One of the volunteers, Hakim Bala, putting the finishing touches to the float.
KUALA LUMPUR: Wesak Day is a day of peace, enlightenment and moderation.
| Chan Chung Ming, 4, (above) putting alms in a bowl of a Buddha statue at the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple in Petaling Jaya. — NST pictures by Ghazali Bujang |
| V. Amarasekera says many non-Buddhists joined in the making of the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society’s float. |
An elaborate float, however, was one of the highlights at a procession last night.
Lawyer V. Amarasekera, who is one the volunteers and financiers of the float for the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, beamed with pride.
Built at a cost of RM80,000, he said the 13m-long float was fitted with 25,000 light bulbs and took 15 volunteers three weeks to complete.
Hence, it is not surprising that the float is guarded round the clock - not just to protect it from vandals and thieves who might be eyeing its four switchboards costing RM5,000 each but to prevent those with negative aura getting too near it.
To ensure its “success”, Amarasekera only got those who were “pure of heart” to help.
He even refused to say his name aloud for fear it might jinx the float.
All this, however, is not new for Amarasekera who has been helping to make floats for Wesak Day since he was 15 years old.
Now 56, volunteering in the float-making process has become an annual tradition for him - a tradition which he shared with his non-Buddhist friends.
“This year, I had friends who were Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and even Muslims helping me. They did it not just for fun but also out of friendship.
“The priests and reverends propagate Buddhism by preaching about it in their sermons. Laymen like me do it through floats.”
The float was one of 30 in the procession last night which followed an 11km route around the city centre, beginning and ending at the Maha Vihara Buddhist temple in Brickfields here.
In Malacca, the Youth Movement of Malacca Sathya Sai Association organised a blood donation drive in conjunction with Wesak Day.
The event was held on the first floor of the Malacca Mall.
Staff from the Malacca Hospital, Putra Specialist Hospital and National Blood Bank were on hand to help donors.
The association’s youth project co-ordinator, K. Deven Sharma, said nearly 100 people donated blood yesterday.
“Programmes such as this are aimed at creating awareness that their deed will go a long way in helping another person,” Deven said.
Wesak Day, which falls today, marks the day of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death.
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