The Hindu Centre’s annual Raksha Bandhan celebration was held on Sept 6, with about 450 people gathering to celebrate the festival and exchange rakhis as symbols of friendship, support and protection.
Held at Lee Foundation Hall at the Singapore Khalsa Association, the event’s guest-of-honour was Senior Minister of State for MCCY and MTI Ms Low Yen Ling.
Traditionally, Raksha Bandhan is a festival between a brother and sister, wherein the latter ties a rakhi around her brother’s wrist. At this celebration, however, the practice extended beyond family ties, with attendees exchanging rakhis with one another.
Mr Rajesh Kumar, coordinator of the Raksha Bandhan organising committee, said the festival had been adapted to promote what he called “Universal Brotherhood”.
“In the present era, there are a lot of problems all around the world,” he said. “This is now more relevant to help each other, to protect each other, to take care of each other.”
This year’s theme, “Vividhatayam Aikyam”, or “Unity in Diversity”, reflected the event’s focus on bringing people from different communities together.
The programme included a children’s art competition, a family rakhi-making competition and cultural performances by eight schools and community organisations. The art competition has been running for about 12 years, while the rakhi-making competition was introduced later.
The celebration also recognised three community leaders for their contributions.
Mr Om Prakash Rai and Mr K Rama Prasad received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The former was recognised for more than six decades of service to Sanatana Dharma, Vedic education and the community, including more than 50 years with Arya Samaj Singapore.
Mr K Rama Prasad was honoured for more than three decades of community service and volunteerism, including his work with Nikam Guruji Yoga Kutir, where he has helped train more than 700 yoga instructors.
Mr S Devendran, CEO of Sree Narayana Mission, received the Outstanding Community Leadership Award for his contributions to public service, social service and community development.
For the organisers, the celebration is also a year-long effort. The venue is typically booked about a year in advance, followed by planning meetings covering the programme, catering and performances. Regular meetings with volunteers begin about two months before the event.
The Hindu Centre has also adopted a rotating partnership model in recent years, giving different Hindu organisations an opportunity to take the lead. VCS was this year’s partner.
Next year, the Kamala Club, a more than 100-year-old women’s organisation, will be the partner organisation.
Mr Kumar added that the partnerships give participating organisations opportunities to build networks, gain exposure and contribute to community service.
For volunteers such as Basalingappa Kandagalla, who has been involved with the event for the past 10 years, the celebration is also a way to stay connected to culture while bringing communities together.
Mr Kandagalla was in charge of food arrangements this year, including meals for the 450 guests and snacks for 70 volunteers. Upon reflection, he said the event has progressively grown each year and has given people living away from their places of origin an opportunity to reconnect with traditions from their childhood.
“When this kind of event is arranged, everyone is so happy to remember their childhood culture,” he said. “It’s very important to meet other communities’ people without any hesitation and make a good community and grow up in a multicultural country like Singapore.”
Mr Kandagalla added that he hoped younger generations would continue participating in the festival. “When we make this as part of their life, then they will wait for this every year to participate,” he said.
