Climbing back up after a failure

31 May 2020

Article featured 25-year-old SP Diploma in Applied Drama & Psychology (DADP) alumnus, Vishnucharan Naidu. Vishnu was exposed to theatre at the age of ten. After graduating from secondary school, he founded Big Birds Productions, a play production company with his friends. Within five years, they produced three plays that were well received by the public. During this period, he enrolled in DADP and was awarded the Model Student award. He had plans to further his studies in a theatre related programme but changed his mind when he mother suffered a stroke. His mother’s mobility was deeply affected and he decided to study Physiotherapy at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to help others with similar medical conditions. For a period of time, Vishnu struggled with his decision as theatre was a big part of him. Slowly, he understood that he did not have to study art in order to “do art”. He realised that he could just enjoy it as a hobby. Even though he eventually ended Big Birds Productions due to differences with his business partners, he continued to pursue his passion by setting up a theatre club in SIT. He assumed the role of President and wrote and directed a few plays for the club. One of his biggest achievements was the collaboration with Singapore Boys’ Home where he ran a drama rehabilitation programme to help the young offenders. He even signed up to become a peer befriender to help more young offenders. As a lover of art, Vishnu also developed an interest in dancing and joined a dance group called Bharathaa Arts. The group recently placed third in a national dance competition and this inspired Vishnu to create Nayaka, a website to allow male dancers to share their stories. Moving forward, Vishnu wishes to continue exploring the world of art and use it to help more people. (Lianhe Zaobao, p4&5)