Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture

The Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC) is one of the few intercultural organisations in Singapore, dedicated to building bridges across the major cultures so as to foster a deeper understanding of each other. In addition, it offers programmes and builds resources to help the Tamil community better understand its own culture. CSTC was founded on 6 February 2019, exactly 200 years to the day Stamford Raffles signed the Singapore Treaty and seeded the continuous history of Tamils here. It was later registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 2 June 2021. It is a ground-up, non-profit, virtual organisation driven by, according to the Centre, voluntarism and active citizenry. The programmes and projects hosted by CSTC span a wide range – from talks, forums, performances and exhibitions to online resources. It has collaborated with Chinese, Malay, as well as non-Tamil Indian communities to promote deeper intercultural understanding and appreciation. 

CSTC’s most significant undertaking in terms of resource-building is the development of the first-ever Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils (EST) in collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), inaugurated on 2 August 2025, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s Independence. This online resource, in English and Tamil, is open-ended and will be continually updated. It was inaugurated by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore. The formation of CSTC was inspired by the experience of a similar, smaller virtual organisation called the Tamil Digital Heritage Group (TDHG), conceived by the same core group behind CSTC. TDHG was founded to develop digital cultural resources as a contribution to mark Singapore's 50th anniversary of independence in 2015 and is now part of CSTC. In addition to providing basic information on CSTC, the Centre’s website and social media platforms offer intercultural knowledge, experiences and insights. 



For more information
Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.singaporetamil.org
Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Instagram. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.instagram.com/singapore.tamil/
Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Facebook. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.facebook.com/sgtamilorg 

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About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.