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About
Inspired by HH Swami Shantanand Saraswathi, the Temple of Fine Arts (“TFA”) blossomed in 1981 as a unique endeavour to uplift mankind through the arts. She is a Temple, not in a religious sense of the word but rather a place where the arts is nourished and revered as divine, allowing both student and teacher to grow as human beings with inner peace and joy whilst excelling in the arts. It is in this spirit that at TFA we cherish the arts, just for the love of it.
In teaching the arts and also offering performances, our hope is to give peace and joy to all we come in contact with. With this in mind, class fees are kept as minimal as possible and no one is turned away for want of financial means, with a genuine desire to learn the arts with dedication being the only consideration. Likewise, the public is welcome to any of TFA’s performances for which we do not charge an admission fee. Donations are welcome and graciously accepted. TFA is not a commercial venture where money and profit are paramount. TFA is instead a humble endeavour which allows the individual to grow through the arts and also forge bonds of friendship and community. In this way, goodwill prevails both for the individual and the community.
TFA took root in the South East Asian region in 1981 and then journeyed to other parts of the world. TFA is currently located in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Malacca, Perth, Colombo, Coimbatore, Chennai and in New Jersey.
In Singapore, we started in 1982 in a humble and modest way offering weekend classes only at the old Drama Centre at Fort Canning, before moving to rented premises in the suburbs and then shifting to the city centre in 1987 to offer more regular classes on a daily basis. We now have a student base of about 700 learners and a staff strength of over 30 dedicated and ably qualified teachers. These teachers are in turn guided by luminaries in the art world such as Kumari Surayakala and Srimathi Kamakshi Jayaraman (Bharatha Natyam), Ustad Usman Khan (Sitar and Hindustani music), Dr. L. Subramaniam (Carnatic music), Pandit Birju Maharaj (Kathak), Srimathi Bombay Jayashri (Carnatic music) and Sri Ratikant Mohapatra (Odissi). TFA is also humbled by Ustad Usman Khan and Dr. L. Subramaniam, who are the institution’s International Deans for Hindustani and Carnatic music respectively. With this loving guidance, TFA has over time also nurtured students who are now home grown teachers to lovingly carry on our rich and timeless traditions in the arts.
In Singapore, we offer courses in Bharata Natyam, Odissi and Kathak (classical Indian dance styles), Tabla, Mridangam and Kanjira (percussions), Hindustani Vocal, Carnatic Vocal, Flute, Violin, Sitar, Veena, Piano and Yoga. We also offer a 2-year Bala Vikas programme for children to introduce them to various arts forms. Our students range in age from as young at 5 to as mature at 70, with a delightful demographic mix of Asians and Caucasians.
Our public performances cover a very wide genre, encapsulating classical, semi‐classical, and contemporary and folk dance and music. We have been performing in leading arts venues in Singapore since 1984 and our repertoire includes, Ramayana, Swan Lake, Butterfly Lovers, the Legend of Mahsuri, Lady White Snake, Taj Mahal, Nadopasana, Taal Express, Water, Damaru, Dharma Ashoka and most recently, Anthar-Agni. Adapting non‐Indian themes in our performances has enabled TFA to reach out to the vast majority of the cosmopolitan Singapore public, whilst we build and nurture strong foundations in our own Indian culture of music and dance. In addition to the major public performances, TFA also performs in schools, private functions and also offers regular monthly in‐house events.
Art, Just of the Love of It is our motto and guiding spirit. We are the Temple of Fine Arts and we welcome you to join us in our endeavour to help you grow and in your own way, also serve the world.