Standing in a far corner of Sri Kapaleeswarar temple, a team of volunteers have been performing a service that is relatively unknown.
Twice a week, a dozen of these service personnel from diverse backgrounds come early in the morning and grind sandalwood for around 90 minutes before they head to their day jobs.
It is great teamwork with these volunteers taking turns to stand in pairs opposite each other to perform this grinding.
At the end of each session, they present the sandal paste to the temple authorities. This is then anointed on the deities.
These volunteers are banking professionals and accountants, engineers and lawyers; they have, over the last year dedicated a good deal of their time every week grinding the sandalwood.
It is a physically tiring task but, as one of them says, ‘ we do it with a devotional mind that is in service to lord Kapaleeswarar.”
- Report, photo: S Prabhu
