SINGAPORE – Nearly 15,000 visitors turned up at the Istana on Sunday when it opened to the public to mark Deepavali.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, held a meet-and-greet session with the public in the morning and afternoon. It was Mr Tharman’s first Istana open house as President.

Speaking to the media, the President said Deepavali is a multiracial celebration in many ways. For instance, a fusion of Indian and Chinese classical music was performed by local award-winning flautists Ghanavenothan Retnam and Tan Qing Lun at the open house, he said.

Mr Tan had learnt to play the venu, the Indian flute, from Dr Ghanavenothan more than 10 years ago. At the time, Mr Tan had already mastered the dizi, the Chinese flute.

Mr Tharman said: “There are some similarities between the two, but the music is different...

“It is an example of how we can take part in others’ cultures – respectfully learn the intricacies of each other’s cultures, and enrich our own identity as Singaporeans.”

He said that there are distinct cultures within the Indian community, noting that the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society’s instrument and song performance at the open house was conducted in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.

“That is the way we do things in Singapore – coming together for each of our festivities, and seeking to understand the meaning of each festivity.

That is the way “we become more and more Singaporean in our identities”, “not just by saying the pledge and singing the anthem”, Mr Tharman added.

Students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, St Margaret’s School, Yishun Secondary School and Bukit Timah Primary School also put on instrument, dance and band performances.

Rain from 4pm did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The number of people continued to grow in the main tent, where activities such as henna art and candle making were held, as visitors queued up to take photos with the President.

Ms Veera Rubagavathy, 31, a customer service officer, said she brought her family who were visiting from India to the heritage site to celebrate Deepavali, and they enjoyed taking in the greenery on the grounds.

“It was a nice surprise that our President showed up as well,” she added.

Mr Augustus Chee, 50, who was at the open house with his wife and daughter, said they attended in the hope of getting a photo with Mr Tharman.

“We were disappointed we didn’t manage to catch him in the main building at first, but we were able to get a photo with him at the activities tent afterwards,” said the food and beverage manager.

Immigration officer Ummi Abdullah, 33, who was with her brother and his wife, said it was her first time visiting the Istana.

“I didn’t realise the Istana was so huge. We didn’t expect the President to come here, and while it seemed quite chaotic with the crowd, it was exciting,” she said.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Mr Tharman said the Hindu goddess of knowledge and learning, Saraswathi, is revered across cultures, having spread from India to China and Japan through Buddhism during the sixth and eighth centuries.

In China, Saraswathi is enshrined in Buddhist monasteries as one of the protectors of the Buddhist Dharma, while in Japan, she is venerated in Buddhist and Shinto temples, he noted.

“The symbolism has appeal beyond each religion. Now more than ever, we must spread knowledge and a deeper understanding of each other,” said Mr Tharman.

“It will not by itself solve all the problems afflicting humanity. But knowledge and understanding of each other is the common oasis for peace, harmony and respect between peoples.”