“Put Those Toes Away”: Netizens Ridicule Clip Of Devotee Washing Lord Murugan’s Feet At Batu Caves

By Lara Kramer  •  02 Feb 2023 in News

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In the spirit of Thaipusam, most Malaysians can anticipate to come across multiple photos and videos commemorating the festival, particularly of holy preparations and vows being fulfilled.

One such video was published onto TikTok yesterday, of a female devotee using what appears to be rose water to wash the feet of the famed Lord Murugan statue at Batu Caves, as part of a pooja (prayer). While this is not a common sight at the cave temple, this practice itself has been upheld in Hindu cultures for ages, as it is deemed an exhibition of one’s humility.

@jeyanthi017today pooja batu caves 1.1.2023🌹🙏♥️♬ original sound – Naga_Nk_Creative – Devotional Vibes Channel

Watch here if the video doesn’t load.

Within the next 24 hours, the recording gained mass attention with nearly 30,000 likes. Tons of netizens also left comments under the video, though most of them were not complimentary- rather, they insulted and poked fun at the matter.

Perhaps, seeing as some of these users may not be locals or familiar with the Hindu faith, these remarks could have been made unintentionally. However, it seems that even when corrected, some of these individuals still held on to the ‘joke’.

For context, “put those grippers away” is a phrase coined by Gen Z. Grippers, in this sense, simply means toes.

This originated from memes of people showing their ‘abnormal’ feet, usually with larger toes that looked like they could ‘grip’ the floor.

There’s even a song about it, in case you’re curious, whereas the random “for free?” remarks are a reference to how feet pics are sold online (and yes, people actually buy them).

As for “only in Ohio”, also invented by Gen Z, the phrase is used to label things as unusual or ‘sus’.

The rest of the comments, either of the same nature or insulting Hindu beliefs, pretty much speak for themselves:

Speaking of phrases, here’s another one: “chronically online”, used to describe people who spend so much time on the Internet that it distorts their perception of reality and makes it difficult for them to comprehend real-world issues.

If you need some examples, feel free to re-refer to the comments featured in this article.