Celebrate the Indian New Year with the Indian Heritage Centre’s open house

The Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) is hosting an Indian New Year Open House from Apr 9 to Apr 10, as various sub-communities of Indians in Singapore are celebrating their respective festivals.

Tamil families celebrate Puthandu on the first day of the Tamil calendar month of Chithirai while the Sikh community observes Vaisakhi. Malayalee, Telugu and Bengali communities observe Vishu, Ugadi and Pohela Baishakh respectively around this time of the year.

The open house will showcase the various aspects of Indian culture and traditions through a lineup of activities such as fun craft experiences, cultural workshops, and festive digital programmes. There are also musical performances to look forward to.

Admission to the open house is free, and you can enjoy a thematic art installation of fabric block print hangings by Sunaina Bhalla upon entering the IHC lobby, or participate in free Drop-in Craft Activities where you can decorate items such as bags and keychains with cultural motifs.

The open house will also feature a number of paid workshops, such as the Experiential Culture Workshop, which will be held on both days of the open house.

Through the workshop, you can gain more insight into the customs practised during Indian New Year through fun storytelling sessions and learn more about traditional Indian instruments.

Another workshop you can take part in is the Ragamala Art Painting Workshop, featuring live Indian cultural music. 

Participants will get the opportunity to paint a Ragamala art piece (a form of Indian miniature painting), while a live sitarist performs in the background.

Both workshops have a charge of $10 per pax, and you can sign up for either of them here.

Offsite, the celebration continues with the release of the Indian New Year Music Video. 

It will be available on IHC’S Facebook from Apr 10, consisting of performances featuring various dance forms and an original composition by the Singapore Indian Orchestra & Choir.