“Because Celebrations is dealing with many stakeholders, I would like to theme my efforts towards achieving ‘Many Hearts One Heartbeat’ so that we all can celebrate the Singapore Spirit!”

These were the words of LTC Sunilkumar, Chairman Celebrations for NDP 2008. Indeed, NDP involves the merging of the hearts and minds of all Singaporeans, coming together to celebrate the birthday of the nation. This journey takes place without fail from year to year; yet, it always renews itself as a new NDP journey begins. As the last firework went off on the night of NDP 2007, signalling the end of the “City of Possibilities” journey, another new journey began – that of NDP 2008. This self-renewing process is what makes NDP the fascinating journey that it is.

And central to this process is the Celebrations portion of NDP preparation. LTC Sunil and his team know the ins and outs of their tasks. “Celebrations activities are designed to bring on board the whole nation into a celebratory mood that will start before the day of parade and will continue well after the parade.” The experiences of previous years play a large part in this knowledge. LTC Sunil explains: “Based on our experiences in 2006 and 2007, it [the activities as a whole] was well-received, especially entertaining the audience on the way to the parade. Many were also impressed by the carnival-like atmosphere of the parade.” The idea of inclusiveness, as reflected in LTC Sunil’s maxim of ‘Many Hearts One Heartbeat’, also features in these activities. “Celebrations activities are also designed to entertain the mass of people who turn up to see the fireworks and soak in the atmosphere of 9 August. We hope to add some of the sparkle for all those who may not be able to witness the parade at the floating platform.”

What then, have been some of the changes that have occurred in terms of Celebrations activities after the move to the floating platform? LTC Sunil feels that the only changes have been positive ones. “The possibilities have expanded since the parade moved to Marina Bay. Compared to the National Stadium, the ease of access by public transport to Marina Bay has led many other stakeholders and organisations to collaborate with NDP 2008. We have also had many exciting possibilities of having the celebrations go on well after NDP 2008. Having the NDP in the downtown Marina Bay area has also enabled the organisers to network with the stakeholders within the Marina Bay area.”

With all that has been said about Celebrations and the NDP 2008 journey, surely LTC Sunil sees some parallels between his usual work and the work he does as Chairman of the Celebrations Committee? For LTC Sunil, the parallel lies in the interaction with people. “In my current appointment, I have to deal with a lot of people to achieve the best possible outcome. Similarly, as Chairman Celebrations, I need to meet the various organisations, fringe event organisers, statutory boards and charity groups who are part of the NDP 2008 celebrations.”

The NDP 2008 journey involves the collaboration of many like-minded people in the effort to make the Parade happen. One area where this is seen is in the many activities and celebrations taking place around the period of NDP 2008. In these celebrations we see not only the rejoicing of a nation, but also the immense effort of hardworking individuals like LTC Sunil and his team. Many hearts, one heartbeat indeed.