Singapore’s 58th National Day
The theme for this year’s National Day “Onward together as One” has special significance for the Hindu Singaporean for it evokes the great Upanishadic pronouncement – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). The original Verse appears in Chapter 6 of Maha Upanishad VI. 71-73 and holds a special place for Hindus all over the world, and particularly in Singapore.
Those fortunate to attend NDP live, or one of its many previews or rehearsals, will witness an intricately woven narrative that celebrates Singapore’s cultural diversity through tastefully choreographed song and dance, while emphasising our essential oneness as a country. Indeed, the values that this nation-state holds most dear – a society where every individual is an equal member, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity – is also embodied in the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam; that we should treat everyone with kindness, compassion and respect, and strive to live in universal peace and harmony.
NDP 2023 also marks the Parade’s return to the Padang for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Padang, which was gazetted as a national monument last year, has special significance for the Indian community in Singapore as the place where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose addressed the INA soldiers and established the INA memorial in the 1940s. By coincidence, the first word in the INA’s own motto is “Unity”.