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V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR
Ms Durga Poonambalam had just fin-
ished one of her book projects and
was contemplating what to do next
when her husband Allan Ang popped
the question: “If you were to write
about someone in Singapore, whom
would you pick?”
“I had no hesitation in saying Fandi
Ahmad,” she told tabla! on Tuesday.
“Because for me he was everything
when I was growing up.
“He gave all Singaporeans a sense
of belonging. Football brings the entire
stadium together. But Fandi truly
brought Singaporeans of different races
and religions into the stadium.
“I felt he is a good representation of
the Singapore spirit as he always
wanted to fly the Singapore flag as
high as he could wherever he played,
whether it’s in Malaysia, Holland, In-
donesia or Singapore.”
Another important reason for
Ms Durga was that the Singapore foot-
ball icon’s story needed to be told
because it would offer perspectives
closer to Singaporeans’ hearts.
“We always like to read about the
life stories of overseas people, whether
it is Steve Jobs or Cristiano Ronaldo,”
said Ms Durga.
“I felt that we could actually learn
from our very own because we’re all
culturally similar. Learning from
Fandi’s life can help us understand
how we can better ours as well.”
So, 37-year-old Durga and 40-year-
old Allan, who together run the brand-
ing, marketing and publishing com-
pany WriteHaus Asia, approached
Fandi with the idea of writing a book
on him.
A biography of Fandi had been
published in 1993.
“But we pointed out to him that
this one would be different,” said
Ms Durga, who has a degree in mass
communications from MDIS and is a
freelance writer.
“He was Singapore’s footballing son
then. He still is but he has grown so
much... he is a husband, a father, a
coach, he does so many different
things. We could cover all of it. Fandi
liked the idea.”
It set Ms Durga on a four-year
journey to research and complete
Fandi: Honour & Sacrifice, which was
launched on Fandi’s 60th birthday on
May 29 at the ITE College Central.
“Once I started talking to Fandi, I
realised that it would not be enough
just getting his views. So, we travelled
to Holland, to Malaysia... wherever he
played,” said the writer.
“You always hear that he is humble
and very kind. But I also wanted the
readers to get to know the real Fandi –
how the people around him know him
and have contributed to his success
and how he has influenced the people
around him.
“So, we travelled to KL and Hol-
land to meet his former teammates
and friends. It was amazing to see the
reach and impact he left behind in
Groningen (a Dutch club Fandi played
for from 1983 to 1985).
“Covid also led to the delay in the
publication of the book.”
Fandi: Honour & Sacrifice is basi-
cally about how Fandi made sacrifices
to bring honour to the country.
“Everybody knows Fandi’s life but
what we don’t see is what happened
behind the scenes,” said Ms Durga.
“The book takes us from his child-
hood to the person that he is today.
“It narrates how his carefree and
fun childhood contributed to his devel-
opment as a player and how he used
football to deal with the divorce of his
parents.
“It also dwells deep into his profes-
sional career, his relationships with his
wife and kids, how he went into
coaching after his retirement and how
his three sons made it to the national
team.”
Throughout the interaction with
Fandi, what stood out for Ms Durga
was that “he really practises what he
preaches”.
“He often talks about his three Ds –
determination, dedication and disci-
pline. He is truly an epitome of that,”
she said.
“He’s a very giving person. He
never said ‘I have no time’. He was
very dedicated to making the book
happen.
“I followed him around just to
know how other people perceived him.
I could see he was well-received and
he brought a certain personality to
occasions.
“So, it was not a surprise to know
he really is who people say he is: very
humble.
“It was really a privilege to have
done this book with him.”
➥
Fandi: Honour & Sacrifice is available
at major bookstores and online at
fandibook.com for $28.90.
New student council elected
SMART Campus
kindergarten students
had a fun time on May 17
when they wore
creatively designed
outfits made from
recycled materials.
The students selected
interesting themes and
designed unique outfits
out of waste materials
such as cardboard,
coloured paper, paper
rolls and straws.
It was a fantastic
opportunity for them to
showcase their creativity
and raise awareness
about the importance of
going green.
Some students
reiterated the three Rs of
waste management –
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle –
as they made their
presentations in front of
their teachers and peers.
TISYA ANIL DOGRA (10A IGCSE)
AND SHRIYANS MADDIKUNTA
(10A CBSE
)
The Investiture Ceremony for the
academic year 2022-23 was held
with great zeal and gusto at the
GIIS East Coast Campus on May
18.
Twenty-nine new members
were elected to the student coun-
cil (above).
The grand event commenced
with the customary march-past
following which all the frontline
leaders, including the prefect
council, took an oath to make
the campus green and happy.
It was an extremely proud and
honourable moment for us when
we were elected Head Girl and
Head Boy, and got our badges.
We also got acquainted with
our duties and responsibilities,
and are energised to encourage
the students to explore their
talents and grow holistically.
Turning trash
into wearables
There is more to
school than
homework and
exams. That is why
tabla
!
has this page
for students of
international
schools here to
play reporter and
photographer.
Global Indian
International
School
“I followed him around just to know how other
people perceived him. I could see he was
well-received and he brought a certain personality
to occasions. So, it was not a surprise to know he
really is who people say he is: very humble.”
– Writer Durga Poonambalam (left) on Fandi Ahmad
Fandi’s book goes beyond football
chatter
CAMPUS
NEWS
tabla
!
June3,2022
Page7