1. What is CSTC?

The Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC) is a ground-up, volunteer driven, non-profit, company limited by guarantee. It aims to study, share and sustain aspects of Tamil culture in Singapore, as well as to build bridges across Singapore cultures for a better appreciation of each other’s culture.  

 

2. How does CSTC aim to achieve its objectives?

CSTC will focus on programmes and publications that promote intercultural understanding. In so doing, it will collaborate with like-minded organisations and individuals to extend its reach and enhance its coverage. 

 

3. Why is CSTC set up, when there are already numerous Tamil organizations?

There are some gaps and specific needs for the Singapore Tamil community which currently remain unfulfilled. There is a need for seminal and reliable books on the Singapore Tamil community and culture in English as well as Tamil; a need for deeper engagement by the Tamil community of the other communities in inter-cultural dialogues; and a need for frank, robust but collegial discussions on socio-cultural issues of the community. CSTC hopes to address these specific needs and not replicate existing activities or organisations. 

 

4. Who does CSTC aim to serve?

The primary audiences for CST are threefold: Tamils keenly interested in understanding other cultures as well as their own; Non-Tamils who are interested in understanding the Singapore Tamil community; and Policy makers and influencers who affect the Tamil community in significant ways. 

 

5. Who is involved in CSTC?

CSTC is a ground-up community effort, conceived and conducted by a small group of volunteers, ranging from students to professionals in various fields, who are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Singapore cultures.  

 

6. When was CSTC launched?

CSTC was launched on 6 February 2019. This date was chosen as it was exactly 200 years to the day that Stamford Raffles signed the Singapore Treaty to acquire the island as a trading post of the East India Company, and thus beginning the unbroken history of Tamils in Singapore.  

 
CSTC is the successor organisation to the Tamil Digital Heritage Group (TDHG).  For that reason, TDHG-related materials are also incorporated into this website. TDHG was established in 2013 to focus on digitisation of Tamil heritage materials. It collaborated with the National Library Board to host the digital collections and launched its first collection in 2015, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s Independence.