National Day celebrations began early for the residents of The Waterside at Tanjong Rhu Road, who adorned their condominium with patriotic decorations on July 27, after months of preparation.
The festive display was a submission for the annual Mountbatten MCSTs (Management Corporation Strata Title) National Day Decoration Competition. MCST refers to the committee that manages a condominium’s shared spaces.
The competition started in 2014 and is organised by the Katong Community Centre Management Committee. All MCSTs in the Mountbatten constituency were invited to decorate their respective condominiums with the aim to beautify the estate and showcase solidarity.
Twenty-year condominium resident Ms Saloni Bajaj Singh, 58, a medicine admissions specialist and leader of the decor sub-committee, worked together with The Waterside’s management team and technicians to collectively brainstorm ideas for the decorative installations.
“I may be the backbone, but it cannot happen without the support of the volunteers,” she said, emphasising the joint effort it took to plan and install decorations that could withstand four weeks outdoors.
“The beauty of this condo is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Singaporean, permanent resident, on an employment pass or Long-Term Visit Pass. Everyone gets involved,” she added.
While the community is cosmopolitan and diverse, Indian residents tend to be more active in the organising committees – a possible reason why many of the condominium’s events see a larger turnout from the Indian community, Ms Saloni noted.
The courtyard-like area behind the condominium’s guardhouse was decked out with Merlion cutouts and six 2.4m-by-0.9m plywood boards illustrating key milestones from each decade of Singapore’s independence.
Strings of red-and-white pennant flags lined a cobbled stairway that led up to a walkway, which housed the centrepiece: a large Singapore flag made out of acrylic sheets, drilled with 360 tiny holes and threaded with fairy lights to create a lighting display.
Beneath it, an 2.4m-by-1.2m plywood board displayed heartfelt messages handwritten by residents for Singapore’s 60th birthday.
The decorations also featured a pair of vintage bicycles on either side of the cobbled stairway, hand-painted in silver, each fitted with a basket of red and white flowers crafted from upcycled foam fruit nets.
An estimated 200 attendees, dressed in hues of red and white, turned up on Sunday (July 27) morning to represent their estate when the Member of Parliament for Mountbatten SMC Gho Sze Kee and a panel of judges visited The Waterside.
“To see the community come together to celebrate Singapore as a nation is very heartwarming. I’m grateful for their efforts in putting up such thoughtful and wonderful artistic displays,” said Ms Gho.
Twenty MCSTs participated in this year’s competition and the winners will be announced on Aug 9 via the “Happenings at Mountbatten” Facebook page. The Waterside won the Gold Award four years in a row, from 2021 to 2024.
Ms Saloni notified tabla! on Aug 7 at about 9.30pm that The Waterside had clinched the Gold Award once again.
While the residents can take pride in their continued winning streak, the event has also evolved into a time-honoured tradition that unites the community.
Ms Anubha Bhargava, 52, told tabla! that she wanted to be part of the organising team for the condominium’s National Day decorations simply because all her friends were involved.
Both she and her husband, who have been residents at The Waterside for 18 years, brought along their maltipoo puppy to the event, much to the delight of the other attendees who enjoyed its playful presence.
Carnival booths were set up to foster connections across generations, with hands-on activities like cardmaking and face painting enjoyed by the children and senior citizens alike.
Owner of Kriti Arts Ms Kumuda Krovvidi, an artist with 15 years of experience and a 10-year resident at The Waterside, supplied the materials for the cardmaking booth and is the community’s go-to person for arts and crafts.
Human resources professional Ms Divyani Saran, 41, and her family of six have been living at The Waterside for the last decade. Her son Mr Kabir Saran, 13, a student at United World College (Dover Campus), and her mother Mdm Kumkum Saran, 64, a retired professor, were part of the many volunteers who helped weave the foam flowers.
Besides quality family time, Ms Divyani noted that such events help integrate expats like herself into the local community. “If given a choice, we wouldn’t want to leave Singapore. We love it here,” she said.
