Premiered 7 November 2020

Deepavali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a major cultural festival in Singapore that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. During this festive season, families decorate their homes with brilliant lights as aromatic spices fill the house and tantalise the taste buds.

The inclusion of spices in iconic Deepavali (and other) dishes is a practice associated with Ayurveda, a form of Indian medicine which has roots in ancient Sanskrit sources. Interestingly, Ayurveda shares some common ground with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

In this special programme, presented as part of the National Museum’s Ethnic Festival Celebrations for Deepavali, explore the similarities and differences between Ayurveda and TCM’s understanding of herbs and spices. Your hosts are Vasanthi from the Ayurveda Association of Singapore and Mei Yi from Thye Shan Medical Hall.

This programme also features paintings of everyday herbs and spices from the museum’s prized William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.