tabla! Relaunches Website to Strengthen Ties with Singapore’s Indian Community and Global Diaspora
A revitalized digital platform aims to connect community leaders, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders while fostering greater understanding of Indian culture and affairs both locally and internationally.
Singapore’s English-language publication, tabla!, serving the nation’s Indian community, officially relaunched its website on November 19th, marking what its leadership calls “a new beginning.” The revamped site seeks to bolster engagement with community leaders, entrepreneurs, supporters, and stakeholders, extending its reach to diaspora communities worldwide.
A Digital Transformation Years in the Making
Previously operating with a static website limited to displaying its e-paper, tabla! underwent a significant overhaul, with the updated site going live in June. The redesign features a bold new aesthetic, organized sections, and a commitment to daily content updates. This transformation reflects a broader push towards digitalisation, according to Mr. Venga Subramaniam, editor of tabla!.
“While our primary purpose is to serve the local Indian community, our refreshed website and growing social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn are also designed to reach audiences worldwide,” Mr. Subramaniam stated. Further enhancements are planned, including an integrated social media feed and an AI-powered quick news feed in the coming days.
Reaching a Wider Audience: Current Engagement & Future Growth
Currently, tabla! reaches approximately 17,000 individuals weekly through its print and website platforms, with an additional 5,000 users engaged on social media. Mr. Subramaniam characterized these figures as “pretty good as a baseline,” acknowledging the publication is still in the early stages of its digital evolution.
The relaunch event, held at the SPH Media News Centre in Toa Payoh, drew around 80 guests representing key Indian associations, organizations, and businesses. A closed-door dialogue with Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Manpower, Dinesh Vasu Dash, was a central component of the event, moderated by Mr. Subramaniam. Discussions encompassed a wide range of topics, from language and education to cremation rites, and the pursuit of a more inclusive “we-first” society.
A Vital Bridge Within Singaporean Society
Minister of State Dash emphasized the publication’s importance, noting that tabla! “reaches out to parts of the community that may not necessarily be Tamil Murasu readers.” He highlighted the complementary relationship between the two publications as a key strength.
Former editor-in-chief of SPH Media’s English, Malay, and Tamil newspapers, Mr. Patrick Daniel, observed the Indian community’s unique linguistic profile. “All of them speak their dialects and their languages, but they are also very conversant in English. We quickly figured out that, actually, an English paper would be the best way to reach them.”
Since its first edition on October 10, 2008, tabla! has consistently served not only the broader Indian community but also non-Indians interested in Indian affairs and culture. Former Tamil Murasu chairman S. Chandra Das noted that the publication provided a valuable platform for non-Tamil organizations to publicize their events. Mr. Malminderjit Singh, former SPH journalist and current chairman of the Sikh Advisory Board, who has contributed as a guest writer, added that tabla! “provide[s] a glimpse into the different sub-ethnic groups so that we can keep abreast of each other’s developments and events.”
Mr. T. Raja Segar, editor of Tamil Murasu and supervising editor of tabla!, underscored the publication’s role as a bridge between communities, stating, “The powerful thing we can do is to go beyond the community, so that the other ethnic groups in Singapore will get to know the Indian community better. They have a thousand questions about us, and sometimes you are not patient enough to answer, so let tabla! talk for you.”
