The woman passing me in a bright orange and red sari looked remarkably composed for someone with a metal skewer pushed through one cheek and coming out of the other.
Tea Leaves
Malaysian Tamil festival offers painful lesson in self-discipline
Why thousands of people are skewering their flesh in the name of happiness
A pierced yet poised pilgrim makes her way toward the Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur as part of Thaipusam, a major Tamil Hindu festival. (All photos by Andrew Benfield)
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