For the very first time for IHC, visitors will be able to enjoy the annual Little India Deepavali street light-up and decorations on the Deepavali Big Bus Tour, that will run over the Open House weekends. This is going to be a great and fun experience to be up close and personal with the bright and colourful Deepavali lights with its customised open-top sightseeing bus tour providing the perfect introduction to Little India precinct during this festive period. You would get excellent photography opportunities from the top deck of the big bus tour!

At IHC, you can participate in the festive Deepavali season by adding more colour to the precinct through contributing a LEGO mural inspired by Rangoli designs. The mural is designed in collaboration with LEGO artist Jeffrey Kong. Visitors will help to complete the mural by filling in its white outline with coloured LEGO bricks.

A crowd favourite os brought back, a miniature replica of the Little India Deepavali street light-up arch along Campbell Lane invites the public to join the festivities at IHC. The decorated arch extends from the institution’s entrance to its stairwell, serving as the perfect backdrop to take a Deepavali OOTD! Visitors can also upload photos of themselves enjoying the light installations on social media and hashtag #IHCDeepavali to redeem limited-edition money packets.

There are many more exciting and fun Deepavali-themed programmes that include craft workshops, cooking-demos, heritage trails, and evening trishaw rides. Admission to IHC is free for all, registration is required for certain programmes at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com 

Little India Trishaw Trails

Date: 30th September, 7th, 14th & 21st October 2022

Time: 6-8pm

Prices: $10

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com 

Deepavali Big Bus Tour

Dates: 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd October 2022

Time: 6-8pm

Prices: $10 

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com 

Deepavali in Animal Land

Date: 22nd October 2022

Time: 1130am, 2pm and 330pm

Prices: $10

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com

Guided tour of Little India Heritage Trail

Dates: 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd October 2022

Time: 1030am-12pm

Prices: $10 

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com 

Drop-In Activities

Dates: 1st to 23rd October 2022

Venue: IHC Lobby

Community LEGO Mural

Dates: 1st to 23rd October 2022

Venue: IHC

Clay Oil Lamp Mandala Painting Workshop

Dates: 15th & 16th October 2022

Time: 2-330pm & 4-530pm

Prices: $10

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com

Festive Deepavali Dishes

Dates: 16th & 23rd October 2022

Prices: $10

Register at https://ihc-programmes.peatix.com 

For more information on IHC Deepavali Open House, please visit IHC website or IHC’s FB Page. 

Wishing all Iniya Deepavali Nal Vazhthukkal (Happy Deepavali!)

The post Welcome the Festival of Lights at IHC Deepavali Open House 2022! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Said the rooster to the hen, “It’s time for us to start our artistic exploration adventure to Malay Heritage Centre, let’s go!” 

And the duck replied, “Let’s visit the Heritage Institution together!” 

Security Ah Meow said, “No worries, you folks go and explore Malay Heritage Centre, I will take care of you and look out for your folks there! I may look cute and chubby, don’t worry, I won’t steal your attention and limelight, ok?” 

Off they went, making their presence and appearance, attracting lots of attention and limelight from the visitors to Malay Heritage Centre. The young kids and the big kids are enjoying it! 

Where would the roosters, hens and ducks be heading to next in their fowl play exploration? Would security ah meow be tagging along? Stay tuned for more local artists highlights and mini stories!

Synopsis: 

A guerrilla “lightning” style artworks exhibition by talented local artist Yip Yew Chong, that took place at Malay Heritage Centre over the weekend from 22nd to 23rd January 2022 from 10am to 6pm. 

*** Exploring short visual storytelling style and approach, and a new mini stories series documenting local Singapore artists in action *** 

The post Some fowl play exploration and a security cat at Malay Heritage Centre appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

One of the events that I attended was the IHC Pongal Evening Trail, I heard it was very popular and in demand. After attending this trail organised by IHC, I began to understand why it was so popular. Not only did I have a fun time, I had an informative, enriching learning time and an interactive hands on Pongal cultural experience too!  

IHC Pongal Evening Trail

Introduction to Pongal

Starting off at Indian Heritage Centre (IHC), we were first introduced to Pongal Festival with a tour of the exhibits on display. 

Pongal is a 4 days harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community, to give thanks to Surya, the Sun God for the blessings of a bountiful harvest. The exhibits on display and the write up were informative and easy for visitors to learn and understand more about Pongal Festival. 

4 Days of Pongal

Day 1 – Bhogi Pongal

The first day of Pongal is called Bhogi. A day of cleaning and discarding old belongings to mark a fresh start. New clothes are worn, houses are decorated for the festivities. 

Day 2 – Surya Pongal

The second day is the main day of Pongal and is celebrated as Surya Pongal. The colourful decorative floor patterns are called Kolam, these are drawn at the entrance of the home. Each household cooks a pot of fresh rice with milk. 

Day 3 – Maatu Pongal

The third day is known as Maatu Pongal. On this day, it’s devoted to honour and worship the cattle (Maatu). The cows are bathed and decorated flower garlands and bells. 

Day 4 – Kaanum Pongal

The fourth day is known as Kaanum Pongal, a day of family reunions and visits, accompanied by sumptuous meals, strengthening family and community ties. 

A more detailed write up about Pongal Festival can be found on IHC’s website article and IHC instagram video!

Pongal Walk through bustling Campbell Lane

After the introduction to Pongal, we were led outside to the bustling and lively Campbell Lane for a Pongal Walk. The guides were very helpful in sharing with us the various items on sale outside the shops along Campbell Lane, their significance and importance for the Pongal festival. 

We can feel the hustle and bustle of Pongal festival as well as its festive shopping. Spot the colourful earthen pots used for the boiling of the traditional dish pongal, the tall sugar cane stalks that were lined up along the shops at Campbell Lane. You can’t miss the fresh turmeric and ginger stalks too!

We also walked to Serangoon Road, for a quick view of the bright and colourful Pongal Light Up along Serangoon Road. Thereafter, we walked back to IHC for a hands-on and very fun interactive workshop.

Hands-on and very fun interactive workshop

Creating a Pulli Kolam

I saw beautiful and colourful traditional decorative artworks drawn on the floor outside homes. I didn’t know the name of this traditional cultural artwork until I was at this IHC Pongal Evening Trail event interactive workshop. This is known as Kolam, drawn using rice flour. We had a short hands on session by our wonderful trail guides teaching and demonstrating to us how to create a Pulli Kolam, along with the help of step by step pictures.  

It may look easy to you, it was quite a handful challenge for me, maybe that’s why I am not really that good in arts and craft! Hearing from the sharing by our guides on the cultural aspects and stories of creating a Pulli Kolam, widely practised by female family members in front of their house, it’s enriching and enlightening to hear those cultural stories and significance behind such practices. 

Learning the art of tying Thoranam 

I had seen this hanging decoration before outside homes and at Little India, I didn’t know much about this cultural significance until I attended IHC Pongal Evening Trail event. This hanging decoration is known as Thoranam, the participants learnt the art of tying Thoranam, the historical and cultural meanings behind this, used for happy occasion or mourning for people who visit that place.

Learning a traditional Indian Folk Dance Kollattam (Stick Dance)

Kollattam, also known as Stick Dance, is one of the traditional Indian folk dances. This is a very popular folk dance in Indian Culture, a rural art performed during village festivals with sticks. We were taught simple dance movements by our event hosts/guides, soon we were clapping before taking up the sticks and dancing away.

This was definitely one of the highlights from IHC Pongal Evening Trail that the participants thoroughly enjoyed that evening! I managed to move to and fro, in between learning Kollattam and taking photos of the group in action! 

At the end of the IHC Pongal Evening Trail event, we all had a great learning, interactive, fun and enjoyable time!

Pongal Open House 2022 at Indian Heritage Centre

Plan a visit to Indian Heritage Centre for its Pongal Open House 2022! You can discover how Pongal is celebrated in Singapore, check out the cultural activities, workshops and trails at the IHC Pongal Open House 2022.

Dates: 8th to 16th January 2022

Visit Indian Heritage Centre!

For more information and updates on Indian Heritage Centre, please visit and check them out on their social media platforms below:

Website: https://www.indianheritage.gov.sg/en 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indianheritagecentre 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianheritage_sg/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IndianHeritageCentre 

Address: 5 Campbell Lane, Singapore 209924 

Explore Our Own Backyard – Visit Heritage Institutions and Museums 

Although we may not be travel overseas as much and as freely due to the ongoing global pandemic situation, along with the various restrictions and measures in place in different parts of the world. 

This would actually be an excellent time to explore our own backyard (Yes, Singapore can have a domestic tourism sector too!), such as visiting Heritage Institutions and Museums in Singapore! While there is no doubt that Singapore is definitely a country small in land size, she has her own rich history, heritage, culture and diversity at the various Heritage Institutions and Museums.  

I have been covering museums, from exhibitions and various events. A few years back, I started covering and sharing on the Heritage Institutions, from exhibitions to the various events that they organised. I am working on expanding my coverage in this segment. 

If you haven’t been doing so, take the time to visit Singapore’s various Heritage Institutions and Museums, there are so many more history, heritage and cultural lessons and experiences that you can learn and enjoy. 

Wishing all a Happy Pongal! May this Pongal Festival brings you prosperity and happiness to you and your family! 

The post Celebrate Pongal 2022 in Singapore at Indian Heritage Centre appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Prior to this “bring LOVE everywhere” test walk 2 on 6th November 2021, I recently visited Malay Heritage Centre recently to photograph an earlier light artworks by VSE on display. Malay Heritage Centre had collaborated with Very Small Exhibition to light up the facade of its main building in different hues of blue in support of World Mental Health Day on 10th October 2021, while Malay Heritage Centre’s annex buildings were lighted up with the art collective’s signature neon colour lights.

After photographing a beautiful sunset at East Coast Park, Belinda and myself waited for Very Small Exhibition to arrive at East Coast Park White Jetty. From a distance, you can’t miss the bright and colourful 4 letter words “LOVE” making its way into the East Coast Park heartlands. 

This marked the start of an hour of interaction with the LOVE light artwork, doing light painting around the LOVE artwork, bringing them into a new dimension and realm, with supporters coming down to pen their love messages on the LOVE sticker and pasting them on the LOVE light artwork. 

Those moments were bright and colourful, spreading love, and asking ourselves, what is love, what does it mean to you, what are the messages that you would like to write down and send to your family, loved ones, relatives and friends? It was a quiet moment for me, and for some of us too, as we reflect on LOVE, its importance, relevance and how we can spread the message of LOVE, especially during this past close to two years (and counting) of great difficulties to our daily living and work due to the ongoing global pandemic. Many of us suffered in many different ways or another, some more than others. How can LOVE plays a part to help people in whatever ways possible during this great difficulty period that has affected us mentally, emotionally and financially? 

During a quiet moment inside me, I was immersed in creating the light painting while Belinda was photographing my light painting artworks, my heart was thinking about this topic too. As I was penning down my message for “bring LOVE everywhere”, I asked myself:

Q:What is Love? 

A: Love is of Fate and Time.

Love is of Fate and Time, I wrote and published a photo story article “Fate and Time” back in June 2021, my article title and the story inside speaks for itself, my heartfelt answer to the question above. That period of time, coupled with other situations happening concurrently, was a very down period. For those who wish to know what could have happened, this paragraph would shed more light.     

While Belinda and myself were at East Coast Park White Jetty, we got to know supporters who were also waiting for Very Small Exhibition “bring LOVE everywhere”. Nice to meet cheryllovescake and dototo13! They joined us in our light painting photography shoot too! We connected via Instagram later, after Very Small Exhibition continued with their journey along East Coast Park. 

Through Belinda and cheryllovescake sharing on their Instagram posts and stories, their sharing of love messages as well as from classic love songs, they are heartwarming, positive and encouraging, something that is very much needed during this time for many of us out there facing our own unique challenges and difficulties, in our ongoing battle against this global pandemic. Love can give us great hope, warmth and confidence, love can also hurt us and affect us. 

Spinning out some love ballads from my Spotify, these classic LOVE rock ballads pop into my mind, “All You Need is Love” by Beatles, “More Than Words” by Extreme, “Love is not the Way” by Saigon Kick and one of my favourite songs by Queen “Love Of My Life”. Not forgetting, “温柔”, ”擁抱“, “心中無別人” from another of my favourite rock bands 五月天!   

Do support local artists whenever possible, Pay-It-Forward and Pass-It-On, spread the word for them, giving them more publicity and awareness. I would give them a shout out, cover their stories and artworks as and when I am able to do so. Throughout the years writing and publishing photo stories here on my TGH Photography and Travel portal/blog, I met a number of creative, talented and passionate local artists through various events such as i Light Singapore and Singapore Night Festival. 

In January 2022, Very Small Exhibition is challenging themselves to their limit, bringing LOVE one round around Singapore in 6 consecutive nights. Let’s all help to spread some LOVE, warmth and friendship together with Very Small Exhibition. 

Very Small Exhibition

Website: www.verysmallexhibition.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verysmallexhibition/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verysmallexhibition 

What is Love? Love is everywhere, it’s around us, from our family, loved ones or friends, sometimes we just lost it because we are too close deep inside that we don’t realise it. Love, however, sometimes it’s about fate and time as well. 

No matter what level and stage of Love you are at right now, that’s something we can all do together for a common good, let’s bring LOVE everywhere and unite together stronger, closer, care and help one another as we are still battling this global pandemic situation, a common goal as we seek the light at the end of the tunnel filled with love, joy and a return to a more normal life.

Let’s #BringLoveEverywhere!

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