More than 800 people gathered for the inaugural Indian Cultural Family fair, organised by the Marine Parade Community Club Indian Activity Executive Committee (IAEC) on Aug 25, which aimed to provide a platform for the Indian community in the East Coast area to celebrate their rich cultural heritage and foster a sense of unity.
The fair, held at the East Coast branch of the Global Indian International School (GIIS), was open to all Singaporeans.
Mr Jeyaseelan Karthigesu, 63, chairman of the IAEC at Marine Parade Community Club, said the idea for the fair was to increase awareness of the diverse ethnic groups within the Indian community in Singapore – not just among Indians but all Singaporeans.
“The recent extension of the Thomson-East Coast Line has made it possible to gather the Indians living in this area more easily and hold a fair that showcases sports, cultural performances and heritage-themed exhibitions,” he said.
The fair, graced by Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng, featured contributions from twelve partner Indian organisations, including the Bengali Association Singapore, Maharashtra Mandal, Punjabi Society Singapore, Singapore Sindhi Association, Singapore Gujarati Society, Singapore Malayalee Association, Kashmiri Group, Kannada Sangha and Marwari Mitra Mandal, each showcasing their unique cultures at dedicated booths.
Students from GIIS also set up a henna booth, while the Vivekananda Seva Sangh Association and Singapore Indian Association offered the public opportunities to learn and participate in traditional Indian sports and games such as cricket, hockey, kho kho (tag game) and chausar (cross and circle board game).
There were stage performances during the fair, and among the crowd-pleasers was the traditional ‘kummi’ Tamil folk dance performance by the MacPherson Community Club IAEC’s Naanal dance group.
There was also a Kabaddi Competition, by the Vivekananda Seva Association and the MacPherson Community Club IEAC, and a Silambam display by the Singapore Indian Association.
“I came here with my husband and two children, and we are absolutely loving it,” said Mrs Leela Singh, 38.
“The children are having so much fun learning about Indian culture through hands-on activities, and the performances are very impressive too.”
Mr. Jeyaseelan said the Marine Parade Community Club IAEC plans to expand the fair to include more organisations and conduct it at the group representation constituency level.
