List of Indians in Singapore
Encyclopedia
This is a list of prominent Indians
in Singapore
, who have made significant contributions nationally or internationally in various fields. The list consists primarily of ethnic South Asia
n Singapore
citizens
, though it does include some ethnic South Asian Singapore permanent residents
as well. (Prominent ethnic South Asian citizens of other countries who have lived in Singapore on a short-term basis may be found listed under the appropriate list of persons from their respective countries.)
PAP
Nominated MPs
http://www.nus.edu.sg/aboutus/management/http://serve.me.nus.edu.sg/seeram_ramakrishna/
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, who have made significant contributions nationally or internationally in various fields. The list consists primarily of ethnic South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
citizens
Singaporean nationality law
Singaporean nationality law is derived from the Constitution of Singapore and is based on jus sanguinis and a modified form of jus soli...
, though it does include some ethnic South Asian Singapore permanent residents
Permanent residency
Permanent residency refers to a person's visa status: the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within a country of which he or she is not a citizen. A person with such status is known as a permanent resident....
as well. (Prominent ethnic South Asian citizens of other countries who have lived in Singapore on a short-term basis may be found listed under the appropriate list of persons from their respective countries.)
Presidents of Singapore
- The late Chengara Veetil Devan Nair (1923–2005) – Singapore's third President (1981–1985) and former head of the National Trades Union CongressNational Trades Union CongressThe National Trades Union Congress , also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress , is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore...
, the umbrella body for trades unions in Singapore. Widely seen as the founder of the modern trades union movement in Singapore. During Singapore's brief membership of Malaysia, Nair was the only People's Action PartyPeople's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP) member to win a national seat in the Federal Parliament in Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. He was from a MalayaliMalayaliMalayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
HinduHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
background and married to a South Indian Singaporean Hindu.
- Mr Sellapan Ramanathan (1924– ) – Singapore's sixth President, incumbent since 1999. He was formerly a senior civil servantCivil serviceThe term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, serving as Permanent SecretaryPermanent SecretaryThe Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
at the Home AffairsMinister for Home Affairs (Singapore)The Minister for Home Affairs is an appointment in the Cabinet of Singapore. Formed in 1970, it replaced the post of Minister for the Interior and Defence with the split of the Ministry of the Interior and Defence into the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs....
and Foreign Affairs MinistriesMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between Singapore and other countries. It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the office currently held by K...
. He was also Director of the Security and Intelligence Department, The Straits TimesThe Straits TimesThe Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
newspaper, Singapore Press HoldingsSingapore Press HoldingsSingapore Press Holdings Limited is a media organisation in Singapore with businesses in print, Internet and new media, television and radio, outdoor media, and property. SPH has over 4,000 employees, including a team of approximately 1,000 journalists, including correspondents operating around...
and Singapore MintSingapore mintThe Singapore Mint was founded in 1968, after the independence of Singapore from Malaysia. It is a government company responsible for making the currency of Singapore and keeping it from being counterfeited. It has outlets in Orchard Road, where they sell special numbered banknotes and coins. The...
. From 1990 to 1996, he was AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and subsequently an Ambassador-at-Large. He is an Indian TamilTamil peopleTamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Hindu married to a BengaliBengali peopleThe Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
Singaporean Hindu.
Cabinet ministers
- The late Sinnathamby RajaratnamSinnathamby RajaratnamSinnathamby Rajaratnam, better known as "S. Rajaratnam", , was a Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980–85, and a long-serving Minister and member of the Cabinet from 1959-88. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of independent Singapore as it achieved self-government in 1959 and...
(1915–2006) – Singapore's first Foreign Minister, Culture Minister and Senior Minister, as well as a former Labour Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Widely regarded as one of the core members of the "old guard", or the founding fathers of Modern Singapore, he cofounded the People's Action PartyPeople's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
as well as ASEAN. In the wake of the 1964 Race Riots1964 Race RiotsThe 1964 Race Riots were a series of riots that took place in Singapore during two separate periods in July and September between Chinese and Malay groups. The first incident occurred on 21 July during a Malay procession that marked Prophet Muhammad's birthday. In total, the violence killed 36...
in Singapore, he wrote the Singapore National PledgeSingapore National PledgeThe Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore. It is commonly recited by Singaporeans in unison at public events, especially in schools, in the Singapore Armed Forces and during the National Day Parade.-Origin:...
, which enshrines the ideals of the nation. He was from a Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Tamil Hindu background and was married to a Hungarian woman. Both were secular agnosticsAgnosticismAgnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
.
- Mr Suppiah Dhanabalan (1937- ) - Current Chairman of DBS BankDBS BankDBS Bank Ltd is a bank incorporated in Singapore. It was previously known as The Development Bank of Singapore Limited, before the present name was adopted in July 2003 to reflect its changing role as a regional bank....
and Temasek HoldingsTemasek HoldingsTemasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. With an international staff of 380 people, it manages a portfolio of about S$193 billion at end of March 2011, focused primarily in Asia...
. former Minister of Trade and Industry, National Development, Foreign Affairs, Culture and Community Development in the 1980s and 1990s. He was publicly mentioned by Singapore's first Prime Minister as one of the four men he considered as his successor, but he decided against Dhanabalan as he felt Singapore was 'not ready' for a non-Chinese Prime Minister. He is an Indian Tamil Baptist married to a Chinese Singaporean Baptist.
- Prof Shunmugam Jayakumar (1939- ) - Co-ordinating Minister for National Security. Former Minister of Law, Labour, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Member of the ASEAN Eminent Persons GroupASEAN Eminent Persons GroupThe ASEAN Eminent Persons Group ' is a group of prominent citizens from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, tasked to create the charter of the ASEAN community....
, tasked with drafting an ASEAN CharterASEAN CharterThe ASEAN Charter is a constitution for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations . It was adopted at the 13th ASEAN Summit in November 2007....
. Previously Dean of the Law School at the National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
and Ambassador to the UN (1971–1974). He is an Indian Tamil Hindu married to an Indian Tamil Hindu.
- Mr Tharman ShanmugaratnamTharman ShanmugaratnamTharman Shanmugaratnam is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Minister for Manpower. He previously served as the Minister for Education from 2003 to 2008...
- Currently Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Shanmugaratnam was Singapore's first Indian Minister for Education and later Minister for Finance. He is a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu married to a Japanese Singaporean.
- Dr Vivian BalakrishnanVivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
(1961- ) - Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports. He was the former CEO of Singapore General HospitalSingapore General HospitalThe Singapore General Hospital is the largest and oldest hospital in Singapore, of which the foundation of its first building was laid in 1821....
. He is a ChindianChindian"Chindian" is a compound word used to refer to an Indian restaurant within the village of Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is formed simply, yet ingeniously, by putting the "ch" from "Chinnor" in front of the word "Indian"....
, or son of a Telugu Singaporean father and Chinese Singaporean mother. His wife is Chinese Singaporean and they are Christians.
- Mr K Shanmugam - Appointed Minister of Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs in March 2008. Mr Shanmugam was a four-term backbench member of parliament was a lawyer in private practice. He had been one of the youngest persons to have been appointed a Senior CounselSenior CounselThe title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
in Singapore, as was widely seen as one of the nation's top litigators. He is an Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporean.
Junior Ministers
- Dr Balaji Sadasivan (1955-2010) - He was Senior Minister of State at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts. He was formerly a neurosurgeon at Gleneagles Hospital. He was a South Indian Hindu.
- Mr S Iswaran (1962- ) - Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He was formerly a Colombo Plan scholar and the CEO of Singapore Indian Development AssociationSingapore Indian Development AssociationThe Singapore Indian Development Association ; is self-help group , that was established in August 1991 to address the pressing educational and socio-economic issues facing the Indian community in Singapore. The group's mission is to build a strong and vibrant Indian Singaporean Community. The...
, the Indian community self-help group as well as Managing Director of Temasek HoldingsTemasek HoldingsTemasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. With an international staff of 380 people, it manages a portfolio of about S$193 billion at end of March 2011, focused primarily in Asia...
. He was born in Madras and is a naturalised Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporean.
Opposition leaders
- Mr Joshua Benjamin JeyaretnamJoshua Benjamin JeyaretnamJoshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam was a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He was the leader of the Workers' Party from 1971 to 2001...
(1926- ) - the first opposition politician to break the PAP monopoly on parliament when he won a by election in 1984. In the 1980s, he was the leader of the Workers' Party and was seen as the de facto leader of the Singapore opposition. He served several terms in Parliament as an MP before he was bankrupted by government lawsuits and disqualified from being an MP. He was a former magistrate and is currently a lawyer in private practice. He was from a Sri Lankan Tamil Christian background, and he married an Englishwoman.
- Dr Vincent WijeysinghaVincent WijeysinghaDr. Vincent Wijeysingha is a politician and civil activist from Singapore. He is currently the Assistant Treasurer of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party and was a candidate in the 2011 Singaporean general election...
- prominent opposition politician
- Dr James GomezJames GomezDr. James Gomez is an academic from Singapore and he manages an online consultancy – The GOMEZ Centre. A prominent public intellectual in the country, he is currently the Executive Director of Singaporeans for Democracy and a member of the Singapore Democratic Party .-Biography:Gomez was born in...
(1965- ) - is a prominent opposition politician and academic. He contested in Singapore's 2006 General Elections at Ajlunied GRC polling 44% as part of the Workers' Party, Singapore team. Prior to entering politics, he founded in 1999 Think Centre a non-government organisation dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy and more open political discourse in Singapore. He is a South Indian Catholic Singaporean of Goan or Portuguese-Indian descent. He is presently Lecturer at Monash University, Australia.
PAPPeople's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
Backbench MPs
- Mr S Ramaswamy - Legislative Assembly & 1st - 2nd Parliament
- Mr S V Lingam - Legislative Assembly & 1st Parliament
- Mdm Dhanam Avadai - 1st Parliament
- Mr S Rajoo - 1st Parliament
- Mr S T Bani - 1st Parliament
- Mr P Coomaraswamy - 1st - 2nd Parliament
- Mr P Govindaswamy - 1st - 4th Parliament
- Mr P Selvadurai - 1st - 5th Parliament
- Mr N Govindasamy - 2nd - 4th Parliament
- Mr S Chandra Das - (manager) 5th - 8th Parliament
- Dr S Vasoo - (academic) 6th - 9th Parliament
- Mr Davinder SinghDavinder SinghDavinder Singh Sachdev s/o Amar Singh SC is one of Singapore's foremost trial and appellate lawyer, having attained the title of Senior Counsel in 1997, and having been described by Asia Pacific Legal 500 2009/2010 as being "without peer at the bar"...
- (lawyer) 7th - 10th Parliament - Mr R Sinnakaruppan - 8th - 9th Parliament
- Mr Ravindran s/o Ramasamy - 9th - 10th Parliament
- Mr Inderjit Singh - (entrepreneur) 9th - 11th Parliament
- Ms Indranee RajahIndranee RajahIndranee Rajah is one of two Deputy Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore. She is a Singaporean Member of Parliament, representing Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency. Rajah is affiliated with the People's Action Party...
- (lawyer) 10th - 11th Parliament (Deputy Speaker of Parliament) - Mr Hri KumarHri KumarHri Kumar Sangaran is a Member of Parliament of Singapore, representing the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.Hri studied in National Junior College and then National University of Singapore for his tertiary education. Hri is currently also a director at Drew & Napier. He was appointed Senior Counsel in...
- (lawyer) 11th Parliament
Nominated MPsNominated Member of ParliamentA Nominated Member of Parliament is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament...
- Dr Kanwaljit SoinKanwaljit SoinDr Kanwaljit Soin is a consultant orthopaedic & hand surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore.She studied in Tanjong Katong Girls' School for her secondary education and Victoria School for her pre-university education, and received her MBBS Hons in 1966 when she graduated top of her class...
- Neurosurgeon & activist (8th Parliament); First female NMP in Singapore - Ms Braema Mathi - Journalist & activist (9th Parliament)
- Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair - Lawyer (9th Parliament)
- Mr Thomas Thomas - Unionist (9th Parliament)
- Mr Shriniwas Rai - Lawyer (9th Parliament)
- Mr A Nithiah Nandan - Unionist (10th Parliament)
- Prof Kalyani Mehta - Academic (11th Parliament)
- Mr Gautam Banerjee - Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers (11th Parliament)
Arts and culture
Dance
- Santha Bhaskar – Indian classical dance choreographerChoreographyChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
, and 1990 Cultural Medallion winner - Madhavi Krishnan – 1979 Cultural Medallion winner
- Neila SathyalingamNeila SathyalingamNeila Sathyalingam is a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974...
– Indian classical dance choreographer, and 1989 Cultural Medallion winner
Literature
- M. Balakrishnan – Tamil writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and 2005 Cultural Medallion winner - Gopal BarathamGopal BarathamGopal Baratham was a Singaporean author and neurosurgeon. He was known for his frank style and his ability to write about topics that were often considered controversial in the conservative city-state.-Life:...
– English language novelist (and neurosurgeon). He was a Tamil Hindu Singaporean. - Philip JeyaretnamPhilip JeyaretnamPhilip Antony Jeyaretnam is a lawyer from Singapore. He is a Senior Counsel in Singapore, former President of the Law Society of Singapore, and a member of the Singapore Public Service Commission. He is also well known as a fiction writer. He is the younger son of the late veteran Singaporean...
– English language novelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and short storyShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer (and lawyer) - Rama Kannabiran – Tamil writer, and 1998 Cultural Medallion winner
- N. Palanivelu – Tamil theatre practitioner, and 1986 Cultural Medallion winner
- Thamizhavel G. SarangapaniThamizhavel G. SarangapaniThamizhavel G. Sarangapani, or Kosa as he was also known, a Tamil writer and publisher, was born in Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, on 20 April 1903. He received a good education and was effectively bi-lingual in Tamil and English. At 21, he went to Singapore to work as a bookkeeper, eventually becoming...
- Tamil writer, social reformer and founder of the Tamil MurasuTamil MurasuTamil Murasu is a Singapore based Tamil language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil language newspaper...
newspaper. - Haresh SharmaHaresh SharmaHaresh Sharma is a Singaporean playwright. To date, he has written more than fifty plays that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore, Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London. Sharma has a BA from the National University of Singapore as well as an MA in Playwriting from...
– English language playwrightPlaywrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and dramaturgeDramaturgeA dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
. He is a North Indian Hindu Singaporean. - Kirpal Singh – English language writer and literatureLiteratureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
professor. He is a Punjabi Sikh Singaporean. - Edwin ThumbooEdwin ThumbooEdwin Nadason Thumboo is an award-winning Singaporean poet and academic who is regarded as one of the pioneers of English literature in Singapore....
– English language poet and literature professor, and 1979 Cultural Medallion winner. He is a ChindianChindian"Chindian" is a compound word used to refer to an Indian restaurant within the village of Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is formed simply, yet ingeniously, by putting the "ch" from "Chinnor" in front of the word "Indian"....
Christian Singaporean. - S Varathan – Tamil theatre practitioner, and 1984 Cultural Medallion winner
Music
- Alex Abisheganaden – 1988 Cultural Medallion winner. He is a classical guitarist, double-bassist, stage actor and singer in operas and musicals. He has been called “the father of the guitar in Singapore.” He is a Tamil Christian Singaporean.
- Jacintha AbisheganadenJacintha AbisheganadenJacintha Abisheganaden , also known as Jacintha or Ja for short, is a Singaporean singer and actress.- Discography :Studio albums* 1998: Here's To Ben - A Vocal Tribute To Ben Webster...
– songwriter and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer. She has released 13 albums. She is a ChindianChindian"Chindian" is a compound word used to refer to an Indian restaurant within the village of Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is formed simply, yet ingeniously, by putting the "ch" from "Chinnor" in front of the word "Indian"....
Singaporean Christian. - Paul AbisheganadenPaul AbisheganadenPaul Abisheganaden was a Singaporean conductor and 1986 Cultural Medallion recipient for his contributions to music....
– 1986 Cultural Medallion winner. He has been called "the doyen of orchestral music in Singapore". He is a Tamil Christian Singaporean. - Michelle SaramMichelle SaramMichelle Alicia Saram is a singer and actress from Singapore. She is notable for being one of the very few celebrities of Chindian descent, her father being Indian and mother being Chinese. She is also one of the few actresses who have played leading roles in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong...
– Popular actress who have appeared in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong television series. She is a ChindianChindian"Chindian" is a compound word used to refer to an Indian restaurant within the village of Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is formed simply, yet ingeniously, by putting the "ch" from "Chinnor" in front of the word "Indian"....
Singaporean Christian.
Visual arts and architecture
- Chandrasekaran – sculptor, installation and performance artist. He won the National Arts Council Young Artist Award in 1993. He is a Singaporean Indian Tamil Hindu.
- Vikas Gore – project director of the Esplanade - Theatres on the BayEsplanade - Theatres on the BayEsplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
performing artsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
centre. He is a Director at DP Architects Pte Ltd, a major architectural practice in Singapore. An American citizen, he lived in India till 1977 and has since been based in Singapore. - Dr Nirmal Kishnani- Green building design expert, sustainability advocate and educator (Dept of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore). He is author of several books on architecture, also chief editor of FuturArc Journal
- Ketna PatelKetna PatelKetna Patel is a British-Indian pop artist based in Singapore.In addition to having won awards such as the ASEAN Art Award in 2002, Ketna's art has captured attention outside the arts circles...
– visual artistVisual artsThe visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
(formerly an architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
). She is a UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
-born Gujerati Hindu, a BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national and Singapore PR.
Business and entrepreneurship
- P Govindasamy Pillay - he established a successful eponymous store serving the Indian community in Little India, SingaporeLittle India, SingaporeLittle India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
. He was respected as a leader of the Indian community in Singapore in the mid 20th century, and was an early Member of Parliament for the Peoples Action Party. - Naraina PillaiNaraina PillaiNaraina Pillai was a social entrepreneur and businessman, who spent most of his life in Singapore during the colonial period. Of Tamil origins, he greatly contributed to the Tamil community in Singapore....
- he was the most prominent early Indian settler in Singapore, and a clerk in the colonial treasury from PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
. He arrived with Raffles on his second visit to Singapore in May 1819. Pillay went into business and set up the first brick kiln in Singapore, and made his money from that as well as from building construction and selling textiles. He was appointed a leader of the Indian community, and he founded Singapore oldest Hindu temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple in 1827. - Sunny George Verghese - he is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Olam InternationalOlam InternationalOlam International Limited is a leading global integrated supply chain manager and processor of agricultural products and food ingredients, sourcing 20 products with a direct presence in 65 countries and supplying them to over 11,000 customers....
. He holds a post graduate management degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and has also completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) from the Harvard Business SchoolHarvard Business SchoolHarvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
. He worked for the UnileverUnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
Group in India before he joined the Kewalram Chanrai Group in 1986. In 1989, Sunny was given the mandate to start from scratch an agricultural products export business for the Group, Olam. - JY Pillay - Joseph Yubaraj Manuel Pillay (b. 30 March 1934, Klang, Malaya), also known as J. Y. Pillay, served 34 years till 1995 as a top-ranking civil servant and an entrepreneur. He is one of the pioneers who helped build the Singapore economy after its separation from Malaysia in 1965. His single most significant contribution is in building Singapore AirlinesSingapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
(SIA) into a leading world-class carrier. One of the few highest-ranked Civil Service officers (Staff Grade III), he is also known as a visionary and a brilliant bureaucrat. He is currently the Chairman of the Singapore ExchangeSingapore ExchangeSingapore Exchange Limited is an investment holding company located in Singapore and providing different services related to securities and derivatives trading and others. SGX is a member of the World Federation of Exchanges and the Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges FederationSingapore Exchange...
, the city's main stock exchangeStock exchangeA stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
. - Sudhir Gupta - At age 47 and with a personal fortune estimated at $320 million, he was ranked by ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
as the 13th richest person/family in Singapore in 2006. He is also the second richest ethnic Singapore Indian on that list. He was born in India, and moved to Russia to get a Ph.D. in agricultural chemistry. he started a tyre company in Moscow and acquired a Dutch company to form Amtel-Vredestein. He listed the tyre maker on the London Stock ExchangeLondon Stock ExchangeThe London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
last year. He escaped an assassination attempt in Moscow 4 years ago, and now shuttles between that city and Singapore, where he's a citizen. - Murli Kewalram Chanrai - Heads Kewalram Chanrai Group, one of 5 companies spun off from 150-year-old Chanrai family empire. KCG has interests in textiles, commodities, real estate. Its Olam International, the world's largest trader of cashews and second-largest trader of cocoa, debuted on the Singapore stock exchange last year. Aged 83, and with a personal fortune valued at $880 million, ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
estimated in 2006 that he was the 7th wealthiest person in Singapore, and the city-state's wealthiest ethnic Indian. - Kartar Singh Thakral - Joined family's trading business in 1949, built family empire; it now includes Singapore-listed Thakral Corp., which distributes tech gear such as iPods in China and India, and Australian property group Thakral Holdings. Son Inderbethal helps run business. Forbes rankes him as the 25th richest person in Singapore in 2006, with a fortune of $175million.
- Mustaq Ahmad - Runs Mustafa CentreMustafa CentreMustafa Centre is one of Singapore's 24-hour shopping malls, which is located on Syed Alwi Road in Little India.-Mustafa department store:Mustafa Centre houses the Mustafa department store, which caters mainly to the budget market...
, the iconic 24-hour store in Little India, SingaporeLittle India, SingaporeLittle India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
, stuffed with more than 150,000 inexpensive items ranging from beds to spices. First opened in 1971 by Mustaq's father, an Indian immigrant, and his uncle. Father died in 2001. Shares ownership of the $200 million (sales) store with his wife and uncle. Forbes ranks him the 27th richest person in Singapore in 2006.
Civil Service
- Prof. Satkunanantham Kandiah, Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, SingaporeMinistry of Health (Singapore)The Ministry of Health is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for providing information, raising health awareness and education, ensuring the accessibility of health services, and monitoring the quality of health services provided to citizens and visitors in the Republic of...
- Mr. Bilahari Kausikan, Second Permanent SecretaryPermanent SecretaryThe Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SingaporeMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between Singapore and other countries. It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the office currently held by K... - Mr. Manohar Khiatani, CEO, JTC CorporationJTC CorporationJTC Corporation , formerly the Jurong Town Corporation, is Singapore's principal developer and manager of industrial estates and their related facilities.-History:JTC was established on 1 June 1968 to develop industrial estates...
- Mr. Ravi Menon, Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and IndustryMinistry of Trade and Industry (Singapore)The Ministry Of Trade and Industry is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation of policies related to the development of trade and industry in Singapore.-Mission:...
- Mr. R. Puniamoorthy, Senior Director (General Staff), Singapore Civil Defence ForceSingapore Civil Defence ForceThe Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
- Ms. Juthika Ramanathan, Chief Executive, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory AuthorityAccounting and Corporate Regulatory AuthorityThe Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance of the Singapore Government. ACRA is the national regulator of business entities and public accountants in Singapore...
- Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Ravinder SinghRavinder SinghRavinder Singh is an Indian football player who plays as a left back for Kingfisher East Bengal F.C. in the I-League.Ravinder Singh started his football career in Punjab with Chandigarh Football Academy. In 2006, he joined Air India FC...
, Chief of Army, Singapore Armed ForcesSingapore Armed ForcesThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy... - Mr. Vijakumar Sethuraj, Deputy Director, Central Narcotics BureauCentral Narcotics BureauThe Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore was established in 1971 as the primary drug enforcement agency entrusted with the responsibilities of coordinating all matters pertaining to drug eradication...
- Dr. N. Varaprasad, Chief Executive, National Library BoardNational Library BoardThe National Library Board is a statutory board of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore...
- Mr. Aaron Sharil Yusoff Maniam, Head, Centre for Strategic Futures
Diplomacy and foreign relations
- K V Vanu Gopala Menon - Permanent RepresentativePermanent RepresentativeA Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the UN in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Burhan Gafoor - Permanent RepresentativePermanent RepresentativeA Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the UN in GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... - V K Rajan - Former Ambassador
- T Jasudasen - High Commissioners to Malaysia
- M P H Rubin - High Commissioners to South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- Anil Kumar s/o N T Nayar - Ambassadors to BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(de factoDe factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
representative to the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
) - A Selverajah - Ambassadors to GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Ashok Kumar Mirpuri - Ambassadors to IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- Hirubalan V P - Ambassadors to Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
Education and higher learning
- Dr A VijiaratnamA VijiaratnamDr Arumugam Vijiaratnam is the only Singaporean who has represented Singapore in four sports — hockey, cricket, football and rugby — doing so from 1946 to 1956...
- First Pro-Chancellor, NTU, 1992–2005; Olympian, 1956; Only person to have represented Singapore in four sports - hockey, football, cricket and rugby - Prof Seeram Ramakrishna - Vice President of Research Strategy, Professor of Engineering and former Dean of Engineering, 2003–2008; National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
(NUS)
http://www.nus.edu.sg/aboutus/management/http://serve.me.nus.edu.sg/seeram_ramakrishna/
- Arun Mahizhnan - Acting Director, Institute of Policy StudiesInstitute of Policy Studies (Singapore)The Institute of Policy Studies was established in 1988 as a think-tank dedicated to fostering good governance in Singapore through strategic policy research and discussion....
- J. Mohan Rao - Director, Institute of South Asian Studies
- K. Kesavapany - Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
- Kishore MahbubaniKishore MahbubaniKishore Mahbubani is a notable academic and is currently Professor in the Practice of Public Policy and the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. From 1971 to 2004 he served in the Singaporean Foreign Services, ending up as Singapore's Permanent...
- Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyLee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyThe Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is a school of the National University of Singapore . It was established in 1992 as the Master of Public Policy Programme under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of National University of Singapore in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government...
, NUS - Arcot Desai Narasimhalu - Director, Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, SMU
- Dr Navin Rajagobal - Deputy Director, Centre for International Law (CIL)Centre for International Law (CIL)The Centre for International Law was established in 2009 at the National University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Campus in response to the growing need for international law expertise and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region. The founding director of the Centre is Associate Professor Robert...
, NUS
Law and the judiciary
- Choor SinghChoor SinghChoor Singh Sidhu , known professionally as Choor Singh, was a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore and, particularly after his retirement from the bench, a philanthropist and writer of books about Sikhism. Born to a family of modest means in Punjab, India, he came to Singapore at four years of...
- Former judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore, nicknamed "The Hanging Judge" - Philip JeyaretnamPhilip JeyaretnamPhilip Antony Jeyaretnam is a lawyer from Singapore. He is a Senior Counsel in Singapore, former President of the Law Society of Singapore, and a member of the Singapore Public Service Commission. He is also well known as a fiction writer. He is the younger son of the late veteran Singaporean...
– Immediate past President of the Law Society of SingaporeLaw Society of SingaporeThe Law Society of Singapore is the organisation that represents all lawyers in Singapore. It publishes the Law Gazette and operates a scheme for needy people to benefit from legal services free-of-charge. The Society also sets out rules for how lawyers should advertise. The Law Society is... - Justice V.K. RajahV K RajahBorn in 1957, Justice Vijaya Kumar Rajah graduated from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law in 1982 and obtained his Masters of Law from the University of Cambridge in 1986. His father was the former Barisan Sosialis leader Thampore Thamby Rajah, better known as T.T...
– Judge of Appeal (one of Singapore's top three judges, including the Chief Justice) - Sundaresh MenonSundaresh MenonSundaresh Menon SC is Singapore's Attorney-General. He was sworn in on 1 Oct 2010. Menon graduated with first class honours from the law faculty of the National University of Singapore in 1986 and later obtained his LL.M. from Harvard University. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008. He served a...
– Former judicial commissionerJudicial CommissionerA Judicial Commissioner in Singapore is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Prime Minister, and has the powers of a Judge. A person may be appointed a Judicial Commissioner if he/she has been a "qualified person" within the meaning of section 2 of the...
of the Supreme Court of Singapore
Science and medicine
- The late Dr Shan RatnamShan RatnamEmeritus Professor Sittampalam Shanmugaratnam was the professor and head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the National University Hospital of Singapore specializing in human reproduction research. His work on contraception contributed to Singapore's success in population control...
- Emeritus Professor Sittampalam Shanmugaratnam (1928–2001) was head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the National University Hospital of Singapore. He was widely recognised as a world leader in human reproduction research. He was a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu Singaporean. - Prof Ariff Bongso - Dr Ariff Bongso holds several patents and has 430 research publications in internationally refereed journals, conference papers and chapters in books. He was one of the founder scientists of Embryonic Stem Cell International (ESI), a Singapore registered Biotechnology Company. He is currently Research Professor and Scientific Director of the Assisted Reproductive Technology programme at the NUSNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is also Principal Investigator for In Vitro Fertilization and human embryonic stem cell research at the NUS National University Hospital. He is a Sri Lankan Muslim.
Sports
- George Suppiah - Singapore's first Football World Cup referee
- V Sundramoorthy - Former national footballer