Around 150 people assembled at the St. Joseph’s Institution (SJI) on Sunday, November 30, for a special cricket tournament aimed at building community spirit and encouraging interaction among different groups.
The participants included migrant workers and students from colleges such as Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) and St. Andrew’s Junior College.
The event was put together by 17-year-olds Cindmyan Pirathap and Dhiran Dev Rajah from SJI, Reyko Toh from TMJC, and migrant workers who often volunteer with the local charity Ray of Hope.
This is the second edition of the tournament, and this year migrant workers joined the organising team for the first time. They felt that playing and planning together would help people understand each other better and create genuine friendships across communities.
One of them, 36-year-old Selvam Saran, had played in the tournament last year and returned to help run it this time. Selvam said he stepped up because he valued the connections formed through the event, sharing that his motivations included, “enjoying the friendships which last after the tournament and when we continue to volunteer and meet for other community projects. These youth treat us with respect and they are thankful that we spend our day off with them teaching them cricket”.
Justin Arul Pierre, Principal, SJI, in an interview with Connected to India earlier this year, had said that SJI encourages its students to take part in community activities. “I believe that through their involvement in various community projects and initiatives, students develop that instinct for the community. They come to realize that they are part of something larger than themselves. It also enables students to be grounded in the right values, values that we hold dear as a society, the values of kindness, compassion, respect for others, and gratitude.
“Also through their involvement in various community initiatives, our students also develop a greater understanding and appreciation of some of the challenges and issues that confront us,” he added.
This year’s tournament featured nine mixed teams, each made up of migrant workers and students. Many students were trying cricket for the first time, and the migrant workers taught them the basics of the game, from rules to batting and bowling techniques.
According to co-lead organiser Dhiran Dev Rajah, this setup was deliberate. He said that “this was intentional so that mixed teams would encourage the interactions we hoped to see. We also saw and greatly appreciated how our migrant brothers, while competitive and passionate about cricket, were also very nurturing and patient with our fellow students participating as part of their teams”.
To expand the tournament, the organising group sought help from several organisations beyond their schools. With almost double the number of participants compared to last year, the event received support from sponsors like Onepeople.sg, Rotary Club Sentosa Singapore, Mad Dog Motorcycle Club, Edgeworks Solutions Pte. Ltd., and the Young Sikh Association (YSA).
Harishpal Grewal, President of YSA, attended the event and commended the youth organisers. “This is a commendable effort by the students who demonstrate a deep interest to strengthen community bonds. As an organisation we did not think twice about giving our support to empower these youth who have put together a very professionally run event which is meaningful for all,” Grewal said.
