Celebrities steal the show
By Express News Service | Published: 03rd March 2018 01:20 AM |
Last Updated: 03rd March 2018 05:02 AM | A+A A- |
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Attukal Pongala 2018 had its share of VIP and celebrity presence. From ace photographer Raghu Rai who was seen snapping pictures of the ritual to ‘Payyoli Express’ P T Usha, the latest edition of the Pongala attracted people from all walks of life. Governor P Sathasivam’s wife Saraswathi Sathasivam, playback singer K J Yesudas’s wife Prabha and actor Chippy were among the thousands who offered Pongala this year. The ritual also attracted its share of admirers from abroad. English couple John and Chris Elliott did not break their annual tryst with the Pongala. The couple had chanced upon the Pongala a few years ago, and has included Thiruvananthapuram in their annual itinerary.
R Sreelekha offers pongala
DGP (Prisons) R Sreelekha offered pongala at her residence. Sreelekha was a regular in offering pongala on the Attukal temple premises. It is for the first time she decided to offer pongala away from the temple. The DGP’s blog against the kuthiyottam ritual being performed at the temple had sparked a controversy earlier as she criticised the ritual and termed it as physical and mental abuse on children in the name of faith.
IMA organises camp
Hundreds of devotees who came to offer Pongala at Attukal from different parts of the state made use of the free medical camp organised by the IMA at Thampanoor. The camp was conducted by a team of doctors led by Kerala Network for Organ Sharing nodal officer Dr Noble Gracious and Thiruvananthapuram Medical College urology professor Dr S Vasudevan. IMA Thiruvananthapuram district president Dr John Panicker inaugurated the camp in the morning. An IMA officer said over hundred devotees had visited the camp.
Preventive arrests recorded
The Fort police took six persons into preventive custody on Thursday night to avoid criminal activities on Pongala day. They have been identified as Sarath Kumar, 22, of Attukal, Nandu, 23, of Kalady, Vishnu, 25, of Muttathara, Nandu, 20, of Kazhakoottam, Bharath Chandran, 20, of Karamana and Krishna, 19, of Nedumangad. All of them were arrested from Attukal bund road after they found under suspicious circumstances.
