Ladies Wing

SMA Ladies Wing (LW) has been very active, organizing independent events, collaborating with other organizations and actively participating and supporting all the events organized by SMA as well as conducting main activities of the LW.

The following activities were held:
  1. Indian Cultural Fest 2017 – 7th to 15th April ‘17 – SMA LW represented the Malayalee community at the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association annual event, Indian Cultural Fest 2017 held at the Indian Heritage Centre.  An interesting and informative exhibition showcasing the authentic culture and tradition of multiple ethnic Indian communities was well attended. The highlight was the set up of a mock-up of a traditional Kerala marriage function. Our able members gathered an assortment of tough to obtain paraphernalia in short notice. The children of our members were beautifully made up and dressed as bride and groom. It drew a lot of applause as the procession, which included brides & grooms from different Indian communities walked down the red carpet.  Many dignitaries including ministers were among those present.
  2. Indian Traditional Games Festival – 30th April 2017 – in collaboration with Vivekananda Seva Sangh. Our ladies Wing members ably represented SMA at this at GIIS Queenstown Campus. Taking part in the creation of a very big ‘rangoli’ under the guidance of record holder Mrs Vijaya Mohan, who gave us lots of insights into this traditional art form. Many of the members who participated are eager to have another go at it and this has gone into the future-events list of the Ladies Wing for consideration.
  3. Nadakamela 2017- 27th May 2017.  The first SMA event after the new management committee and the new Ladies Wing President took over was the Nadakamela. Almost immediately after the elections, our talented ladies, under the leadership of Mrs Uma Shankar, started work on a wonderful drama, named “Radhamanasam” and represented SMA at this drama festival organized by SMA cultural committee. Staging of this drama by ladies who handled everything from script to direction to acting as well as dance, choreography, music, backdrops, stage décor, preparing of stage props like swings – from scratch – was a remarkable achievement. It was showcased to much acclaim from the audience.
  4. Getting to know you’ – A Social Get together – 3rd June 2017 – Ladies wing members celebrated the holidays and festive season by coming together and having a fun-filled evening including games, songs, dances and lots of food prepared by the members themselves. We got to know the new members and got to know more about existing members as well.
  5. Dance of the enchantress’ – Mohiniyattam performance – 17th June 2017. In collaboration with Soorya Singapore, the SMA Ladies Wing played an active role in showcasing the talent of the amazing Dr Rekha Raju. A PhD in this field, she presented a demonstration with dialogue to explain each of her meticulously chosen pieces on Mohiniyattam to a bunch of classical dance lovers. They shared their knowledge and delved deep into the subject thereby enlightening and educating the audience. It was our pleasure to introduce the dancer to the audience, compere and deliver the vote of thanks at this event among other things.
  6. Other than the special LW events, the team had supported various activities organised by the SMA committee and other organisations, likely, Chinmayam 2017, Onam Nite, Onam Village, Centenary Dinner, Karunyam etc.
  7. Onam Village – 24th September 2017  – A Mega Thiruvathira by over 100 ladies was the highlight of the Onam Village 2017, organised by SMA and various Malayalee organisations in Singapore. To pay tribute to this century-old organisation, SMA, the Ladies wing members have conceptualised, choreographed, managed rehearsals at multiple locations, coordinated, arranged for costumes and accessories for 120 participants and brought to fruition a record-breaking Thiruvathira that is the largest Thiruvathira by any organisation in Singapore.
  8. Ladies Wing Meeting and planning of Agenda – 12th January 2018 – A discussion cum brainstorming session was held at SMA hall to plan the schedule for activities after the November – December 2017 break during which many of our members travelled overseas. Ideas discussed included having Ladies Karaoke night, Ladies Cultural night, Workshops for ladies and children and a Mega Thiruvathira to enter into Singapore book of records. Recruiting participants for it and practise sessions started soon thereafter.
  9. Chingay 2018 – Was held successfully on 23rd and 24th January by the Cultural wing of SMA. Members of LW actively participated and along other Wings of SMA and other participants, made it a successful event.
  10. Ladies Working committee Meeting – 3rd Feb 2018  – The meeting primarily discussed the activities and events for the upcoming Malayalam Heritage Fest as well as the Vishu Heritage showcase at SMA Hall. A Karaoke session by the LW was held at the SMA Hall and was a resounding success with participation by folks of all ages, singing old and new Malayalam classics.
  11. Malayalam Heritage Fest at Indian Heritage Centre at Indian Heritage Centre – 10th Feb 2018 – The LW members worked tirelessly to set up a ‘Pookalam’ as well as a ‘Kerala Food Showcase’ which included lots of traditional delight. LW members and their children participated in the cultural programmes, which included music and dance performances.
  12. Vishu Celebrations at SMA Hall – 24th Feb 2018 – A grand Vishu Kani was set up by our LW members with lots of assistance in the form of props, suggestions and decorations from many pioneer members. A showcase of how Vishu morning used to be celebrated was done by our pioneer members and their grandchildren. A video shoot was undertaken to capture and preserve the traditional methods and memories for future generations. It was followed up with a sumptuous lunch for all members present.
  13. Megathiruvathira 2018 – SMA’s entry into the Singapore Book of Records was held on 8th April 208 at the Woodlands Stadium. A proud moment for the SMA team, it has successfully entered the Singapore Book Of Records as the Largest Mass Thiruvathira Dance Performance in Singapore! Choreographed and organised by members of the LW, it had multiracial and multi-ethnic participants from all walks of life in Singapore. Ranging from the age group of 8 years old to almost 60 years old it has nearly 390 participants who performed the traditional ‘Kaykottikali’ in ethnic Kerala costume and accessories. With more than 1200 in the audience it had a carnival “pooram” like atmosphere with ‘chenda melam’ and cultural performances adding to the festivity.
  14. LISHA 2018 – April 13th to May 13th 2018 – The LW will be actively participating at various event segments organised by LISHA in music, dance, cultural showcase as well as Fashion shows during the month-long Indian Cultural Fest organised by LISHA along with other Indian Associations in Singapore. For the opening night, members of the LW performed a Thiruvathira, organised a cat-walk and styled and dressed two children as thamburan and thamburaati.
  15. Participation at various SMA events – SMA LW has always been very supportive of all the events that the main committee embarks on. As always, the LW played a very significant role in managing the reception of guests at various events like Onam Village 2017, Onam Nite 2017, and the launch event of SMA’s centenary year- SMA 100, the closing ceremony of the centenary, etc.
  16. Many ladies actively participated in the Singapore Malayalee Literary Forum event called ‘Kavya Sopanam’ as well as in Nadakamela 2017, Karunyam 2017, Sports events, Welfare events just to name a few.
On-going activities:
  1. Silver Support Group (previously known as Adopt A Friend) SMA LW has embarked on a programme, to value the pioneer members of our community. There is a group of active volunteers, under the leadership of Ms Amala Menon, who regularly visits someone from our older generation. This programme aims to encourage the humanitarian values that we upkeep.
  2. Organising of Karaoke Sessions at SMA
  3. Support, activities & volunteer-planning for the upcoming Wellness Centre
  4. Support, Involvement and Volunteering in the IHC Youth Networking and Youth Involvement Projects by LW members as well as their young adult children.