chennai as elections near l kalaivanan gets busy with special pujas and offerings at the arulmigu mgr aalayam in tiruvallur located 45km from chennai the shrine is of mgr the priest his most ardent fan and devotee and worshippers mostly aspiring politicians hoping to make it big in the electiona decade ago kalaivanan built the temple for mgr as he wanted a peaceful resting place for his evergreen hero today the temple practices all rituals offered just like any other temple with childless couples also flocking to it to seek divine intervention but the buzz before an election is unmatched candidates and political leaders queue up at the temple hoping for a windfall of votes the temple gets visitors once the election is declared but i have to prepare the list of pujas being offered much before that i finished it a couple of days ago says kalaivanan who has designed a special puja this year that he believes will bring good fortune to the candidates it is called the seven abhishekam as it is an offering which contains items such as milk curd honey sandalwood paste tender coconut water kadamba powder and rose water those who offer the seven abhishekam can achieve a great sense of confidence it takes an hour to complete the process and it is followed by anna danam donation of food to the needy he saidkalaivanan grew up watching mgr movies he gradually felt a strong connection with his screen idol it was after mgrs death in 1987 that kalaivanan began praying before mgrs photographs each movie of mgr that i watched was a lesson for me it taught me basic things about life i dont believe in any other god mgr is my god says kalaivanan who built the temple in 2011over the years the temples fame grew and people especially political cadres began to frequent itk bhupathi an aiadmk functionary says he offered puja at the temple when he believed the party was on a slippery track after j jayalalithaas death i have been a regular since 2013 i prayed here for the aiadmk governments stability when amma jayalalithaa passed away there was a sense of uncertainty the vacuum that amma left was huge my prayers were answered i have a strong faith in the mgr idol here said bhupathi from madurai the temple has become a place of faith and shelter for all donation of food is part of every offering keeping in mind people in need this time i am trying to reach out to more people the pandemic has wreaked havoc for many particularly in the lowincome group there are many in and around nathamedu who are struggling to make ends meet we will try to cover as much as people through anna danam he said even though a staunch devotee of mgr kalaivanan says the temple is for everyone its a secular place where people can find solace