Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam loves South Indian food, especially thosai.
Whenever he visits India or other places that have South Indian restaurants, he makes it a point to indulge in his favourite dish, often with his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi, who is of Chinese-Japanese ancestry.
“If you plan to have something that is not fancy, thosai is reasonably good,” he told a gathering of 110 people at the inaugural Tamil Murasu Thosai Breakfast Club session on Aug 19. “It is a very healthy breakfast, like idli.
“Actually, scientists say it is a very healthy breakfast, especially if you don’t put too much oil.. when you cook the potatoes.”
The Tamil Murasu Thosai Breakfast Club brings together eminent personalities and members of the Indian community to discuss issues of the day in a casual setting.
“There’s something more aesthetic about South Indian cuisine and culture,” said Mr Tharman, a former Senior Minister who served the Singapore government in various capacities for 22 years. “I wouldn’t use the word spiritual, but there is something more basic.
“South Indian food has a distinctive tang as well. So, both my wife and I really love South Indian food. Whenever we go to India... Delhi, Mumbai, wherever, we go to restaurants that serve good South Indian food.”
Similarly, when it comes to music, Mr Tharman likes South Indian classical music.
“I grew up with Indian music at home because my father was a flautist who also played the piano,” he said. “Carnatic music always played in the background.
“I love Indian music in general. But Carnatic music again has something different about it.
“Actually, it is very encouraging that there are more initiatives now to blend Hindustani and Carnatic music styles and approaches.
“Less than a year ago, I attended a performance by a group called Triveni. The musicians were North Indians and South Indians, all famous in their own right. Together, they produced really beautiful music. Hopefully, such amalgamations will take off.”
As the presidential election nears, more people are curious to know about Mr Tharman’s family life, especially his meeting with Ms Ittogi in London, where they were both university students.
“Well, actually, my wife and I didn’t suddenly fall in love,” said Mr Tharman, when asked by the moderator, Tamil Murasu news editor Irshath Mohamed, if it was instant attraction. “It was not like there was this sudden click.
“We were friends in a circle of friends and we got to know each other better. In fact, we knew each other for a long time. And we just got to know each other better and better and it just became obvious that we were going to spend our lives together.
“So, love was just a cascading movement, until we realised that we wanted to spend our lives together. There was nothing sudden, nothing dramatic.”
It has been widely reported that Mr Tharman discussed the pros and cons extensively with his wife before deciding to run for the presidency. But what were the thoughts of his children? How did they react?
Mr Tharman, 66, and Ms Ittogi have a daughter and three sons together.
“Of course, you know, I discussed it extensively with my wife,” he said. “It was a joint decision because it’s a major change in my role and to some extent in my life. My children just wanted to understand why.
“They knew this was not something I treated as an ambition. It’s not as if I’m aiming for some position. I’ve never aimed to be in any position, quite honestly. I’ve never planned my life from the very start.
“At each stage, you just do what you feel will be most meaningful, where you can contribute the most. And it must be something that you also enjoy doing. At each stage of my career, it’s been that way.
“So, my children just needed to understand my motivation, and accepted my decision and my wife’s decision on that basis.
“This was very important because they lead their own lives. They take only public buses, occasionally Grab, and they lead their own independent lives. It’s been that way all along.”
The children’s independent streak must surely have come from Mr Tharman, who pointed out that he fairlyusually did what he wanted during his days at Anglo-Chinese School.
“I was actually quite lucky, because I really enjoyed my youth,” he said. “It’s the greatest benefit I’ve had in life.
“I spent all my time on sports. I was an extreme case, because every single day I’d be playing sports.
“And I remember once in my secondary three, I kept a little diary, not to write any reflections, but to note down my competition times at the Padang.
“I played sports every day, unless there was torrential rainfall and you really couldn’t play outdoors. So, my entire life was sports.”
Mr Tharman said his parents did not put pressure on him to study well.
“I had a very colourful report book every year for my parents to sign,” he said. “Just before the exams, I would figure out a way to cram up in order to get to the next level just decently. I never wanted to be at the top or anything like that. I just did enough.”
But he also took advantange of sports to make friends.
“Sports means you meet people, and in those days there was sporting talent all around the island,” said Mr Tharman.
“Naval Base Secondary was very good at hockey, Jurong Secondary very good at rugby, so there were good athletes all over the island.
“When you take part in competitive sports, you really meet people from very different backgrounds, not just ethnically but also socio-economic backgrounds. You beat them and you become good friends.
“And you respect them, because in sports you’re never the best at everything. And you never win all the time. You really have to respect your opponents. So, that was a very intense social experience.
“When you go through 12 years playing competitive sports, you really gain respect for a whole set of fellow Singaporeans and it’s a wonderful way to grow. So I had a whale of a time as a youth, and I will never give that up for anything.”
Mr Tharman believes the friendships he has cultivated since his youth and the hard work he has done on the ground during his years in politics will stand him in good stead when he comes up against former chief investment officer at sovereign wealth fund GIC Ng Kok Song, 75, and former chief executive of insurer NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian, 75, in the presidential election on Sept 1.
“My confidence comes from the fact that first and foremost, I have worked very hard on the ground,” he said. “Everyone knows what I’ve been doing.
“I know people very well, I’ve gotten to know families. I’ve created initiatives, I’ve even created NGOs, to do things that the government can’t do.
“So, that’s what politics is about. It’s about a track record of empathy and helping people transform their lives.
“The second thing is national policymaking. I entered politics in the first place because I wanted to reform policy, educational policy, social policies and some economic policies.
“I think in 20 years we have shifted a fair bit and that was also my motivation. I’ve had a role in shifting policies, and I regard it as a plus.
“Thirdly, I have international experience, leadership experience in various international councils, which would not have come about if I had not been playing this role in Singapore.
“So, these are actually invaluable additions to my experience and my capabilities that I think will be a big plus for the presidency.”
Mr Tharman believes another plus for him is that he is “independent minded”.
“Everyone knows I’ve got my own mind,” he said. “I stand my ground and in what I believe in.
“Importantly, I have experience, an independent mind and the ability to work with all parties in the interests of Singapore.
“You can’t just be a solo player. If you’re a solo player, you will soon become irrelevant.”
