SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION - Quarterly Updates (Volume 2, Issue 1)
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SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
Quarterly Updates (Volume 2, Issue 1)
31st March 2020
Editor: Mrs. Shraddha Rajesh
Past Events
SALT, SUGAR, SPICE & EVERYTHING pasta by Mrs. Dhershini Govin Winodan,
NICE! Jal’s Malabar Fish Curry by Mrs. Jalaja
by Dr. Vidhya Pillay Pillay and Neyyappams by Ms. Suhara.
The event was well-attended and it was a
On Saturday, 9th November 2019, the fun and interactive session. It was
Singapore Malayalee Association Youth refreshing to see a mix of ages from
Wing held their final event for the year teenagers to senior citizens attending
2019 in conjunction with Deepavali, at the and interacting with each other at the
CareLight Wellness Centre. It was an event.
afternoon of old and new friends coming
We hope to bring you a range of fun
together over food, food and more food.
events in 2020. Stay tuned to our
The event started off with cooking Facebook and Instagram pages for
demonstrations of a delectable seafood updates!
CARELIGHT WELLNESS CENTRE If you would like to volunteer, you may
ONGOING ACTIVTIES contact Ms. Laveena (82317319). Our
centre is at Blk 141 Bedok Reservoir
CareLight Wellness Centre continues to Road, #01-1529 S470141.
conduct many activities for our elderly. Do note that CareLight Wellness Centre
One of our recent events was the is currently closed, due to the COVID-19
Deepavali reused bottle flower carpet situation.
Rangoli 2019 at the Gardens by the Bay
on 14th Oct 2019. CareLight received the
Singapore Book of Records achievement
for this initiative.
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PIONEER WING GET-TOGETHER If you are above 60 years of age and
By Mrs. Sunu Sivadasan-Ghani would like to join our sessions, do contact
Mrs. Sunu Sivadasan Ghani @98335711.
SMA formed the Pioneer Wing for Ladies
We welcome non-members too. SMA
in 2019, to enable our senior Malayalees
hopes to start a Pioneer Wing for men,
to come together, to support each other,
where we will have card games, chess
and to build friendships through fun.
competitions, karaoke sessions. Do
contact Mr. Sivaraman Nair @90273257
The much-awaited 2nd gathering was held if you are interested. Non-members are
on 1st February at our CareLight Wellness welcome to join too.
Centre. We started with a laughing
exercise by The Laughter Coach, Ms. Pioneer Wing will deeply miss
Suchi. Her animated speech and laughter our dear and active member,
therapy got everyone excited. Following Mdm. Kannadi Valloli
the laughing exercise, there was a Komalavalli (Mani), who
cooking demonstration by our well-known passed away peacefully on
chef, Mdm. K.L. Prasanna Kumari, who 12 Feb 2020.
prepared a delicious Prawn Theeyal.
After tea was an inspiring exercise
demonstration by Mdm. Vasanthi
Sadasivan. Everyone was awestruck by
this 90 year old’s demonstration of
challenging yoga moves. She has been
doing yoga every morning for 30 years.
SMA’s RESPONSE TO COVID-19 able to carry on with our daily lives. In
By Mrs. Sindhu Krishna Prasad such a crisis, everyone has a part to
play to keep our families safe and keep
SMA closely monitors and follows all the Singapore secure. Other than keeping
guidelines from the government. All our ourselves physically healthy,
fortnightly team meetings have been psychological well-being is also of
conducted online for the past two paramount importance at a time when
months. We are also in the process of many are experiencing increased
contacting our members over the phone anxiety.
to enquire about their well-being and
extend help if required. We are also The latest updates on the COVID-19
planning to extend this care and support local situation can be found here:
to anyone who needs help. https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
It is inevitable that we will remain in this
high-risk state for some time to come. If you or anyone you know requires help
But if we keep up our guard, and take in this uncertain period, please contact
practical precautions to protect Syam @ +65 92316256 (preferably over
ourselves and our families, we will be Whatsapp).
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KERALA FLOOD RELIEF FUND - 3. Donation Booth - In collaboration
UPDATE with LiSHA, with sponsorship from
By Mrs. Shraddha Rajesh Banana Leaf Apollo, SMA and our
140 volunteers ran this booth over
The 2018 Kerala floods were 31 days.
devastating, resulting in 483 people
dead, 140 missing, estimated property 4. Art Exhibition - SMA Varnam Artists
damage of $5.8 bn USD, with more than held an art exhibition at the Indian
1.2mn people across more than 3200 Heritage Centre. Proceeds from the
relief camps. 11 of 14 districts recorded sale of art pieces were donated to
excess rains. the Kerala Flood Relief Fund.
Singapore’s response included:
1. Online Donation Portal – SMA
collaborated with more than 30
Indian organizations to raise funds.
2. Collection Drive - In collaboration
with BLPL and X-Feeders, SMA
sorted, packed and shipped more
than 200 boxes that were then
distributed in Idukki. ICA & Focus
Malayalam played a key role in
making this happen.
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Handover of Funds to SRC Phase 2:
SMA officially handed over the funds Based on needs analysis conducted by
(SMA Collection) to SRC on 10th SRC, Phase 2 focuses on
September 2019. A total of more than
$400,000 was collected through the 1. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.
various initiatives. Water Purification and Storage Units
for 10 Villages are planned. The
SRC presented detailed plans of the identification of suitable places and
projects on which these funds will be obtaining of permits is going on. The
used, including the timelines, partners installation will be completed around
and expected number of beneficiaries. May 2020.
2. School Supplies for Children. This
includes supplying stationery, library
books, sports equipment and other
miscellaneous items to affected
schools.
All orders have been placed and
purchased for the school kits.
Beneficiary identification has begun.
How will the funds be utilized? Distribution will be completed soon.
Phase 1 (Initial Relief): 3. Digital and Financial
Singapore Red Cross committed 50,000 Empowerment.
SGD worth of relief items and response This promotes financial and digital
efforts for initial immediate relief in literacy among the rural population,
August 2018. SRC partnered with Indian especially women and children, and
Red Cross Society (IRCS) and senior citizens, to accelerate financial
International Federation of Red Cross habits, and increase economic
and Red Crescent (IFRC), in the participation.
distribution of relief items.
How will this be done? The mobile
Relocation of affected population was training centre will travel to different
carried out in Alappuzha, Wayanad, places, including interior villages,
Ernakulam, and Pathanamthitta educational institutions and offices,
districts. and staff will conduct one-day
training programmes.
SRC also supplied 3 Wateroam filtration
Systems to be used in low-lying areas Course materials are being prepared
that were depending on well water. and suitable trainers are being
identified for the programme.
There was some delay faced, due to
the phasing out of currently available
vehicles. Once the new vehicles are
available, the training programmes
will commence, from May 2021 to
May 2022.
This is expected to reach 3000
beneficiaries in the first year.
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Phase 3: Once the projects are completed, SRC
Mobile Medical Clinics will be regularly will release a detailed report.
deployed to reach people who are SMA would like to thank all donors for
otherwise cut-off from access to health their generous support.
services.
Phase 4:
This phase focuses on continuation of
efforts from the last 2 phases, so as to
provide long-term aid to the
beneficiaries.
SMLF UPDATES
By Mr. Ullas Kumar
SMLF ANNIVERSARY 2019
SMLF’s 7th Event, for which renowned
writer Sri. Ashtamoorthy was the guest
of honour, was held on 10th Nov 2019
at Woodlands Regional Library.
Pramod RB led the session on Seetha,
with speakers Mr. M K Bhasi, Ms. Divya
Arun, Mr. Ashok and Mr. Suresh Kumar
T presenting sessions. Mr. Ashtamoorthy
delivered the keynote speech,
emphasizing the need to document the
history of Malayalee literature in the anniversary event. Though attended
Singapore. Mr. Prem, President of SMA by a small group of 15, the session was
gave the vote of thanks. thoroughly enjoyed for its depth of
analysis and charm of presentation. The
session marked a good start to the SMLF
events; a year-long calendar of events
was presented at the session.
50 YEARS OF KHASAK, 1 ST
FEBRUARY 2020
Singapore Malayalee Literary Forum
(SMLF), the literary wing of SMA,
organised this event on the 50th
anniversary of the most read Malayalam
book "Khasakinte Ithihasam" (The
SMLF SESSION 1, 2020 legends of Khasak) by OV Vijayan, the
renowned Malayalam Novelist. The OV
Mr. Pramod RB started off this poetry Vijayan Memorial Forum members from
session by mesmerizing the audience Kerala and award-winning novelist Mr.
with his enchanting delivery of poems, Sethu were the key speakers on this
as a continuation session of Seetha from occasion.
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Mr. Narayana Das, chairman of the OVV into the author’s mind through one of
Forum, explained the relevance of the his associates.
50 year old creation even today. Mr. OV
Vijayan was a philosopher and thinker Dr. Chithra Bhanu, a member of the
who introduced the art of modernism to Forum and an avid researcher of OV
Malayalam literature, and marked a new Vijayan's literature, presented a
era in it. He also introduced the wonderful overview of the overall
background of the memorial that was contributions of Mr. Vijayan. While being
built after Mr. Vijayan. the most successful novelist at that
time, he was also an accomplished
Mr. Sethu, renowned writer and cartoonist, short story writer and
contemporary of Mr. Vijayan, delivered journalist. Ms. Bhanu inspected critically
the keynote speech He expounded the the creations of Mr. Vijayan as a writer
deep thoughts and sharp writing skills of of short but poetic stories, the only six
Mr. Vijayan, and reminisced about their novels and how they transcend time and
many interactions while the two were outlive the author, and how the
living in New Delhi about 50 years ago. creations find new dimensions and
He shared the conflicts and fears which interpretations over time.
Mr. Vijayan faced as a writer of
publishing such an astonishing work. Mr. T Suresh Kumar presented the topic
The talk gave the audience a real insight "The sense of death in OV Vijayan's
Novels."
THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGES Plants on human beings) from Baroda
AND TREASURE OF SANSKRIT – University] was conducted at SMA on
2ND FEBRUARY 2020 2nd February 2020. Dr. Nandakumar
presented the history of evolution of
An informational lecture by Dr. P languages in the history of human
Nandakumar from Thrissur [M A beings and in India. He also presented
Sanskrit literature (Rank Holder of the breadth of knowledge that Sanskrit
Calicut University) PhD( Vachaspati) in presents in various domains of human
Sanskrit & Ancient Botany (Effect of experience.
For SMA membership:
https://www.malayalee.org.sg/
become-a-member/
For any feedback/queries,
please write to
info@malayalee.org.sg
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