517 artefacts gathered through Indian Heritage Centre’s artefact collection drive

SINGAPORE — The late prominent Tamil poet Viswanatha Ikkuvanam Iyer is best known for Chithira Cheyul, a rare Tamil poetic art form where verses are composed and presented in a crossword-like drawing.

Now, 8 of his poems in this unique format, along with his Tamil typewriter, will be on display at the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC). 

Donated by his family, Mr Viswanatha’s personal items are among the 517 artefacts which the IHC has received to date for its ongoing Artefact Collection Drive that was launched in June 2011.

Since its opening in May this year, the IHC received over 100 items from Indian pioneers in fields such as sports, theatre, music and literary arts.

Ms Nalina Gopal, the IHC’s curator, said: “These collections allow us to tell the stories of the Indian pioneers, enrich the stories that we tell in the galleries, and bring out newer stories that haven’t been documented previously.”

Aside from documenting the history of Singapore’s Indian community, Ms Gopal hoped that community donors and lenders will have a stake in the centre and feel “a sense of ownership”. She added that she is “grateful to them for sharing their family collection with us”.

Prominent Indian athletes have also put up their collection of trophies, medals and photographs at the IHC, such as the gold medal that was awarded to Mr S S Nadarajan at the World Veterans Championships in 1993, and a trophy awarded by the Singapore Motor Club to pioneering racer, 85-year-old Sankara Das.

Mr Bala Ikkuvanam, the son of Tamil poet Mr Viswanatha, said his late father had to cut out the individual Tamil characters painstakingly and fit them into the boxes that outline the drawing.

The drawing of the poem, often designed by the poet as well, adds meaning to the poem aside from its expressive aesthetics. By donating the typewriter and various books written by his late father, Mr Bala Ikkuvanam hoped that the future generations could learn “how pioneers developed the interest in keeping up with the Tamil language and culture”.

Other donated artefacts include traditional Indian instruments such as the mridangam, a traditional Indian percussion drum which belonged to accomplished percussionist M V Gurusamy.

His twin 43-year-old granddaughters, Ms Shashikala Samugan Nathan and Ms Chandrakala Kunaseelan, said the instrument has a huge impact on the Indian classical music scene. They noted that Mr Gurusamy had “spent his life and earned his income” solely on the mridangam, inspiring his students along the way.

The twins hoped that their grandfather’s relentless musical endeavor and passion will touch the hearts of the IHC’s visitors.

Retiree Mr Das, a motor racer enthusiast, has encountered countless racing accidents due to his passion for the sport. Dubbed “the most successful champion combination” with Mr Frank Bradshaw, Mr Das won five cups at the Shell Malayan Motor Rally in 1957.

The donated artefacts will supplement the IHC’s existing collection in its permanent galleries, and will be showcased during rotations of its themed collections from next year onwards.

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this report, we misstated the number of poems Mr Viswanatha had donated to the Indian Heritage Centre. We apologise for the error.