Tamil Murasu – LiSHA’s Women’s Wing Organises Pongal Celebration for Nursing Home Residents

An event organised by the Women’s Wing of the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LiSHA) brought the warmth and joy of the Pongal festival to residents of the Sree Narayana Mission Nursing Home in Yishun.

The celebration, held on Saturday, 17 January, was graced by the Chief Executive Officer of the Hindu Endowments Board, Sarojini Pathmanathan, who attended as the Guest of Honour.

Around 30 residents joined volunteers in a range of festive activities, including painting traditional Pongal pots, singing songs and enjoying a lively Gummi dance performance.

Sree Narayana Mission was founded in 1946 by Malayali immigrants near the former British Naval Base. Among the residents is 79-year-old Mdm Ganga, who once lived in the area with her family and now resides at the nursing home.

“I am grateful to the volunteers for celebrating with us like family. As a Malayali, I never celebrated Pongal very much growing up. I would usually celebrate only when friends invited me to their homes,” she said.

Mr Rethnam Ramasamy, 74, who lives at the nursing home with his wife, fondly recalled the Pongal celebrations they once enjoyed in their own home.

Yogeswari Chandrasekaran, who oversees the social work programmes for residents at Sree Narayana Mission Nursing Home, said events such as these help bring residents together, including those who would otherwise prefer to keep to themselves.

Commending the LiSHA Women’s Wing for organising the celebration, Sarojini Pathmanathan encouraged the residents with an uplifting message.

“Women can achieve anything they set their minds to. Do not dwell on the past or be saddened by it,” she said.

Although she was born and raised in Singapore, she shared fond childhood memories of celebrating Pongal in Madurai with her grandparents.

“When I was five years old, I remember going to the fields with my grandparents to celebrate Pongal. In Singapore, we celebrate the festival in our own special way,” she added.

“This is the first time the LiSHA Women’s Wing has organised a Pongal celebration at Sree Narayana Mission Nursing Home. The residents thoroughly enjoyed the activities, especially painting the Pongal pots,” said Thajunisha AB, co-organiser of the event.

The event also featured volunteer performances by semi-finalists from the Miss & Mrs ASEAN 2026 beauty pageant. Through dance and drama, the contestants highlighted a range of meaningful social messages.

Eighteen-year-old Krishnaveni encouraged people not to lose confidence as they grow older through her theatrical performance. Ashin Alexia performed a blindfolded dance to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people who are blind and those with special needs, while Divya’s dance conveyed the importance of perseverance and never giving up.

“My goal is for beauty pageants to serve as a platform for creating a positive impact on society,” said Lavanya Priya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Prestige Pageants Royal, the pageant organiser.

“It was a wonderful experience to celebrate Pongal in the traditional way alongside the nursing home residents,” said Shanmita Manoharan, a member of the organising committee and Director of Murugan Idli Shop.

Click here to read the full article in Tamil.