Singapore Malayalees
CSTC, NLB and some Malayalee community organisations collaborated to provide a special introduction to the Singapore Malayalee community - a rich and diverse sub-ethnic group among Singapore Indians. Our audience got a glimpse of Malayalee cultural practices, artefacts, dance, music and, of course, a taste of their unique cuisine! This event showed how the Malayalees, while being part of the Indian ethnic community, have their own distinct culture that is seamlessly integrated into our cultural life, adding to our rich and fascinating tapestry of Singapore culture.
The Singapore Malayalees are the second biggest community among Indians in Singapore. They have been here since the early days of Singapore as a British colony. Did you know that a Malayalee Muslim cemetery was here in Singapore before Raffles arrive in 1819? The Malayalees have served Singapore well and distinguished themselves as, among other things, trade unionists, journalists, lawyers and doctors, and artists. One of their community members became President of Singapore – Mr C V Devan Nair!
There are two videos of the programme. The first part contains the introductory talk by Dr Anitha Devi Pillai, the principal curator of this programme, and cultural exhibits and a multi-generation traditional dance. See https://youtu.be/ophQwUgQmBY
The second part features the discussion among the panellists and with participants. See https://youtu.be/tue-_47Q8LM
Our Projects
"Naanum Thamizhum" is a ten-part video series featuring ten experts who have excelled in their careers outside of the Tamil language. In each episode, these experts share how Tamil has played a significant role in their personal and professional lives. The goal of this series is to inspire young individuals to develop an appreciation for Tamil and to demonstrate the diverse applications of the language.
To keep Tamil a living language in Singapore, it is necessary for the younger generation of Tamils to understand and appreciate the significance of Tamil culture and tradition. This project aims to provide basic information about Tamil culture and tradition.
Digital Resource on Tamil Culture and Tradition
In commemoration of SG50, a collection of 350 Tamil literary works of Singapore from 1965 to 2015 was digitised and offered as the Indian community’s gift to the nation. The public can now appreciate 50 years of Singapore Tamil literature on NLB’s BooksSG portal, anytime and anywhere.
Media
Photos
Videos
சிங்கப்பூரின் வரலாறு, அடையாளம் குறித்த புரிதலை மேம்படுத்த உதவியுள்ள தமிழ் மரபுடைமை மின்தொகுப்பு
Radio
Speeches
It was our pleasure to join Oli 96.8FM’s early morning talk show to speak about the journey of CSTC. Dr. Elavazhagan Murugan and Jayasutha Samuthiran shared about CSTC’s objectives, projects, and plans for the future. Sushma Soma talked about her joint production with CSTC – “Naalum Oru Geetham.”
Watch this space for more updates on our upcoming projects.
The logo is made up of eight arrows and three primary colours. The big and small arrows depict the "eight directions," which in Tamil connotes all directions, from which Tamil culture has been influenced in big and small ways. Tamil culture is a distillation of such multidirectional influences. Likewise, Tamil culture has influenced others in many directions. The arrows are arranged with gaps in between to indicate the open and dynamic nature of Tamil culture, instead of being fossilised in a closed, exclusive environment. Just as the three primary colours of Red, Green and Blue, when combined, create a multitude of other colours, so are the numerous cultural manifestations based on a few fundamental values of the culture.