By Mridula Kumar (18S03B), Vice-Chairperson
Have you seen 2 Indians meet before? They can be commonly spotted with GOOD food, carrying out “intellectual” discourses (topics include: love, drama and politics) and lots of laughter. Simply, LIT. But what happens when 20 to 30 odd of them come together to have fun (*cues excited chattering*)… AND serve the larger community?
That’s right – that is ICS for you!
The Raffles Indian Cultural Society (or ICS for short) is an amalgamation of culture, service and entertainment as we hope to provide our members a glimpse of what the larger Indian community entails. We strive to establish and maintain a strong sense of culture and identity, while sharing it with others as well. Members are given opportunities to enhance themselves through the plethora of activities we take part in each year.
Amidst all the fun and banter, time in ICS consists of various competitions, service platforms and team-building activities. The year will typically begin with an orientation for new members to get to know each other. The Tamil Language month in April will bring about many opportunities for our members to challenge their mind and demonstrate their language prowess.
In 2017, our members took part in key events such as Yudham (a vocabulary competition) and Sorsilambam (National Tamil Debate competition), coming in 1st and 2nd respectively. Several of our members also managed to clinch Best Speaker awards in the latter event, a testament to the standards we hold at ICS.
One of the highlights of Raffles ICS is Sangamam, our annual cultural showpiece that is known to be one of the best JC shows in town! It showcases various talents of our members (and other passionate individuals) in acting, singing and dancing, with drama themes surrounding family and issues pertinent in our society. More than the show itself, the journey towards and preparation for staging such a large-scale production will be the greatest takeaway. Members will ardently treasure the experience of working together, and the close-knit family of individuals they would meet through this platform.
In addition to the Rafflesian community, we also encourage our members to take part in community events to help those in need. We jointly organise the SINDA Amazing Race for underprivileged primary school students annually ,to boost their confidence and provide them exposure to the society. Raffles ICS also participates without fail in the SINDA Youth Leaders’ Seminar (SYLS), to hone the leadership skills of our members. In essence, ICS is truly the food for your mind, heart and soul!
Our CCA schedule is rather flexible, and we have sessions as and when it is required (most frequently from March – May). That being said, one shouldn’t assume that we are a ‘slack’ CCA, for it’s also not uncommon for us to stay back after school every day during our annual concert and competition season!
So what are you waiting for? Come join our family, and your experience will be nothing short of fun!
