Bringing Hearts Together with Great Love this Deepavali

(Photo by Fong Kwai Kin)

With the arrival of the Festival of Lights (Deepavali), Tzu Chi warmly invited its Indian care recipients and their families to join the annual Deepavali Celebration event at the Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre (HYC) in Yishun on 12 October 2025.

The main co-ordinator for this event, was a shy volunteer, Yeoh Poy Ngo who had courageously assumed the responsibility to assemble a team of volunteers to organise and prepare for the event within a short time span of less than 2 months. The volunteer team chose to spend their leisure time brainstorming and discussing the event’s details, united by a common goal: to make participants feel a sense of homecoming and joy. She further explained that this was the first time the event was organised like a carnival, held around the HYC Great Hall, with booths setup to welcome participants to play games and participate in mini-activities such as Pair-A-Diya, Tower building, Rangoli coloring, and Henna drawing. 

Rachel, a participant who has attended Tzu Chi’s Renal Friends Tea Gatherings several times, was deeply moved by the experience. Rachel is a Filipino married into an Indian family, who is now accustomed to the Indian culture over the years. She hoped to share the festive joy with her children through this event. One of the activities they enjoyed very much was Tower Building. Furthermore, they learned that unity and helping one another can generate strength and build capability. Rachel was also delighted to have a beautiful Henna design drawn on her hand. 

Henna is an important part of Indian culture during Deepavali, symbolising good health, joy, and strength. The intricate Henna artwork, paired with the radiant smile of Tzu Chi volunteer Abirami, sparked curiosity among passersby at the Henna booth.

This year marks Abirami’s second time volunteering at Tzu Chi’s Deepavali celebration, where she brings joy to people of different races through Henna designs on their hands. (Photo by Chuah Chin Kah)

Abirami recalled how she was inspired by her colleagues at Tzu Chi Great Love Preschool, who spend their leisure time volunteering in Tzu Chi activities. Their dedication greatly motivated her to join the charity mission and offer her wholehearted support to the needy through activities such as fundraising events and home visits.

To better connect with the Indian audience, many felt it was essential to communicate in Tamil. This was also a concern for the event host, Nidhi, a staff from Tzu Chi Seniors Engagement & Enabling Node (Bukit Batok). She overcame this challenge by inviting her trusted friend, Sridhar, a seasoned emcee fluent in Tamil, to be her co-host.  

Nidhi (left) and her emcee friend, Sridhar (right), co-hosting the Deepavali Celebration event. (Photo by Chuah Chin Kah)

Although both of them had hosted several community events before, this was their first time hosting a charity event. They faced challenges in presenting the content to the attendees, but they were grateful to the volunteer team for preparing the scripts and programme flow. This guidance helped them gain a better understanding of the event and how to convey positive energy through their choice of words.

Additionally, gathering a group of senior citizens from different racial backgrounds to rehearse regularly for a Bollywood dance performance within a short timeframe was no easy task, as each had their own personal commitments. With Nidhi’s encouragement and faith in her team, their passion was ignited, and they managed to learn the dance in time. During the performance, they swayed to the rhythm, danced with enthusiasm, and glowed with smiles — spreading joy and inspiring the audience.

(Photo by Fong Kwai Kin)

Nidhi hopes to help the senior citizens become more independent, love themselves, and care for others. She believes that a heart filled with compassion makes a person calmer, more loving, and more willing to contribute positively to society.

It was a cherished opportunity for Sridhar to host this charity event, which also inspired him to become a volunteer. Although Sridhar & Nidhi live in the same community, he had been unaware of such meaningful events. He encouraged everyone to spread this goodness with more people, especially as the ageing and single populations continue to rise, people may feel lost and helpless at times.

Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) has been organising various events with the aim of connecting people from all walks of life and inspiring them with the spirit of great love, a love that transcends language barriers, cultural differences, adversity, uniting everyone with a shared heartbeat to cultivate kind thoughts and serve society with compassion.

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