The Kamala Club Singapore

The Kamala Club, Singapore is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide social, charitable humanitarian and culturally enriching activities or services for its members and to all local and expatriate Indians of Singapore.

The Kamala Club is the oldest women’s club in Singapore serving all Indians, local and expatriate alike. The then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, inaugurated the club, on his first visit to Singapore in 1950. The Club has since grown three fold and has numerous activities throughout the year.

The Kamala Club has a rich history older than Singapore itself, however it has grown vibrant and strong as the island nation. Checha Davies, née George (b.1898, Kerala, India – d. 2 September 1979, Singapore) was a social worker, women’s activist, and community volunteer. She was prominent in various organisations, including the trailblazing Singapore Council of Women, which fought for womens civil rights. In 1931 she founded Singapore’s first Indian ladies’ club, the Indian-Ceylonese Club, later called the Lotus Club. The Lotus Club was highly affluent and had a well-heeled membership but no permanent premises, and hence the members met at the YWCA, of which Davies was a member.

The Ladies Union, however was not as affluent, had few members, but owned quarters where its members could meet. These two social organisations thrived with enthusiastic Asian Women (dominated mostly by Indian women) who were trying to keep those away from home in a close-knit community. They provided for their members an avenue to learn, interact and acclamatise to the new growing culture around them.

In 1950, when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Singapore for the first time, he was introduced to the members of the two clubs. Seeing the common thread of the two clubs he suggested for them to be merged into one. The Lotus Club with its many affluent members and the Ladies Union with its premises. It seemed to serve well for both the clubs to come together for each others benefit. Subsequently they were merged and named after Pandit Nehru’s wife – Mrs Kamala Nehru, to be called “The Kamala Club, Singapore” The Kamala Club, Singapore became the homeground for hosting many dignitaries and also many arts organisations.

With a premises at Balestier, they were able to bring many Indian community and world leaders to visit and mingle with their members. The also provided accomodation to the greats as the Bhaskars Academy, Singapore Indian Fine Arts and many others. It became the sister organisation to the Singapore Indian Association, providing for them all the artistic, aesthetic, social and cultural platform. In 1983, they had to give up the premises as the government began to mordernise. Ever since, with the bustling growth of Singapore real estate it had become difficult to get an adequate premises to work out of.

As all the organisations found their own and moved it served little purpose to pay such large mortgages and rents for a social association. With strong founding members like the Jumabhoys, the Club thrived among Indian women both locally settled as well as the expatriate women who were coming into Singapore. Today 60 years since it was formed, The Kamala Club, Singapore boasts of a member count of 150, with Indian women from all over the Indian sub-continent, coming together to keep the Indian culture and traditions alive.

They not only participate in social activities but extend their hands into community services and social causes both locally and back home in India. Contributions by the Club to the society over the last 60 years are numerous. We provide consistent support for various crisis’s (like flood relief) or causes in India. We also donate generously to SINDA for the education of underprivileged Indian children, contributions to old age homes and missions, organize awareness talks on Breast Cancer and women related diseases, holds demonstrations on ethnic Indian arts and fares to various interest groups and without fail, celebrates Indian festivals such as Holi, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Dandiya.

All events are well attended and enrich women and others from all walks of life. The Club has also of late served to connect Indian expatriate women with local settlers.

Courtesy posting by NextLifeBook.com