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Deepavali 2020: 45 Lovely Photos of Little India Amidst COVID-19 Regulations

COVID-19 may have changed the way we live our lives, but as photographer Kurt Ganapathy finds out, it’s not dampened our festive spirits as Singapore celebrates Deepavali.

The triumph of light over darkness – of good over evil – is a concept that transcends boundaries and borders, and that’s perhaps part of the reason why Deepavali, or Diwali, is welcomed around the world with a season of festivities.

For this year in particular, when so many have faced a battle against the unseen adversary that is the coronavirus, the hope for the victory of light is a sentiment we all carry with us.

It’s fitting, then, as we prepare for Phase 3, that vibrant lights are shining on Serangoon Road once more, as they’ve done for so many Deepavali celebrations before.

While we’ll miss some of the usual activities, performances and shopping that accompany Deepavali in Singapore, that unmistakeable buzz in Little India is back.

Happy Deepavali!

The Little India Deepavali light-up continues until Dec 6.

Photography: Kurt Ganapathy

Curation: Arman Shah

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We tell inspiring stories of people in Singapore.

“Growing up in Singapore, we’ve been taught fr

“Growing up in Singapore, we’ve been taught from a very young age that we are a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. Yet, the portrayal of this diversity in our media wasn’t reflecting well. It often fell short, reducing minority races to mere caricatures.

Determined to change this narrative, I made it my mission as an actor to bring authentic representation to my work. And there are many ways to do that. For me, I chose to be mindful of the roles I play and portray.

I meticulously selected roles, even telling my agents to send me for castings which were not intended for my race. I strongly believe that race is a social construct that can be overridden by the actual acting work. True talent transcends racial boundaries.

My persistence paid off when my agency rolled the dice on me, submitting my name for auditions beyond traditional ethnic roles. I knew I was making strides because I was getting callbacks to the later rounds.

Soon enough, the ‘gamble’ paid off. The breakthrough came when I was called in to audition for the St Patrick's Day campaign by Guinness. I successfully booked it, and went on to be the only Indian in the regional commercial that aired across Southeast Asia.

That job gave me the confirmation that I should continue striving for equal representation. Shortly after, another opportunity came when Air New Zealand (@airnz) did a casting for a couple to star in their new commercial. It was to promote travel between Singapore and New Zealand.

Getting that job was monumental for me, because not only did we get to portray an interracial Singaporean couple, we did it for an international audience. It was the first commercial between the two countries when borders reopened post-COVID.

Bringing the same energy when I moved to New York City (NYC), I kept auditioning for roles that weren’t specifically for people of my ethnicity. However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t auditioning for roles that were for South Asians too.

[Story continues in comments section]

[Content warning – this profile piece discusses

Creating a level playing field (no pun intended),

Creating a level playing field (no pun intended), @goalkickfootball_sg strives to make quality football training available to every kid with a dream, regardless of socio-economic background or status.

The coaches from the sports academy (accredited by the Football Association of Singapore) will travel to a location of your convenience, taking time-consuming travel and logistical inconvenience out of the equation.

From private lessons to ensure kids get undivided attention in their football development programme to team-building activities for corporates, GoalKick is there to maximise your enjoyment of the beautiful game.

#football #soccer

When we are misunderstood and unsupported, it’s

When we are misunderstood and unsupported, it’s easy to feel alone, as if we don't quite fit into the world around us. But something beautiful starts to happen when we understand that our uniqueness is not a flaw but a cause for celebration.

As we learn to appreciate and share our individual gifts, recognising the beauty in our differences, we find a renewed connection to the world - similar to the harmony found in nature, where each element contributes to the overall beauty of the landscape.

Drawing inspiration from the natural world, we come to understand that embracing our differences is a gift we can offer to the world, making it a more beautiful place for everyone around us.

The answer lies in bridging gaps, cultivating empathy, and revealing the vibrant tapestry of our shared human experience through the acknowledgment and celebration of diversity.

Filmed in Singapore
Featuring Kathleen Yap (@kyap_wild)

Filming - by Michael
Editing - by Justine du Toit
Sound mix - by Tamryn Breakey

This film is part of a series collaboration between three independent filmmakers - Reflections of Life, Campfire Stories and Happen Films. These films explore how small acts of love and kindness have the potential to ripple out and change the world, touching hearts and minds in ways that we could never begin to imagine.

We'll be sharing a total of 12 short films, from across five continents - releasing one per month for the whole year of 2024 - four from each filmmaker.

Follow us on YouTube:
Reflections of Life - youtube.com/@ReflectionsofLife
Campfire Stories - youtube.com/@campfire-stories
Happen Films - youtube.com/@happenfilms

If you'd like to support us:
Reflections of Life - patreon.com/reflectionsoflife
Campfire Stories - campfire-stories.org
Happen Films - happenfilms.com

The following music tracks are used in this film:
Star Trails - by Antarctic Wastelands (from Audiio.com)
Sadness - by Nova (from Audiio.com)
July - by Saint Sans (from Audiio.com)
Textures - by Okaya (from Artlist.com)
Shrine - by E J R M (from Artlist.com)
Shimmer - by Adrien de la Salle (from Artlist.com)

“Karina Kapoor gets touched the most. They touch

“Karina Kapoor gets touched the most. They touch her eyelashes; her lips. We encourage people to be gentle, but you’d be surprised by how rough people can get. You see her the moment you walk through the door, and people just cannot contain their excitement.

She recently acted in a new film. That makes people even more inclined to touch and take pictures with her. And we’re perfectly fine with that. It’s not our policy to stop people from touching. Please touch! That’s the whole point of the wax attraction.

People come to Madame Tussauds Singapore (@mtssingapore) because it’s where you get to see your favourite celebrities up close. You always see them on TV or in movies, but the chances of meeting them in real life and snagging a selfie are slim. Here, you get to literally stand next to them.

I don’t have a favourite, but I quite like Queen Elizabeth II and the older wax figures. Most of the celebrities are young with nice skin. But the older figures have wrinkles and fine lines – they’re so realistic! A bit creepy, yes, but I find beauty in the details.

I work as a Studio Manager at Madame Tussauds. We’re located at Imbiah Lookout on Sentosa. It’s not a typical location for an attraction, but I love how we’re surrounded by nature and greenery. It’s very calming here, and the morning air is so fresh.

Fun fact: Madame Tussauds Singapore is housed in a building that once served as a military hospital for British troops. During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as a barrack for the Japanese troops. Safe to say, this building is full of heritage and history.

As a Studio Manager, I manage a team that helps maintain the wax figures. We have 84 figures currently, and we ensure they stay pristine. I’ve memorised how all of them should look, from their hair and nails to their clothes and jewellery.

Hair is the trickiest to work with. The wax figures at Madame Tussauds use real human hair. And if you ask any woman in Singapore, maintaining curls in this humidity is tough. We have quite a time with Marilyn Monroe and the other female figures with curls.

[Story continues in comments section]

“Five months into our marriage, she told me, ‘

“Five months into our marriage, she told me, ‘You know what? I don’t have any more feelings for you. My heart is closed off. There’s nothing more to discuss. I’ve already filed for a divorce.’ And that was it. We only finalised the divorce last July, so it’s all still fresh to me.

My closest friends never asked why we separated. They don’t believe in airing dirty laundry in public. But I do take accountability. We knew each other for three years, but argued a lot during the infancy stage of our marriage. Yeah, I should have been a better husband to her.

Her filing for a divorce without talking to me first hurt me a lot. I remember smoking at the staircase landing on the 10th floor of my HDB block. I looked down and thought, ‘It looks so peaceful’. If I ended my life right then and there, all this pain and sadness would go away.

As soon as I had that thought, I stepped back and thought, ‘Arz, what the fu*k sia?’ I cried and asked God, ‘Why me? Of all people, why did you take my wife away from me?’ I was so angry; so lost. I wasn’t the nicest person to be around during that period.

I went for counselling, and the counsellor gave me very good advice. She said my ex-wife is out there smiling, laughing and enjoying her life as though I never existed. She’s living her best life right now, while I’m here spiralling. Don’t I deserve to be happy, too?

She was right. I needed to move on. The divorce was emotional and tiring, but it also brought more good than bad. For one, it brought me closer to God. My friends advised me to pray, and I’ve not stopped praying and bettering myself ever since.

The separation also made me self-reflect. All my life, I’ve always been a ‘selenge’. I don’t know how to translate that to English. Maybe a goofball? I’ve always been a very goofy kid. I was never athletic, and I always thought that the people around me were much cooler.

[Story continues in comments section]

“The secondary school I went to did not have the

“The secondary school I went to did not have the best environment. My classmates were very rowdy and chaotic. They were always hanging out at void decks and participating in gang-related activities. It was not considered cool to do well in school.

Thankfully, I found sports at a very early age. In primary four, I played basketball competitively, and continued to play all through secondary school and junior college (JC). I took part in the National School Games, and I even did a bit of cross-country.

Sports kept me motivated to stay on track. Because I wanted to get into a JC via DSA or Direct School Admission – that path looks at sporting excellence more than academic performance – I had to stay focused. Sports really taught me discipline and perseverance.

I trained two times a week in school, and another three to four times a week in my own clubs outside. I wasn’t the most academically-disciplined student all-year round, but I knew how to switch it on before the exams. You’d find me studying two to three months before my papers.

I didn’t skip training. But even though I was very motivated, my school only provided training twice a week. The better schools – schools which were more sports-focused – would do three sessions a week, and their holidays were packed with training sessions.

My school didn’t even have indoor courts or enough basketballs for everyone to use. I’m currently coaching the basketball team at Raffles Institution, so I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. There’s a huge discrepancy in the quality of facilities between different schools.

There are students who are very talented and passionate, but they don’t have the same opportunities or resources like the more privileged kids. That’s why I was inspired to start @swimray_sg, @goalkickfootball_sg and @triplethreat_sg.

For many parents who want their kids to do sports, their traditional mindset is to bring their kids to a sports school, but those are usually expensive. Furthermore, most parents are busy making ends meet. They don’t have the time to send their kids for regular training sessions.

[Story continues in comments section]

“This industry can be so gruelling. It’s full

“This industry can be so gruelling. It’s full of rejections and letdowns. You need to have thick skin. Yet, you also need to be vulnerable in front of the camera or on stage. Very rarely do you get to celebrate your wins. It’s very antithetical to your behaviour to relish the positives.

When I found out I won Best Supporting Actor at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (@asianacademycreativeawards), I was in shock. My mum and I watched the announcement online. As soon as my name was announced in the national category, we both jumped and screamed in excitement.

It hasn’t properly sunken in yet. I've been working so hard for so long to let my work speak for itself. Finally, for the first time, my work is being recognised. There’s this bizarre sense of relief, but I’ve also not allowed myself to fully celebrate.

I won the award for my role in the second season of TiTouDao. It is actually a TV adaptation of an original play by Goh Boon Teck (@titoudao), first staged by @toyfactoryproductions. It is based on the true life story of Boon Teck’s mother, Madam Oon Ah Chiam, a famous wayang performer in the 60s.

I play Vijay Kapoor, a movie director who’s making Pontianak films in the early 70s. He has big dreams for his art form, but he also has a huge ego and gets into a lot of silly antics. The drama itself is quite heavy, but my character provides the comic relief.

When I was preparing for the role of Vijay, I was very much inspired by P. Ramlee. He was not only a legendary actor, but also a film director who championed Singapore cinema during its golden age.

I had such a great time playing Vijay because he’s so eccentric, but I had to make sure he didn’t come across as annoying, you know? He can be very strong-minded and adamant about the bold ideas he has. He’ll go from zero to 100 in an instant.

[Story continues in comments section]

Jean Ling (@jeanling_sgdisabledmom) radiates energ

Jean Ling (@jeanling_sgdisabledmom) radiates energy that's similar to a burst of sunshine. A self-proclaimed extrovert, she lives her life to the fullest and enjoys sports and embarking on new adventures.

However, her life took a sharp turn when she permanently lost all usage of her legs in a car accident in New Zealand. Here, she shares her journey of resilience and empowering message of positivity.

This video is brought to you by @everydaypeoplesg and @biometricservicessingapore. Life throws us so many curveballs, it pays to be protected. Biometric’s Income Protection Insurance scheme covers the risk of income loss due to accidents, illness or a disability.

It is a necessity if you are dependent on your income to support your daily living expenses, and to support your loved ones who are dependent on you. A financial security in times of need.

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10 October 2020
In Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Gallery

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