SJI Indian Cultural Society Organizes Tamil Language Camp

The SJI Indian Cultural Society (ICS) organized the Tamil Language Camp for the Year 1 to 6 students on 28 May. Mr Dominic Ang, Vice Principal of Student Development, lit an oil lamp to signify the start of the ICS Camp, which was followed by a speech by Mdm Selvarani, the ICS teacher-in-charge about the importance of Tamil Language and literature. S. Deenesh, President of ICS, welcomed the members to the camp that featured many enrichment activities on Indian culture such as the traditional music workshop where the students gained an understanding of the significance of Tamil music and tried their hands at numerous musical instruments. Students also had the opportunity to display their hidden acting talents and to master numerous facial expressions essential for drama at another workshop. Mr Arul, another SJI teacher, also conducted a “Bhangra” dance session which boosted the spirit of the camp.

Two notable alumni of ICS – Stalin Bill (Class of 2017) and Sanfo Bimal Thomas (IB Class of 2021) also shared their experiences with their juniors at this camp. Stalin gave a motivational speech about the struggles and challenges he faced as a student in SJI while Sanfo conducted a poetry workshop on the different ways of writing Tamil poems where he inspired many students to write Tamil poems. The camp also included an Amazing Race where the activities were aligned to the Tamil traditional culture such as Silambatam, a traditional combat sport.

The ICS students reflected on the many new experiences and skills they gained from the camp:

• S. Deenesh (LE402): Being a part of this CCA made me realise how far I have grown from my cultural roots. In such a modernised world today, keeping in touch with our roots has never been more important. I took up the position of president in the ICS to better serve the Tamil students in SJI. My most fulfilling accomplishment would be the ICS camp that was conducted with my fellow Year 4 peers in the CCA for our juniors. The Indian Cultural Society was a beacon of joy and it was an honour for me to be a part of this CCA.

• Felix Joseph Francis (LE402): My journey in ICS helped to develop my leadership ability and help my juniors learn more about their culture. ICS also served as an opportunity for me to know my roots and my heritage at a greater depth than before. The cultural aspects of our lives are often overlooked and left uncherished. The ICS guided me in rediscovering my identity and learning more about the Tamil culture along with my juniors who I helped along the journey.

• Saravanan Balasubramanian (ML101): My favourite activity at the ICS camp was the poetry workshop by Sanfo. It was really interesting as we learnt about the different Tamil literary devices which I did not know about at all and we also learnt how they could be used for our Tamil literature. I plan to follow in Sanfo’s footsteps in his mastery of Tamil Literature and apply these skills in the future.