BRINGING NDP '09 TO A NEIGHBOURHOOD NEAR YOU

As Singapore's 44th birthday draws near, this year's National Day Parade (NDP) committee is turning up the heat with a series of exciting roadshows all across the country.

In the lead-up to the actual parade on 9 Aug, the NDP roadshow kicked off at Toa Payoh HDB Hub on 19 Jul, and will be held over the next four weekends at Jurong Point, Tampines Central, Republic Polytechnic and Marina Square.

Besides getting to enjoy live performances by various local artists and groups such as Electrico, the rock band behind this year's National Day theme song, Singaporeans will also get the chance to participate in interactive contests, view montages of photographs from past parades, and catch a roving exhibition showcasing winning entries from the "Singapore My Home" photography competition and "My Pledge" short film competition.

In addition, visitors to the roadshows can participate in the celebrations by penning down their personal thoughts and birthday wishes for the nation on a wall mural formed in the shape of the Singapore island.

This is part of the "My Dream for Singapore" project, which has thus far attracted some 10,000 submissions from Singaporeans who share their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the country.

A selection of the entries have been also compiled in the NDP '09 commemorative book, "Our Dreams for Singapore". The book was launched by Acting Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, Rear Admiral (RADM) (NS) Lui Tuck Yew during the NDP roadshow launch at the HDB Hub.

While the parade is traditionally the major focal point for the celebrations, RADM (NS) Lui felt that the most meaningful and important thing is for "all of us to come together to reaffirm our dedication to the country, reaffirm our pledge to be one united people, and to move forward together".

This theme of coming together was exemplified through the idea of family bonds in professional photographer Lisa Lum's picture entitled 3 Generation Happy Family. Chancing upon the opportunity at East Coast Park, Ms Lum snapped a shot of a family trying to make a baby smile for a photograph. The heart-warming entry clinched the top prize in this year's NDP photography competition, which saw over 10,000 submissions.

"I think getting families of different generations to come together is something that is very valuable and important. Singapore is a busy city and people don't usually live with their parents nowadays, so my hope is to see more of such families coming together," shared Ms Lum.

For film-makers Jonathan Goh and Goh Kun Lei from Nanyang Technological University's School of Art and Design, inspiration was drawn from the simple motion of taking the pledge. Their winning short film, My Home, features a teacher asking her young students to draw a picture that depicts the idea of "home". She is puzzled over a particular student's drawing before eventually realising it is meant to represent a fist placed over the chest - an action that is often done without much thought, but the film provokes viewers to reflect on its meaning and shows how "home is close to the heart".

Mr Chong Fah Hin, who was at the roadshow with his wife and daughter, was intrigued by the film's "interesting way of showing the pledge".

"The roadshow is quite impressive, and I think it's a good way to reach out to all the people here and let us know more about the country we call home," he added.