Bemedaled Singaporean wants to be the cultural ambassador of Indian performing arts for India and South East Asia
Dec 08, 2022
Aravinth Kumarasamy, who was conferred Singapore's prestigious Cultural Medallion by President Halimah Yacob this week, says he wants to be the cultural ambassador for India and South East Asia, to bridge the gap between the two regions' cultural links.
Kumaraswamy leads the 45 year old Apsaras Arts Dance Company, a premier academy for the classical dance form Bharatanatyam, and is involved in cross-cultural works with Chinese and Malay dance forms, showcasing Singapore's multicultural personality around the world.
"I want to be the Cultural Ambassador of Indian performing arts for India and South East Asia," the 56 year old Tamilian Hindu, told PTI here on Thursday.
"I want to bridge the gap between the two regions' cultural links," Kumaraswamy added, which he believes are linked to the 2,000 year old Natya Sastra, a Sanskrit treatise on performing arts.
The Cultural Medallion, which he was conferred by Singapore President Yacob on Thursday, is the pinnacle accolade for arts practitioners in Singapore since 1979 and recognises individuals whose artistic excellence, contribution and commitment to the arts have enriched and distinguished Singapore's arts and cultural landscape.
"I have worked with leading artists from South East Asia for my shows, one of which was presented when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singapore in 2018," he said.
Kumaraswamy gave up a lead position at a Singapore banking software startup 11 years ago to focus on Indian performing arts full-time and has since performed with top Indian artists including Padma Bhushan V P Dhananjayan.
With his roots in Sri Lanka, he was a refugee in India for some time after his parents' ancestral house was burnt in the Colombo communal riots of the 1980s.
He has been curating the annual Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC) in Singapore in collaboration with leading Indian artists. IPAC is held for 10 days with the support of Singapore's National Arts Council and The Esplanade, a leading theatre here.
He regularly travels to India with his dance troupe, performing in some of the major shows, lecturing and hosting workshops on performing arts.
