P. Chidambaram launches book on Indian community in Singapore

Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday launched the book Little India and the Singapore Indian Community: Through the ages. Authored by Soundara Nayaki Vairavan, it was first launched in Singapore on April 25.

At the launch held here, the first copy was received by Edgar Pang, Consul General of the Republic of Singapore in Chennai. 

Mr. Chidambaram highlighted the 200-year-old history of Tamils in Singapore. “For 200 years, people of Indian origin have been living there. There are a lot of Tamils and there are people who speak other languages. Tamil is one of the official languages of Singapore. It makes me happy that Tamils account for a significant population among Indians in Singapore,” he said, and added that he was glad to see religious harmony in Singapore.

Ms. Vairavan spoke about the centuries-old connection between Indian and Singapore. “Many immigrants from China, India, and other parts of the world came to Singapore in search of a livelihood. They established themselves as traders, merchants, entrepreneurs, and ventured into many other fields. Hence, India’s contribution to the development of Singapore has always been significant,” she said.

“Now, why is the book launched in India? With the world becoming more digitised, it is now common for people to migrate to overseas countries. Given the torrent of information available on the internet, there is a general interest to know about various societies. Though predominantly about Singapore, people in India can connect with this book as it portrays their contemporaries in an immigrant society,” she added. 

V. Chokalingam, Emeritus, Cardiology, Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, delivered the congratulatory message.