Bazaar-goers have no shortage of alternatives these days, from Our Tampines Hub to Woodlands and Suntec City, but as Kurt Ganapathy finds out, Geylang Serai is still very much the place to be in the lead-up to Hari Raya Puasa.
Walking around the Ramadan Bazaar in Geylang Serai, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the midst of an advertisement for Singapore.
While at its heart, the bazaar remains a place to seek out Ramadan and Hari Raya essentials – from spiffy new songkoks to Islamic wall art and a well-deserved Ramly burger at the end of a day of fasting – it is a meeting place like few others.
As you squeeze your way through its alleys, you quickly realise that the faces you see represent a true cross-section of this country.
Diverse groups of students have the time of their lives, taking their pick from food that can be classic or created for the ’gram.
Older couples brave the crowds for an outing, joining young families as they browse the wares offered by traders from across the Islamic world.
Foreign workers and a handful of intrepid tourists take in the spectacle, soaked in a distinct deluge of light and sound.
It’s never a bad thing to have more options, but Geylang Serai truly has it all. Selamat Hari Raya!
Photography: Kurt Ganapathy
Curation: Arman Shah
Like Us On Facebook
Follow Us On Instagram
![“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]](https://i0.wp.com/everydaypeople.sg/ep/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png?w=620&ssl=1)
Watch Us On YouTube
Subscribe To Channel
1 Comment
1 Pingback