https://www.scmp.com/rss/326923/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The most striking feature of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam is devotees carrying symbolic burdens of gratitude, ranging from milk pots to complex arrangements of heavy ornaments. But they don’t use their hands. Instead, the objects are attached to their bodies with sharp rods and hooks. A heady mix of religion, culture, determination and willpower, Thaipusam marks the day when the mythical Lord Murugan – dispenser of favours, and god of courage, wealth and wisdom – defeated an evil demon using... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3048074/no-pain-how-extreme-body-piercing-thaipusam-hindu-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3048074/no-pain-how-extreme-body-piercing-thaipusam-hindu-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2020 07:00:13 +0000 Actress Sangeeta Krishnasamy’s name has long been familiar to Malaysian Indians thanks to her many roles in Tamil-language films, but since her appearance in mainstream Malaysian movie Adiwiraku, the 33-year-old has been making waves outside her traditional audience. Malaysians from all backgrounds have taken notice of her talent and multiracial appeal. The 2017 Malay-language film is based on the real-life experience of a rural schoolteacher, Cheryl Ann Fernando. Despite being a newcomer to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3017419/breakout-star-malaysian-film-sangeeta-krishnasamy-spreads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3017419/breakout-star-malaysian-film-sangeeta-krishnasamy-spreads?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2019 03:00:10 +0000 Fauziah Khalek had no idea that a routine visit to her local clinic in Malaysia’s Selangor state might save her life. She was there for a routine appointment, when a poster about cervical cancer screening caught her eye. “I was curious, so I thought I’d give it a try,” says the 45-year-old financial executive. She was given a kit that allowed her to take her own sample using a small swab, which she handed in to the clinic. Three days later, she got a notification on her phone telling her that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3007459/dread-pap-smears-new-diy-cervical-cancer-test-hpv-puts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3007459/dread-pap-smears-new-diy-cervical-cancer-test-hpv-puts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2019 23:15:08 +0000 The name Santesh has long been familiar to many Malaysian Indians due to his string of hit Tamil songs. However, with the release of his hit Malay single Amalina last August, Santesh became a household name among all Malaysians, the song striking a chord with its multiracial appeal. After years of making music, Amalina marked a gigantic step forward for the 31-year-old, whose full name is Santesh Kumar Sukumaran. The melody was written by local composer Harry Khalifah and the words by lyricist... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2184690/malaysian-indian-singer-his-breakout-hit-malay-language-single-made?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2184690/malaysian-indian-singer-his-breakout-hit-malay-language-single-made?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2019 06:00:00 +0000 As the annual Thaipusam festival approaches, Hindus worldwide who have prayed to Lord Murugan throughout the year, asking for help in various aspects of their lives, prepare to fulfil their vows in return for wishes granted. Thaipusam, which falls on the day of the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, is one of the biggest Hindu festivals in Malaysia, where millions of devotees throng to Lord Murugan temples, particularly to the famed Batu Caves temple in Kuala Lumpur, to do penance. Carnival... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2182000/hindu-body-piercing-festival-thaipusam-malaysia-one-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2182000/hindu-body-piercing-festival-thaipusam-malaysia-one-man?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:45:45 +0000 The Kuala Lumpur most visitors see is a city of towering skyscrapers, shopping malls, glitzy bars and hipster cafes. However, there is another side to the Malaysian capital. After most residents in the city of 7.2 million have made their way home at night, others come out of hiding and start looking for a place to sleep. It could be a bench, the steps of a building or an alleyway. Their beds are old strips of cardboard or discarded rags, while an arm serves as a pillow. Street sleepers plead for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2153138/kuala-lumpur-street-sleepers-turn-tour-guides-earn-dignity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2153138/kuala-lumpur-street-sleepers-turn-tour-guides-earn-dignity?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2018 00:30:30 +0000 For a man famed as a Malaysian hip-hop pioneer who rubs shoulders with the leading lights of Kollywood – the Tamil film industry in South India – Yogeswaran Veerasingam is very down to earth. In contrast to the designer labels and bling sported by many hip-hop artists, Yogi B dresses simply in T-shirts and baggy jeans, and always wears sandalwood paste and vermilion on his forehead, a common practice in Hinduism, so much so that it has become his signature style.  The latest work from the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2146770/malaysian-rap-star-yogi-b-talks-about-kollywood-and-releasing-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2146770/malaysian-rap-star-yogi-b-talks-about-kollywood-and-releasing-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 May 2018 01:16:29 +0000 What should have been a quick trip to the grocery store ended in tragedy for a 15-year-old Malaysian earlier this year. S. Sathiswaran and his mother were returning home from the shop at the Seri Pantai People’s Housing Project in Pantai Dalam, a residential area in the southwest of Kuala Lumpur, when an office chair fell from an upper floor and struck him on the head, killing him. It’s raining cats and dogs, and TVs: things thrown from a height in Hong Kong despite efforts to crack down The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2142936/boys-death-shows-danger-trash-thrown-malaysia-high-rises-and-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2142936/boys-death-shows-danger-trash-thrown-malaysia-high-rises-and-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Apr 2018 00:45:45 +0000