The document summarizes recent events held by the Singapore Malayalee Association (SMA). It discusses: - An online event on Kathakali art form hosted by an academic to introduce its basics like makeup and attire. - Talks by the Ladies' Wing on various topics like financial planning and building self-confidence. - Welfare Wing distributing food to migrant workers and conducting first aid courses. - A Meet the Authors session for the SMA publication Onopaharam with over 20 authors attending. - Upcoming events including the SMA Annual General Meeting in April.

1. APPRECIATING OUR ART
FORMS -WINDOW TO
KATHAKALI
With a view to introducing the art forms of
Kerala to our youth, the Mayilpeeli team has
embarked on a series titled "Appreciating Our
Art Forms". The first of the series was
"Window to Kathakali", an online event held
on the 18th of December at 4.30pm.
The session was hosted by Dr. C.P.
Unnikrishnan, an academic and Kathakali
exponent from Kochi, Kerala. Through an
interactive presentation, Dr. Unnikrishnan
took the audience through the basics of
Kathakali, covering aspects like its genesis,
the different types of characters, the detailed
process and composition of the make up, the
attire, the different types of head gear and the
accompaniments.
The information shared and the interactive
session that followed, left the audience with a
basic knowledge on the art form , enough to
develop their understanding and appreciation
of the art form. The session ended with a vote of
thanks by Mr. Prem, SMA President.
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SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
Quarterly Updates (Volume 4, Issue 1)
31st March 2022
Editor: Mrs. Shraddha Rajesh
Past Events
xxx
LADIES’ WING UPDATES
by Ms. Aathira Unnithan
The SMA Ladies Wing has started a talk series
titled, ‘Empower Her’, to provide a platform
for ladies in the Malayalee community to share
their experiences and knowledge. It aims to
empower both the sharers and the viewers
alike. We have covered a range of topics over
the past few months. The first talk of the
series was held on 16 Oct 2021. It was a
session on ‘Financial Planning Tips for Women’
by Ms. Nisary Mahesh. On 11 Nov 2021, we
had a talk on ‘Dealing with Mobile Addiction in
Children’ by Ms. Anita Shankar. Following that,
on 15 Jan 2022, we had a talk on ‘Building
Self-Confidence’ by Ms. Niveda Jayashankar.

2. WELFARE WING
by Dr. Vidhya Pillay
On 4 Nov 2021, we distributed sweet and
savoury goodie bags to our foreign workers in
two dormitories. We managed to raise money
for this project by means of generous
donations from our family and friends. A big
thank you to everyone who contributed to this
cause.
The Welfare Wing organized a ‘Bewhiskered
for Movember’ event in the month of
November 2021. ‘Movember’ is an annual
event involving the growing of moustaches
during the month of November to raise
awareness of men’s health issues such as
prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental
health and wellbeing in men. We held a
competition for the most innovative
moustache and/or beard grown. Participants
sent in their photos at the end of the month,
and we were delighted to have such good
sports for this worthwhile cause. We also set
up a team, ‘SMA Welfare Wing Bewhiskered’
under the ‘Movember’ movement. Donations
were made directly through the portal and
money was raised for men’s health. Thank you
to everyone who donated and participated in
this event.
We started a collaboration with IMDA in
October 2021 called the 'Seniors Go Digital'
initiative at our CareLight Wellness Centre.
This is an ongoing initiative that is continuing
in 2022. A digital ambassador from IMDA will
be on-site to help seniors to pick up digital
skills, provide advice on how to stay safe
online and how to use simple apps on their
smart phones. Do look out for the poster on
the SMA Facebook page and via WhatsApp to
register.
On 19 Dec 2021, we distributed fruit cakes to
200 Migrant Workers at the Cochrane
Recreation Centre during their Migrant
Workers Day & Christmas Celebrations. We
would like to extend our sincere gratitude to
all who donated generously towards this
cause.
On 5 Mar 2022, we commenced Chenda
Classes for Ladies. Five ladies have come
together to learn the basics of Chenda, taught
by Mr. Sabarinath Thekkath. Lessons are held
every Saturday, from 1030am to 1130am. If
you would like to find out more about the
sessions or would like to join, feel free to
contact Ms. Indulekha at 9826 4030.
Ladies’ Wing hopes to publish a cookbook in
time for Onam. We would like to feature
traditional recipes from our SMA members.
More details will be released soon. Do look out
for more updates on our Ladies Wing Activities
on our SMA Facebook Page. Thank you for
your continued support!
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SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION

3. We also started a collaboration with Dynamic
Safety Pte Ltd to conduct the ’Standard First
Aid (SFA) Course with CPR (HO) + AED’ in
September 2021. The second round was
conducted in November 2021 and was well
attended. The course is set to run in 2022 as
well so do look out for more information on
the SMA Facebook page and via WhatsApp.
The ‘Health & Wellness Series’ that was
started in December 2020 has been
continuing successfully. The talks have been
supported by 18 community partners. In
October 2021, we had a talk on Men’s Health
by Dr. Kannan Renganathan, a family
physician in Singapore. In November, Mr. Alex
Yeo, Advisor to Paya Lebar Grassroots
Organization and Director at Niru & Co LLC
gave a talk on Lasting Power of Attorney. The
last talk for 2021 in December was on
Advance Care Planning by Dr. Vidhya Pillay, a
Senior Resident Physician in Singapore. In
2022, we invited our community partners to
host a talk each month. In January 2022, the
talk on Common Eye Conditions was hosted
by the Maharashtra Mandal and the talk was
delivered by Dr. Ajeet Wagle, an
Ophthalmologist in Singapore. In February,
Dr. Asha Karunakaran, a dentist in Singapore
gave a talk on Dental Care, hosted by SMA. In
March, The Infinity Forum hosted a talk on
Cholesterol and Weight Management by
Meenu Agarwal, a clinical nutritionist and
dietician. The series has more informative and
interesting talks lined up for the rest of the
year so do keep a look out for more
information on our Facebook page and via
Whatsapp.
We also hosted a webinar on 26 Mar 2022 on
‘Bullying’ with a panel of experts. The focus
was on bullying in schools and amongst
children. The session was interactive and
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SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
engaging. Thank you to everyone who joined
us and participated in this session.
The Welfare Wing will be organizing more
activities and events for our members and
anybody who would like to participate. Again,
please do look out for more information on
our Facebook page and via WhatsApp. We
look forward to having you all join us.
If you or anyone you know requires any form
of assistance or if you would like to join us as
a volunteer, please send us an e-mail at
welfare@malayalee.org.sg Thank you for
your continued support!
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
by Mrs. Sindhu Krishna Prasad
SMA collaborated with the Singapore Sindhi
Association for the Blood Donation Drive
which was held on October 2021 and Jan
2022
A Deepavali Exhibition at Bukit Panjang CC
was held on 31 Oct 2021. SMA set up a
booth showcasing our rich Malayalee culture
and it was well-received by the public. It was
displayed from then till 7 Nov 2021.
SMA is one of the supporters along with the
other community partners for STS Konnects
organized by the Singapore Telugu
Samajam.
SMA also signed an MOU with SICCI to share
all our events with them. Lastly, SMA
supported the SIFAS Open House on 19 and
20 Mar 2022, and The Rangoli Movement by
Mrs. Vijaya Mohan on 19 Mar 2022.

4. ONOPAHARAM – MEET THE
AUTHORS SESSION
by Mr. Sujith Sivaram
Following the pre-Diwali release of
Onopaharam 20-21, the Publication
Committee organised a Meet the Authors
session with SMA members on 14 Nov. The
event was held online.
The event was widely attended by members
and most of the authors who contributed
articles to Onopaharam 20-21. President, Mr.
Prem kickstarted the session by introducing
the team behind Onopaharam 20-21, and also
briefly commented on the Herculean effort
behind the scenes that led to the first ever
digital version of Onopaharam. Various
members including Mr. Viswa Sadasivan, Mr.
M.M. Dollah, and Mr. Jayakumar also
commended the team for their efforts & the
high quality of the content.
Members were then introduced to the authors;
each of them sharing a thought or two about
themselves, their articles & the inspiration
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SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
YOUTH WING
by Mr. Muhammad Shafiq (Kunjali Kutty)
As we move into the 2nd quarter of 2022, the
COVID-19 pandemic transitions into an
endemic state. It continues to dominate our
lives despite the successful development and
rollout of vaccines and numerous efforts taken
to safeguard ourselves and our community. As
we continue to learn to live and adjust to the
new norm, the Youth Wing found ways to
achieve our goals and realize our vision of
serving the community.
In October 2021, the SMA Youth Wing
collaborated with Mental Act to explore
psychoeducation on Mental Health Challenges
in the Indian Community. Various topics were
discussed during each monthly session. Some
of the key topics covered were the Importance
of Mental Health, Dealing with Depression,
Eating Disorders and the various Love
Languages.
In the months of November and December,
due to overwhelming response for the
Malayalam Conversational Programme, the
Youth Wing together with the Malayalam
Language Education Society (MLES) organised
another round of 8 weeks of online Basic
Conversational Malayalam classes.
The Food Sponsorship Programme has been
continuing successfully as well. On the
occasion of Deepavali, we sponsored briyani
meals for the Singapore Children Society with
our very own SMA merchant partner, Briyani
Caterer, on 4 Nov 2021. For Chinese New
Year, on 29 Jan 2022, we collaborated with
Rotary FRCS, Clementi & Sree Narayana
Mission (SNM), along with Kates Catering, to
distribute meals for needy beneficiaries. We
are grateful to all family and friends for their
consistent support; we hope to be able to
sustain this programme on a long-term basis.
Youth Wing collaborated with the SMA Sports
Wing to organise a bowling session on 6 Mar
2022 for our committee members and family
as a team bonding activity. It was well-
received and everyone had a great time.
We have a few exciting events lined up for the
rest of the year, so do follow us on our
Facebook (Singapore Malayalee Association
Youth Wing) and Instagram (@youthwingsma)
pages for more updates.
We hope you will join us as we work towards
promoting and creating an awareness of our
Malayalee culture and language amongst the
youth in Singapore. We also hope to
contribute to the larger Singapore society
regardless of race, religion or language in
whatever way possible.

5. 5
SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
behind them. It was as novel an experience
for them as it was for the members to be
able to meet and hear feedback from each
other. As there were more than 20 authors
who were present, the meeting extended
way beyond the scheduled time.
The session concluded with a formal vote of
thanks by our Vice-President, Mrs. Sunu
Sivadasan.
Photography competition:
SMA held a photography contest as part of
SMA Kaleido Photography Club’s opening.
This is a new platform for all photography
enthusiasts to share, learn and engage in
photography-related activities. The theme
was nostalgia. The participants looked
through their lenses to capture things they
consider nostalgic, that bring back old
memories for them. Here are the winners
and their winning shots!
SMA CULTURAL WING UPDATES
by Mr. Vasudevan Thottekkatt
With the easing of restrictions in recent days,
we hope we will be able to meet and conduct
live events in 2022.
Musical Evening
As part of the online fest, SMA conducted a
virtual instrumental music event,
“Ponnurukkiya
Pookkalam -
Remembering
the Legend,
Johnson Master”
in Oct 2021. It
was a
mesmerizing live
performance
over the
internet. A group
of artists were
led by Mr. Rison
M, who worked
with the legend
for many years.
Category 1
First Prize
Ajith Kumar Nair
Category 2
First Prize
Akash Vasudevan
Category 1
Second Prize
Pramodh Kurup

6. 6
SINGAPORE MALAYALEE ASSOCIATION
UPCOMING EVENTS
1. SMA’s Annual General Meeting
Date and Time: 10:30 AM on
Sunday, 24th April 2022
Email Address:
secretary@malayalee.org.sg
If you have any queries, please
contact
Mr. Priyadarsan V.
Honorary General Secretary
+65 9862 9620
or
Mrs. Sindhu Krishna Prasad
Honorary Assistant General
Secretary
+65 6871 4007
For SMA membership:
http://bit.ly/SMAmember
For any feedback/queries, please write
to info@malayalee.org.sg