The ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD), 2018 is the most eagerly awaited event in Singapore as the new year sets in. There are plenty of competitions for children and the youth to showcase their talent and win exciting prizes. Some of the privileged winners will also be entitled to sponsored trips to India.
PBD 2018 is being organised to commemorate 25 years of partnership between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The event is going to be a significant one as it provides a platform for the overseas Indian community to engage with the Government on issues of concern to the Indian diaspora and to explore opportunities for investment in India and contribution to the country of their origin.
The competitions are being organised to sensitise youth about the diversity and richness of Indian culture. The theme of the essay writing contest revolves around Indo-ASEAN relations. There are two groups in the essay writing competition – Junior and Youth. The theme of the junior group is ‘My Heritage, My Home: ASEAN Indian Perspective’ while the theme of youth group is ‘Imagining ASEAN India in 25 years’.
The junior group will comprise of children in the age group of 10 to 15 years while members of Youth group will comprise of youngsters in the age group of 16 to 25 years. Essays can be submitted in English, Hindi or Tamil language. The essays must be a minimum of 250 words and maximum of 1500 words.
Children can also showcase their skill in poetry. The theme for the poetry competition of the junior group will be ‘My Heritage, My Home: ASEAN Indian Perspective’ while theme of youth group will be ‘Cultural, Spiritual and human links between ASEAN India’. Poems can be submitted in English, Hindi and Tamil and it can be up to a maximum of 40 lines of text or a minimum of eight lines.
Youngsters of Singapore can also show their expertise in classical dance. Candidates desirous to participate in the competition should upload video of their solo Indian classical dance of duration of one to three minutes along with the form.
Youth can also participate in classical vocal and classical instrumental competitions. Eligible candidates should upload classical vocal recital video or solo Indian classical instrument recital video respectively of one minute to maximum three minutes.
All the eligible entries must be submitted electronically before the deadline on December 10, 2017. More details can be found here.