Exhibiting the vivid multiculturalism pervading Singapore, 24 ministers and MPs donned colourful Indian traditional outfits for taking part in a fashion shoot prior to Deepavali celebrations. The MPs assembled at the Parliament House lawn for the day organised by Tamil Murasu newspaper.
It was a different scene altogether as the Ministers and MPs of Singapore wore Indian kurta, jibba tops, veshti and dhotis and smilingly obliged the photographers.
Murasu newspaper also shared the excitement of the MPs through a Facebook post.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, wearing a full-sleeved brown jippa top paired with black pants, said “The MPs responded with great joy.”
He said, “It comes very easily for us to put ourselves in the culture of one of the other Singapore communities.”
The Deputy Prime Minister added that he has been wearing sarongs at home every day since his late teenage years. He informed that he obtains the sarongs from India and Sri Lanka as they are made of natural cotton that is very suitable for hot weather.
Ng Chee Meng, Education Minister (Schools) of Singapore wore a long sleeve blue kurta top with a red shawl. Murali Pillai, Bukit Batok remembered about his marriage day as he wore veshti and thundu ( a towel worn on the shoulder) after a gap of 21 years since his nuptial tie.
Vikram Nair, Sembawang GRC MP, played an important role in gathering of MPs for the photo shoot. He said, “I am very happy that many of them (MPs) came forward and put in the effort to dress in Indian attire, whether they be Chinese, Malay, Indian or Eurasian.”
He said, “It comes very easily for us to put ourselves in the culture of one of the other Singapore communities.”
Through a Facebook post, Vikram said, "As some would recall, last year, the female MPs did a Deepavali photo shoot in sarees. This year, the Murasu invited the men to do a similar shoot in Indian festive attire. While we had no ambitions to match the dazzling ladies' shoot, I was delighted that many MPs came forward to take part, including DPM Tharman and Min Ng Chee Meng, in colourful festive attire. A big 'thank you' to all colleagues who took part."
Tamilavel, Tamil Murasu's news editor, said, “The shoot was a follow-up to a similar photoshoot last year involving women MPs.
He added, “It shows how multicultural Singaporeans are. We embrace each other's cultures, with the MPs setting an example."