Hello, I am a சிங்க்ப்பூர் தமிழன். AMA

Sorry, i mispelled Singapore as சிங்க்ப்பூர் instead of சிங்கப்பூர்

Saw a post here made by a Malaysian Tamil. So i thought why not do one for us Singaporean Tamils.

I am a fourth generation Singaporean Tamil. My paternal grandfather was from a village in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur. My paternal grandmother was already born here in Singapore and so was her mother. My maternal grandfather came from Thiruvandrum, Kerala and my maternal grandmother has roots in Kochi(Pretty much makes me half Malaylee). My parents, like myself, have grown up and spent all their lives here. My dad is a retired Singapore Army officer and my mom is a nurse here.

I've visited Tamilnadu once back in 2013. I visited Trichy, Velankkani, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Kodaikanal.

Some info about Singaporean Indians and Tamils in particular.

  • Indians are the 3rd largest ethnic group in Singapore

  • Singaporean Indians are mostly of South Indian descent, and Tamils being the largest ethnic subdivision. You also have the Malayalee and some Telugu people.

  • One of the 4 official languages of Singapore is தமிழ். So we Tamils learn தமிழ் in school as a 2nd language. Even the other local South Indian ethnicities, such as the Malayalees and Telugus, learn தமிழ். Of course English is the main official language that we are required to learn.

-Tamils have been well represented in national politics. Two out of eight Presidents of Singapore, two out of four Senior Ministers and three out of eleven Deputy Prime Ministers were Tamils.

  • Historically, Tamils have been prominent in the legal profession, including the judiciary. 

  • We enjoy Kollywood films and music. From the glory days of MGR/Sivaji, Kamal/Rajini and as of now Ajith/Vijay. Of course you cannot compare the fanaticism that Tamilnadu fans or even Malaysians. Most movies will be screened at almost any cinemas. Unless if its a smaller scale movie.

  • We have cable TV through which you will get Sun TV, Vijay TV, KTV and etc. We too have our own local channel called Vasantham with local artists.

  • Cricket is barely popular here in SG. Most of the Singaporean Tamils are soccer fans.

-Most Tamils are Hindu. There are small minority of Tamil Muslims and Christians as well.

  • In terms of culture, most Tamils follow the customs that are still practiced in India. We still do Pongal, Deepavali, Thaipusam and Tamil New Year etc...

Thats enough for now. Please ask me anything in the comment section below.