AT A recent Indian-themed party organised by the Sengkang Community Club’s Women’s Executive Committee (WEC) it seemed nearly every woman in the Sengkang neighbourhood showed up with their Indian dancing shoes on, keen to make new friends.
The event, called Dazzling Divas, was initiated by the Indian women in the group who had also organised a tea party in September to welcome new citizens and newcomers living in the Sengkang area and give them a chance to get to know the locals better.
Ms Kamayani Chaliki, a WEC member said: “The community club is the best platform to get to know people. There are interest groups like brisk walking for them to join and make new friends or even dragon boat racing which I have recently joined.”
The Singapore permanent resident, who works as a software consultant, hails from Hyderabad and has been living here for 11 years.
For associate members Charu Mehrotra and Mrunal Arun – they hail from Noida and Bangalore respectively and have been in Singapore for two years – groups like the WEC are a lifeline.
Being a part of the volunteer group not only helped them ease their way into life in Singapore, it was also particularly helpful for Ms Mehrotra when she started her home business.
She consulted fellow WEC member Azeeza Jalaudeen, a Singaporean who runs home-based social enterprise Shine. “All that I needed to know about Sengkang and Singapore, I could ask them. And when I started my home business, Azeeza gave me advice on what to do,” said Ms Mehrotra.
Both Ms Mehrotra and Ms Arun found out about the WEC from Ms Chaliki via her online group for Indian women on a social networking site. She encouraged them to join as associate members.
Ms Chaliki added that she made a conscious decision to join a local community group to expand her horizons: “We did not want to join a typical Indian club as we would be doing the same things we did in India. That is really not the point when you move to a new country. There should be an exchange of cultures.”
WEC chairman Samanatha Wong told tabla! that the committee also organises other events like New Year’s Eve countdown parties to encourage women in the area and their families to join in. “We try to reach out to the women and their family members through these events, so they can get involved and get to know each other,” she said.
The WEC is part of the Women’s Integrated Network Council established in 1995, which coordinates the 104 WECs based at community centres and clubs and is part of the People’s Association.
The WEC group has started several interest groups like social dancing to encourage more participation among the women in the neighbourhood. As a result, some of them have even learnt the Filipino bamboo dance, thanks to sessions organised by fellow WEC member Escalderon Ma Esmeralda.
Madam Wong now has plans to start a women’s football team in Sengkang and is looking to get one of the newcomers to the group, Ms Sunita Prashant Dhole, to spearhead the move.
Ms Dhole, who moved to Singapore in February this year, used to play football in Maharashtra.
The women are also keen to start a kite flying group to take advantage of the open field near the Sengkang MRT tracks.
All these activities have brought the locals and the newcomers closer. As Ms Jalaudeen put it: “It has given us all an opportunity to learn and get to know each other better, in a fun way.”
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