Celebrating the First of the Next 50 Years of Singapore!

I had been privileged enough to attend this year's Singapore National Day Preview...#NDP2016. The LED wristband that I wore pulsated with the colors in sync with the live music, light shows and body movements in the stadium! Hence, I was also a part of this grand performance :-)

This year celebrates a new chapter for Singapore and their homecoming to the new Stadium! The celebrations focussed on imagining the future, while underlining their enduring values as they chart the next chapter.



The whole Parade was divided into 6 Acts:


Act 1: Badang and the Singapore Stone

To prepare Singapore for the Future, they draw inspiration from their Past. They celebrate the rich heritage of Singapore through a lesser-known story of Badang, who represents the strength and resilience of Singapore in the face of hardships and challenges.

The Singapore Stone is inscribed with words from an ancient language that cannot be deciphered! The stone is on display at the National Museum of Singapore.


Act 2: Singapore's Four Civilizations

The Deeper we grow our Roots, The Higher we may reach for the Sky. Our strength is in our diversity of our race and culture. We have inherited the values and traditions of our forefathers who came and made this land their home - regardless of Race, Language or Religion!

(This Act was performed by 400 members of the People's Association, and the 4 giant beauties are 9 metres tall!)


Act 3: Unicorn and the Rainbow

May we be as Unique as the Unicorn, a one-of-a-kind creature that has its own Character and Spirit that inspires Dreams and Hopes. May our future generations imagine and embrace a fun and bright future for their friends and families!


Act 4: Ingenuity

With Imagination, Focus and Hard Work, we will turn our Dreams into Reality! Let's free our minds and ignite the spirit to innovate and explore. The blueprint for our future lies in our hands!

(This Act was performed by 600 students, and supported by dancers and aerialists who were all clad in LED costumes).


Act 5: Our Singapore of Tomorrow

Building castles in the sky is no longer a dreamer's dream! The future will take shape in front of our eyes if we put our minds and heart to building it! Tomorrow is literally here today.

(The 6-storey blocks in this Act were brought to life using 3D projections to give a glimpse of the city in the future).


Act 6: Our Home Our People

What a Wonderful World it is where Everyone Matters and No one is Left out! In an inclusive and caring society, we celebrate and embrace harmony and friendship, as seen in the art works by friends with special needs in this Act.

(The impressive mass display formation is inspired by creative paintings drawn by the special needs community).


Finale:

Let us come together to celebrate where we came from, who we are today, and what the future holds for us. Today, we unite our hearts and voices in a joyous medley of songs to celebrate our past, present and future!


As I understand, this year's Parade and Ceremony segment features over 2000 participants from 13 to 74 years old!

"Singapore is like a unicorn. One of a kind, a special animal, no other in the world. It works well, has unique solutions." - Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong

Count on Me, Singapore!

(Courtesy: #NDP2016Preview - July 23, 2016)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Still the 'King'! - Interview done in Jan, 2009

Image
He’s been the romantic hero in Tollywood for nearly 23 years now and he is still the “Manmadhudu”! As one of the most popular and stylish actors, a Nandi-Award winner, producer, ace businessman and a doting father, the Yuva Samrat Nagarjuna, fondly called Nag, has many shades to his personality. Dr Sailaja of Windows & Aisles catches up with the star this month in an exclusive interview… How did movies happen? I was destined to become an actor! I wish I had studied films a little more while studying Mechanical Engineering in the US for Four Years. Nevertheless, I always believe that education never goes in vain. I should have got into films, movies and cinemas much earlier.   This is but natural being the son of the legendary actor, Dr Akkineni Nageswara Rao! Which role do you enjoy the most – Nagarjuna as an actor, father, son, husband and businessman? Being an actor as I come closer to many people around at the same time! I can relate to the emotio...
Read more

Woman Entrepreneur - Deena Venugopal (Kerala)

Image
For a very long time now, women have proven that they not only excel in each and every field, but they can do it better if not equally well as compared to men. So it is with entrepreneurship too. Women entrepreneurs are taking the plunge and starting up to follow their dreams and create lasting enterprises.. A few insights from a research into how women entrepreneurs are doing in India and the challenges they face. Here’s an interesting infographic. Challenges · 54% women entrepreneurs lack knowledge about what start-up life entails · 25% women entrepreneurs feel that there is a need of more role models and mentors Enablers · 58% women entrepreneurs need good knowledge and resources about entrepreneurship · 54% women entrepreneurs wants more workshop and hands on experience on start-ups Raising money as a woman entrepreneur · 63% women entrepreneurs have bootstrapped or self funded their venture Sectors pref...
Read more

Lion City - Fun Facts!

While many of us are familiar with Singapore's spotless streets, glitzy malls, dazzling food and expanding MRT network, little-known facts about the many familiar places and things around us may have escaped our notice. Get clued in to some fun facts and look at the city we call home with fresh eyes :-) How many Merlion Statues are there in Singapore? There are seven of these half-lion, half-fish mythical creatures in Singapore. The two most famous ones are situated at the Merlion Park, next to One Fullerton. The other five are at Sentosa, outside Singapore Tourism Board's office at Tourism Court, Faber Point at Mount Faber and two pink-granite ones flanking the public carpark entrance along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Let's go Merlion hunting then! The Singapore Botanic Gardens used to have a Zoo? The zoo was established in 1875 by James Murton, the Superintendent of the Gardens at the time. Many animals were donated to the zoo, including a sloth bear, bush-tailed wall...
Read more