Aadi Perukku festival a muted affair

Coimbatore: Aadi Perukku celebrations on Sunday in western Tamil Nadu turned out to be a muted affair.
The day usually witnesses a heavy crowd, especially newly-weds, thronging banks of rivers and offering prayers. Mass congregations were prohibited this year due to the full lockdown on Sunday. Apart from this, the usually brimming Noyyal river is dry this year, an unusual sight during Aadi Perukku.
The term ‘Perukku’ itself means brimming and overflowing water bodies due to the monsoon. Officials said the river is dry due to restoration work. A few people still visited Perur ghat of the river and made offerings and prayed.
In Salem, banks of the Cauvery were deserted. “Even during drought in the past, we would visit the river bank and make offerings. This is the first time we could not step out,’’ said K B Rajapathy from Mettur.