Thaipusam is a festival known for its colour, and QIU’s celebration this year was given an added splash of green thanks to an imaginative initiative from our students.
Students from the QIU Hindu Society set up a Thaneer Panthal stall in Ipoh’s Old Town district to serve food and water to devotees – but there was an eco-friendly twist to their charitable acts.
Instead of handing out styrofoam food packets, our volunteers distributed food in bio-degradable versions made from sugarcane.
The eco-friendly containers can degrade in water within two days, and will not emit noxious gases if they are burnt.
QIU Hindu Society president Nadish Kulasekaran said he sourced the containers from a friend, who had recently started selling them as part of her business.
“During events of this scale, people will dispose of tonnes of food packets. Our goal was to make sure that our food packets could be disposed of in a sustainable manner,” he said.
Nadish said around 20 volunteers were involved in the activity, handing out packets of rice, vegetables, tofu sambal and moru. Our staff were also present to lend a hand.
At the same time, the Quest Medical Society (QMS) also opened up a booth to help devotees or spectators who required medical assistance.
Congratulations to our forward-thinking staff and students, who have once again reflected the University’s dedication to the green lifestyle!
