The man who funds the Kerala government

Meet Vinod, the man who is extending credit to the Kerala Government . Vinod is a  humble fruit and juice vendor having a wayside stand in front of my housing complex at Jagathy. A couple of months ago, he won a State govt lottery  of Rs 50 lacs. However, he has not been able to collect it so far, probably due to the financial crunch the state is facing. The situation is so acute that the state government is not able to pay the salaries of the state employees. So much so, the Govt is planning to borrow money from the Devasom Board (a Govt appointed board which manages the Hindu temples). A classic example of the much touted Kerala Model. 

Vinod, with his Valiamma

Vinod has also pledged nearly RS 2 lacs to 3 temple in the neighborhood. probably that money may also come back to the state government through the Devasom Boards!  This humble vendor is not aware that he is funding the State Government indirectly. 

Temple festivals 2

The other festival on the same day was near my house - the pongala at the Jagathy Mudippura Devi temple. Being a working day, I missed the pongla but could catch a glimpse of the function at night when the goddess was taken around in an elephant.

Sorry, I missed the elephant.

Vehicle Arts

Vehicles in Asia, especially, trucks, tuk-tuks and taxis have very interesting slogans and artwork. Here is a sample.

Vehicles on the day of Attukal temple Pongala festival, 2013.

Banana boat, ..er truck on Trivandrum by-pass road.

Free auto service

Many autos in Thiruvananthapuram offer free rides to devotees during the Attukal pongala

Attukal Pongala 2012

The Attukal Pongala which entered the Guinness Book of Records with 27 lakh women devotees is set to break the records this year with 35 lakh participants expected. This is evident from the early morning crowd today captured in these images. The lines have extended to Bakery Junction and interior of Thycaud - a good 5-6 kilometers from the Attukal temple. There are also many clusters near other temples in extended areas. I am also impressed by the discipline and cleanliness of the devotees, compared to pilgrims elsewhere in India. 
More pictures at: http://bit.ly/xhX4E7