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Showing posts from January 6, 2012


Walking from Varanasi to Sabarimala for Eco-friendly Cause

R Ananthapadmanabhan, a devotee of Ayyappa, is walking from Varanasi to Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple – nearly 3000 kilometers. He has taken this endure in 2011 – 2012 Sabarimala Mandala – Makaravilakku pilgrimage to highlight the dangers of the use of plastic by devotees going to temples. Times of Indiareports A van, with posters in different languages explaining the ill-effects of plastics, follows him at a distance. Ananthapadmanabhan carries an irumudi kattu (a two-chambered bag to carry offerings to the deity and snacks, grains and lentil to be consumed by the pilgrim) on his head, a water bottle and a banner on his back explaining the need to protect the environment in and around Sabarimala.  "Every year, 8,750 tonnes of garbage are collected in the Sabarimala hills after the pilgrims leave. Even during the pilgrim season, it becomes difficult to take the mandatory holy dip in the Pamba river, enroute to the shrine, as the waste is dumped into the waters," says A