Free butter milk in sweltering heat a big draw among people in Tiruchi

Sri Ayyappa Sangam, Tiruchi, which serves butter milk to the people to beat the heat in summer months, recorded the highest number of beneficiaries on Wednesday since the forum launched the initiative 33 years ago

Sri Ayyappa Sangam, Tiruchi, which serves butter milk to the people to beat the heat in summer, recorded the highest number of beneficiaries on May 1 since the forum launched the initiative 33 years ago.

Tiruchi recorded the second hottest day on May 1 since 1888 with the mercury touching 43.1 degrees Celsius. The butter milk served on the premises of the Ayyappa temple in Cantonment, has been attracting a large number of people. People from all walks of life, including medical representatives, sales executives, students, policemen, drivers, and others, who commute via Lawsons Road in Cantonment, invariably make it a point to drink butter milk.

According to sources, the number of people, who have butter milk, continues to go up. A total of 3,877 people had buttermilk served by the sangam on Wednesday, which is said to be the highest number since the sangam began the activity in 1991.

It offers butter milk in March, April, and May every year. On an average, about 2,500 people take butter milk. However, this figure has been hovering around 3,500 in the last few weeks because of sweltering heat.

“The number has been swelling since the third week of April. We haven’t witnessed such crowds in 33 years. But we love serving as many people as possible as they demonstrate discipline and impeccable attitude,” says an administrator of the sangam.

It cost just ₹100 a day when the sangam launched the initiative in 1991. Now, the cost has shot up to ₹13,000 a day. The sangam has so far spent about ₹87 lakh on the initiative since its launch in 1991.