THE SINGAPORE TAMIL COMMUNITY
Dear Friends,
As Singaporeans, we are just fresh off the 2011 Parliamentary Elections.
The recent Elections have shown us what Social Media can do to establishment and established norms. Social Media has the power to change the status quo in days, if not hours. With Change being the new constant, we have an immediate need to embrace Social Media as our new Community Market Place.
There is a 19th Century Story of a “boiling frog”. According to the story:
“If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death”.
The Singapore Tamils are not in that category. But the relevance of the Tamil identity may. We are not only Tamils, but we carry on us other identities which have become more important to our lives. We therefore can have perfectly normal lives, merely as Singaporeans of Indian Origin.
This may be the good reason for the slow decline in strength and usefulness of Tamil Community Organisations. There are exceptions, because some of us have re-tooled ourselves to stay relevant.
Some organizations exist with only a few individuals. Some only exist because of a few individuals. Many Tamil Organisations seem to be spending a larger share of their resources to show to others that they exist; and in turn have to support other organizations and well wishers, to show that they too exist.
The “Singapore Tamil Community” is meant to be an E-Platform for Tamil Organisations and their office bearers to share their announcements, ideas, concerns, offers and requests with ease.
We do not want to take a prescriptive approach and say what should or should not be done by our Organisations; which either function in the name of Tamil Identity, or on account of our well being. We just want to provide a collaborative environment, so that the Community of Organisations interested in using the Tamil Identity can find it own destiny and not wait for destiny to find it.
What we are going to do today is to go through the Agenda of Topics that are of concern to the Tamil Organisations and related institutions (as submitted to us); and to get them published in our Blogspot.
The “Singapore Tamil Community” will evolve to be an interactive media, open to office bearers of Registered Societies and Institutions. In addition to the blog feature, we will add facilities as we go along. We want to be the provider of a market place where you can do what you want, as long as you do not infringe into the well being of other users.
And our hope is for the Singapore Tamil Community to find its rightful place among the Singapore Indian Identity and the Singaporean Identity.
By : R. Kalaichelvan
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