Thamirabarani 'Maha Pushkaram' begins after 144 years
Tirunelveli (TN), Oct 11: The Thamirabarani "maha pushkaram" (festival of worshipping of rivers), held after 144 years based on unique planetary positions as per the almanac, got off to a start here Thursday.
The 12-day festival, inaugurated by Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit at Papanasam near here, is expected to draw lakhs of devotees from different parts of the country.
Elaborate arrangements had been made to enable the people to take the holy dip in the river which runs through the districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.
More than 60 bathing ghats had been spruced up while special 'homams' and 'pujas' would also be performed during the 12 days.
Though pushkaram was celebrated every 12 years, the maha pushkaram at Thamirabarani occurs after a gap of 144 years based on a unique combination of planetary positions, signifying the transit of Jupiter to the next zodiac sign, organisers said.
Speaking after inaugurating the festival, Purohit said holy rivers such as the Yamuna, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna Cauvery and Thamirabarani were known throughout the country and people take baths in them on auspicious occasions.
Taking a dip in the sacred rivers like Thamirabarani was part of the 5000-year-old Indian Culture which could not be destroyed despite invasion by Muslim kings and British model of education introduced by Lord Macaulay, he said.
The governor said it was necessary to get the blessings of saints and ascetics and pushkaram was celebrated also for respecting the rivers.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
