Mr Temurnikar was proud to receive token of appreciation by Mr Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry for Singapore

Many prominent people from the Indian community in Singapore were at the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) in October 2016 to attend the official launch of the exhibition “Once Upon a Time in Little India” by Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry for Singapore.

Minister Mr Iswaran presented a special memento to Mr Atul Temurnikar, Chairman and Co-founder of Global Schools Foundation, in recognition of the continued support for the local community and for promoting events such as the IHC’s exhibition. “The Global Indian International School is proud to partner with the IHC for organising this exhibition, which is helping to articulate the tremendous contribution of the early Indian settlers to Singapore’s continued success. Children can learn a lot from these kinds of exhibitions, which beautifully show our roots in Singapore,” said Mr Temurnikar.

The exhibition has recreated moments from the past and the present by having a mix of historical artefacts and contemporary art installations by leading artist Kumari Nahappan, K Rajagopal and Navin Rawanchaikul. It also showcases over 100 new artefacts including items belonging to the Hindu temples and mosques in Little India as well as old photographs dating back as far as the 1890s. 

Mr Temurnikar went on to say that, “Students are our future and they will flourish when they understand the roots of their identity and culture. I firmly believe that children learn mainly from watching you act, and so as a school we ensure that we set a good example for them to look up to. Sponsoring events, exhibition, providing scholarships, and so on are the few ways we encourage our students to do more for the community.”