Deepavali festivities to feature light-up, TikTok dance challenge
Deepavali celebrations starting next week will have something for everyone even as festivities take place for a second year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (Lisha) will kick off its Deepavali 2021 line-up of online and hybrid activities on Sept 25 – the highlight of which will be the traditional light-up at Little India on Sept 25.
While the night bazaar remains suspended, there will be food trails, heritage tours, cooking demonstrations, treasure hunts and competitions such as a TikTok dance challenge for all races. A karaoke challenge has already opened for entries, with a Sept 26 deadline for video submissions.
The major Hindu festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the triumph of good over evil.
For the first time, the celebrations here will feature five hours of performances that will be streamed by Tamil associations worldwide on their Facebook pages. Ranging from fusion music to talk shows with speakers from India and Singapore, the Deepavali show will be shot in Singapore, and a segment will be broadcast by Puthuyugam TV, a Tamil-language channel based in Chennai.
Lisha adviser Rajakumar Chandra said the Deepavali broadcast builds on the repertoire of shows that the Lisha Literary Club had created to entertain migrant workers living in dormitories here. The 150 online programmes had even found popularity beyond our shores.
He said: "Surprisingly, the shows attracted hundreds of thousands of views from dormitory workers, and the programmes accidentally got out to the Indian community in about 20 countries."
At a media preview yesterday, Lisha honorary secretary Ruthirapathy Parthasarathy said the festivities have been organised in the hope of keeping the spirits of the shopkeepers and the community high, even as footfall in Little India has plummeted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting that racial harmony has been in the spotlight this year, Mr Rajakumar, who was chairman of Lisha for 15 years, hopes that this year's activities will help visitors of all races foster a greater understanding of the Deepavali celebrations.
More details can be found at deepavalisg.com
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