File photo of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Government of India has presented busts of four nationalist leaders to Singapore's Indian Heritage Centre (IHC), the first museum dedicated to Indian history.
"It is a fitting commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore," Minister in the Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran said at the IHC's launch yesterday.
Singapore is celebrating 50 years of its independence this year as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations with India.
The nationalist leaders' busts - including of Mahatama Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Pandit Jawarhalal Nehru and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose - are displayed in IHC's gallery on "Social and Political Awakening in Singapore".
Addressing the Indian community at the event, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the Indian community adds to the richness of Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious society and noted that the Indian community has been here since 1819 and over the years, has contributed to the making of Singapore.
"The community is an important strand in the tapestry of Singapore life. The relationship goes back to historical times when early Indian traders established trade links with Southeast Asia and Singapore.
"They had introduced Indian religions, ideas of governance which led to establishment of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms like Angkor, Srivijaya and Majapahit in the region," Lee said.
"In fact, old Singapore was a tributary of the Majapahit empire. Even the name 'Singapura' has Sanskrit roots," the Prime Minister added.
Singapore is called Singapura in Malay, one of the four official languages along with English, Chinese and Tamil.
In modern times, the Indian community has been in Singapore since Raffles arrived in 1819 with 120 sepoys and a bazaar contingent of washermen, tea makers, milkmen and domestic servants, Lee pointed out.
"They (the Indians) have left a deep mark on Singapore... much of Singapore's early colonial architecture was built by Indian convict labour, including the Istana (the Presidential palace)," he said.
South Asian culture is one of the most ancient and diverse cultures in the world, said Lee.
"Despite its rich diversity, the Indian community in Singapore comes together for the common good and of the community," the Prime Minister said.
The IHC, now open to the public, is built at a cost of 16 million Singapore dollars and managed by the country's National Heritage Board.
The four-storey building is located in the heart of Little India, and blends traditional Indian and modern architectural elements.
Its thematic galleries showcase diverse stories of various groups within Singapore's Indian community and their rich links with the global Indian diaspora.