Embracing sustainability, charity, and community spirit, members of the Indian Activity Executive Committee (IAEC) at Pasir Ris Elias Community Club created a vibrant display using over 100 donated sarees as festive decorations for Deepavali at the “Fabric of Unity: Deepavali Light-Up” event on Oct 4.
“I just floated the idea of decorating the CC, and the IAEC really took it and ran with it. They came up with the design and different ways of draping the sarees, and the result is amazing. It was a real community effort to deck out the CC,” said Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development, and Grassroots Adviser to Pasir Ris-Changi GRC Grassroots Organisations, who was also the Guest of Honour at the event.
This year marks Ms Indranee’s first Deepavali in the newly formed Pasir Ris-Changi group representation constituency (GRC).
Residents from various parts of Singapore, along with organisations such as the Indian Women’s Association Singapore and the Bengali Association Singapore, contributed over 300 sarees in diverse fabrics, colours, and lengths – some of which were selected for the decorative display.
“These sarees represent more than fabric. They’re threads of our cultural heritage being woven into a celebration that brings our entire community together,” Minister Indranee said. “The generous response from residents shows the true spirit of Deepavali: sharing, giving, and creating joy for others.”
While celebrating festivals, it’s important to “always keep an eye on sustainability”, Ms Indranee noted, hoping this thinking applies to all community events and festivities.
“The fundamental principle was to use what’s already there. We asked people to donate items that are still good but not used, and after using them, we look at how to repurpose them,” she added.
A group of 13 members, led by Mr Saravanan Govindasamy, chairman of Pasir Ris Elias CC IAEC, spent the week before the event preparing and setting up the decorations.
“This would not have been possible without the team. We were pleasantly surprised by the generous donation of sarees. People from various communities, including Chinese and Malays, also came forward to help with the decorations. The support we received from minority communities was tremendous when we put out a call for sarees. It was truly a fabric of unity,” Mr Saravanan said.
Decorating with sarees was one challenge, but managing the variety of fabrics, textures, and colours, as well as figuring out how best to display them, proved an even greater task for the members and volunteers. The expertise of those familiar with sarees eventually brought the decorations together.
“There was a lot of trial and error, and we eventually decided to decorate the sarees just as we would drape them on ourselves. Some of the men even stepped forward without hesitation to learn how to pleat the sarees,” said Ms Rangaswamy Sajitha, a Pasir Ris resident.
After the display ends on Nov 16, all the donated sarees will be distributed to places such as old folks’ homes and domestic workers’ associations, and sent abroad to countries such as India and Malaysia.
“We hope in this way, everybody gets a chance to celebrate. Everybody gets a chance to take part,” Ms Indranee said.
The event coincided with the Pasir Ris West-Mid Autumn Getai Show 2025 held across from the CC, creating a unique celebration where residents could experience multiple festivals simultaneously, promoting cross-cultural understanding.
