SINGAPORE - The way Singapore accommodates and celebrates its smallest communities is how the country demonstrates unity, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Saturday while attending a major Sikh community event being held for the first time in four years.
On its part, the Sikh community here expresses and demonstrates this ideal very well, he said at Naam Ras Kirtan Darbar, the region’s largest gathering of the community that is being held at the Singapore Expo until Monday.
The biennial four-day event aims to give the public a taste of Sikh culture and heritage through music performances and an exhibition of Sikh history, as well as free vegetarian food prepared by volunteers.
This year’s edition is particularly special as the event was not held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, added Mr Tharman.
“It’s very important for us in Singapore to understand that each community has a special place,” he said.
“The Sikh community is a minority within a minority, but that makes its place even more special.”
Sikhism originated in Punjab in northern India in the 15th century. There are about 13,000 Sikhs in Singapore today.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered at Hall 5 of the Expo to welcome the Guru Granth Sahib – Sikhism’s holy book – which was brought in by car from the Central Sikh Gurdwara accompanied by a convoy of motorcycles and a bagpipe band and other performers.
In the crowd was innovation consultant Ishvinder Singh, 36, who is back in Singapore for the first time in five years to visit family and to attend Naam Ras.
Mr Singh, who works in the United States, fondly remembers taking part in Naam Ras growing up, especially rituals like the distribution of karah prashad, a warm sweet pudding.
He told The Straits Times: “A cornerstone of the Sikh faith is selfless service onto others. Naam Ras is an opportunity to serve all with an open arm, given the sheer volume of devotees from near and far.”
With this being the 10th edition of the community event, organisers said they expect thousands of devotees from South-east Asia to come, and have pulled out the stops.
This year’s gathering features a daily theatre production, a display of centuries-old Sikh artefacts from around the world, and a gallery of Sikh art and stalls, while the free community kitchen will be able to serve up to 1,000 people at a time.
Naam Ras is also hosting Sikh personalities from countries such as Britain and India. Among them is Britain-based artist Amandeep Singh, also known as Inkquisitive.
Mr Amandeep Singh, 36, makes art influenced by Sikh culture and ideas, drawing from stories from the religion’s history. He is known for a collaboration with Marvel Studios and Disney on the Ms Marvel TV series.
“We have such a rich history, musicians, artists and I love how Naam Ras decided to talk about art,” he said.
Volunteer Harveen Sehgal Gill, 42, said Naam Ras is a display of the community coming together.
“Everything here has been done from scratch and by volunteers and is meant to give back to the community,” she said.
“I’ve been coming since this began in 2002... it’s grown in strength and capacity, getting bigger and better.”
Former MP Inderjit Singh was also at Saturday’s event. He said: “We are delighed by the return of Naam Ras as pandemic-related measures have been relaxed.
“With the support of different organisations, we are able to see the community from Singapore and the region come together again.”
