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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2022 - 2025
MR AZHAGIYA PANDIYAN
CHAIR
Azhagiya Pandiyan is heading the Tamil Language Services of the National Library Board. Prior to this appointment in 2017, he held senior posts in journalism, public relations, academia, management, broadcasting and software development. In 2005, he was selected as one of 12 celebrity icons for Singapore’s Speak Good English Movement by the National Library Board. A recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship in 1998 from the British High Commission, he holds a Master’s degree in media studies from the University of Sussex, and a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore.
MR SUBRAMANIAN GANESH
TREASURER
Subramanian Ganesh’s body of work spans in the field of performing arts embracing a wide range of roles such as directing, acting and lighting design. A committed practitioner with a desire to push artistic boundaries amongst his generation in Singapore, Ganesh is considered a promising figure at the forefront of Tamil theatre scene in Singapore. He started his theatre journey as an actor in 2005. He has since built an impressive portfolio, working with almost all of Tamil theatre companies in Singapore. By working with a multitude of professional groups, he has displayed a ceaseless zest to hone his craft as a director and a collaborator of theatre works. Ganesh founded AGAM in 2019. As a fully qualified chartered accountant with 3 different National bodies (CA Singapore, CPA Australia and ACCA), under his leadership, the company has attained a charity status with robust governance in place and he is also responsible for the overall management of the company.
MR NALLU DHINAKHARAN
SECRETARY
Nallu Dhinakharan is a passionate professional with a proven track record in the Arts scene both as a practitioner as well as an educator with relevant experiences and achievements in both fields. In 2008, he and his team took part in the Cannes Film Festival Community Documentary Category and were awarded the Distinguished Community Documentary Award. A theatre practitioner for the past 15 years, Nallu has been involved in several noteworthy Tamil language theatre productions in various capacity over the past decade, the most noteworthy of which was ‘Murasu’ in 2015 which he wrote after an intensive 4-month research phase. As a pioneer Cultural Geographer in the research of performance as a carrier of Tamil Culture in Singapore, he has a strong personal interest in furthering the scholarly works of Tamil theatre in Singapore. Nallu has also completed his Masters Degree in Humanities Education (Geography) in the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Geography from the National University of Singapore.
MDM SIVARANI M RAJANGAM
Sivarani M Rajangam who runs an award-winning chain of beauty salons called Rupini’s is an icon for Indian women in Singapore. This is not merely for her entrepreneurship skills but for her courage under fire. She is a breast cancer survivor who works tirelessly to inspire cancer patients through her Rupini’s Divine Pink events. She is an unusual blend of traditional brand strategist and modern-day creative passionate for the arts. Passionate, collaborative, and innovative, she is adept at managing global brands and working with creative teams to develop powerful brand ideas.
MS NAZHATH FAHEEMA
Nazhath Faheema, the Founder of hash.peace movement, is an advocate of racial and religious diversity. She is also the current Chairperson of Jamiyah Singapore Youth Group. She undertakes initiatives that promote the cultivation of a peacekeeping culture at homes and workplaces. She believes the formation of micro inclusive societies based on interpersonal relations to keep society safe from sentiments of extremism and radical ideologies. Nazhath Faheema’s journey started when she was nominated as a Muslim Youth Ambassador for Peace in October 2015. Since then, Nazhath Faheema has worked in pursuit of promoting a culture of peace, and is currently working full-time as Manager in an NGO committed to interfaith work. She is also an external lecturer at the ESSEC Business School’s Asia Campus in Singapore.
MS AISHWARIYA SHANMUGANATHAN
Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan (Also known as Asha Nathan) is a committee member with the Singapore Drama Educators Association, elected in during the 2019 AGM. She has since been involved in the planning and execution of many of its programmes including the annual Level Up! Fest and the Drama Pedagogy course for educators. At SDEA, she looks after all the Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes. Over the years Aishwariyah has had the opportunity to work on forum, community, youth and children’s theatre projects with various ministries, schools and organizations. Aishwariyah holds a Masters in Drama Education and is currently the Head of English Drama at The Learning Connections and handles all creative projects at StageArts Academy. Aishwariyah also has a keen interest in intercultural and traditional art forms. She has practiced the traditional dance theatre form called Bharathanatyam for more than 20 years and recently started learning the nuances of Koodiyattam which is a form of ancient Sanskrit theatre. It is her passion for the arts and interest in teaching that makes her a dedicated Teaching Artist. She strongly believes in professional development and continuing education to keep abreast of changes and to inject newness in her art making and teaching processes.
MR SREE GANESH UTHAYAKUMAR
Sree Ganesh Uthayakumar, has more than 10 years of experience in Marketing and Events industry and currently the Assistant Director, Community Engagement, Outreach and Volunteer Management in SINDA. With a Master of Science in Marketing, Sree Ganesh knows the pulse of the Indian community very well, through his extensive touch points during his career in SINDA, Singtel TV. Sree Ganesh also had a stint of managing his own events company in which he had worked on more than 30 ground events, 5 ‘live’ concerts and has worked and managed more than 100 artistes from India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Singapore Prior to joining SINDA, he also had written stories and screenplays for productions such tele-movie, Muthal Vanakkam and Tamil television dramas, Masala and Athiyaayam and was also the community engagement head in Vasantham Mediacorp.
MS LAVANIAH BALA
Lavaniah is an experienced educator from Singapore. She has been involved in the arts since secondary school and discovered her passion in the performing arts doing production and backstage work. Over the last 14 years, she has been involved in the Tamil visual and performing arts industries and has worked on various stage productions, often giving her time to the production process. While engaging in productions of different art forms, Lavaniah has seen the unique benefits of the arts in society. Her background in student management and working experience with challenging students have given her opportunities to observe how theatre helps students to develop confidence, resilience, and creative problem-solving abilities, amongst many other skills. A graduate from James Cook University (Masters of Education), Lavaniah strongly believes in the importance of the performing arts as a tool for boosting social skills and creativity, and theatre as a form of communication and connection.
MR RAMESH SELVARAJ
Ramesh’s expertise lies in advising across a broad spectrum of contentious work. He has acted as lead counsel in both domestic and international arbitrations across various corporate and commercial sectors, including the hospitality, oil and gas, commodities and construction industries. He has a strong professional liability practice having defended claims in negligence asserted against lawyers, accountants and architects. On the employment law front, he is regularly consulted by employers and employees on their contracts of employment, termination issues, including advising on claims against wrongful dismissal, disciplinary issues as well as other related employer-employee issues. He is also part of an illustrious alumni of Jessup mooters in Singapore, having served as a member of the National University of Singapore team in 2004 that emerged runners-up in the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC.