Caves, the epicenter of Thaipusam celebration here in Malaysia. For those of you who are unaware, Thaipusam is a massive Hindu celebration of the victory of their God Murugan over the demon Surapadman, and as I have said massive, it was really massive. It drew more than 2 million people to Batu Caves for the duration of the festival, and I went with just my Olympus 12-50mm kit lens mounted on the camera that was launched together with it, the Olympus E-M5 original. Admittedly I was not as ambitious as before, trying to capture the dramatic and winning shots. This time around, I wanted to just immerse myself and observe more than anything, and of course, capture some quieter, intimate moments. In the midst of the mess, chaos and deafening drum beats and speakers blasts, you can still find some peaceful moments, if you look hard enough. I made POV video here, if you are interested (click).
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