Prayers and celebrations to usher in Tamil New Year

The start of Tamil New Year yesterday saw many devotees queue outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple in Serangoon Road to offer prayers before heading to work.

Among them was Mr Palaniappan Alaguraja, 33, an IT professional, who was at the Perumal Temple with his wife Shoba Devi, a 29-year-old housewife, and their two-year-old son Madhan Veeran.

He said he wanted to keep the spirit of the cultural new year alive, and have his family feel invigorated amid the gradual easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

"I believe things are only going to get better, and this day is precisely to set a positive mode of thinking in motion."

Security officer Theeban, 24, whose family lives in Selangor, hopes the coronavirus situation in Malaysia will be stable soon.

He has not been able to return home for more than a year, and hopes that travel restrictions between Singapore and Malaysia will be eased soon so it will be easier for him and his fellow Malaysians to reunite with their families.

At the Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, devotees expressed similar optimism about the situation in Singapore this year.

Said hotelier P. Veeran: "Things are far less bleak than it seemed last year, so I am confident that local tourism will improve this year."

Aesthetics service business owner M. Selvie, 50, added: "Business owners are thankful for the help they have received from the Government. We hope to start this year on the right footing."

Tamil New Year, or Puthandu, is traditionally celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai.

Other Indian ethnic groups, like the Malayalees and Bengalis, also celebrated their new year - Vishu and Pohela Boishakh respectively - yesterday, while Sikhs marked Vaisakhi, the start of the Sikh New Year, on Tuesday.

Last night, several Indian community organisations gathered at the PGP Hall in Serangoon Road to launch the Indian New Year Celebrations, which was hosted by the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association in collaboration with 16 Indian ethnic groups.

They presented a cheque for $15,000 for the President's Challenge, which helps the less fortunate, to Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah.

More than 100 artistes from the various groups as well as local celebrities performed at the event.