SINGAPORE, Jun 3 : A community leader in Singapore has called for more promotion of Indian cultural activities among youths to keep the country’s language and tradition alive in multicultural the city-state.
Viswa Sadasivan, a former Nominated Member of Parliament, made the call during the launch of a new Carnatic music album by Soundara Nayaki Vairavan, a naturalised Singaporean and a stalwart of Indian music and cultural activities, on Sunday.
“Organisers should take note of the need to promote culture and tradition among youths,” Sadasivan said.
“Such programmes are opportunities for all of us to keep the culture within the community,” elaborated Sadasivan, who was guest of honour at the album launch and a Carnatic musical programme by Kalamanjari, a cultural organisation run by Vairavan.
“It is a worthy endeavour by Kalamanjari to showcase the legacy of the Tamil poets, such as Barathidasan,” added former Singaporean diplomat Ambassador K Kesavapany of the programme featuring Tamil poets.
He recalled a statement by Singapore’s former President, the late S R Nathan who had been a proponent of Indian cultural activities.
“In any cultural activity undertaken, socio-welfare elements should be included,” recalled Kesavapany of the former Indian-origin President’s message to the community.
Kalamanjari, led by Vairavan, has been donating proceeds from its events to the education, cultural and traditional development initiatives of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA).
Kalamanjari with the support of The Tamil Language and Learning Promotion Committee in Singapore launched the latest Carnatic album, underscoring Singapore’s commitment to promoting various languages and cultures.
“I believe in contributing to society. Fifty per cent of my previous music album sales were donated to SINDA ProjectSmile, Club2Care,” said the veteran vocalist who co-authored a book on Tamil Isai. The Book was co-authored with her former music teacher Gowri Gokul and launched during one of the Tamil Language Festivals in 2018.
Dr K Sivaraj, a former keyboard teacher at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS), directed the music for the album which has songs on Rain and Morning, said Vaivaran, who promotes Tamil classical music through Kalamanjari, her decade-old organisation in Singapore.
Speaking to PTI, Vaivaran the Indian community leaders are in the process of building more cultural exchanges with Chennai-based ‘Tamil Isai Sangam’.
“We have been making good progress with Tamil Isai Sangam and are conducting courses in violin, Bharatanatyam, Mridangam and Veena,” said Vaivaran, adding that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2023.
“We have over a dozen talented performers from Chennai who are part of a growing community of 1,000 Tamilian and Carnatic musicians in Singapore,” she said.
Kalamanjari has also been part of the Little Indian Shopping and Heritage Association (LiSHA) Pongal Festival and the Tamil Language Festival in pursuing cultural-related activities.
It has conducted international conferences on Tamil Folk songs and has premiered overseas productions based on Tirukural in Singapore. Notable shows have been staged on Tamil literary works like Aathichudi, Kadayeluvazhalgal and on Tamil Folk songs.
In 2023, Kalamanjari entered into the Singapore Book of Records for drawing the images of Tamil scholars Tiruvalluvar, Mahakavi Barathiyar, Avaiyar, and Bharathidasanar in popsicles.
“We are further developing the ongoing programmes as more and more support is coming in from LiSHA, Tamil Language Council, Tamil Language and Learning Promotion Committee as well as other members of the Tamil community,” said Vaivaran, pointing out that Tamil is one of the four official languages in Singapore.
“Maintaining our culture and tradition is one of the biggest challenges for the Indian diaspora. Fortunately, we have built a foundation and a platform for Singapore’s Indian community to keep up with the age-old Tamilian tradition,” she said.
“This is my sixth music album in Carnatic music,” said Vairavan, a regular performer at community events for the past three decades. Her earlier albums were released in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. (PTI)
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