KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has advised devotees celebrating Thaipusam tomorrow to break fewer coconuts and channel the money to help the needy in the Indian community.
Its education officer N.V. Subarrow said this was due to shortages in coconut supply and its expected increase in prices during the festivities, where the market price of RM1.60 per fruit could increase up to RM2.50.
"CAP conducted a random price survey of coconuts during Thaipusam this year and the coconut sellers in Penang claimed there are fewer coconuts in the market this year.
"To verify the coconut supply, CAP managed to contact coconut plantation operators in Bagan Datoh, Perak where they claimed that the trees bore fewer fruits this time and they believed that the extreme weather conditions could be one of the important factors for the drop in the yield."
Instead, he said, the money used for breaking coconuts can be channelled to fulfil the various needs of a fraction of the Indian community, especially to the B40 communities.
"Spending money to buy thousands of coconuts is not considered wise, especially with the current economic situation."
Subarrow said the breaking of coconuts during Thaipusam is a cleansing ritual practised by Hindu devotees as symbolic representation of surrendering one's ego at the feet of God which is done with full determination and devotion.
"The broken coconut is then collected and the flesh is either eaten raw or used for cooking. Such is the beauty of Hindu religious practices which ensures that food items are not being wasted.
"Whatever food item offered to God should be treated as 'prasadam' and consumed by devotees and not discarded as waste."
However, he said, many devotees particularly from the Chinese community are ill-informed about the reasons behind the coconut breaking ceremony as they think that the more coconuts they break the more luck is showered onto them.
"They break thousands of coconuts every year which ultimately end up in landfill and being burned and eventually turned into fumes that pollute the environment.
"This very act itself is surely not favoured by God.
"Breaking coconuts which has been ingrained in every Hindu's heart should be implemented in the right manner by breaking one coconut which should be done with full devotion," he said.
Hence, Subarrow added, Hindu devotees are urged to give a thought to the coconut-breaking issue and follow the right religious practices to become a good role model for the younger generation of Hindus.