Little India is Singapore’s Indian heartland, yet another cultural heritage site in Singapore. It used to be a division where Indian immigrants would reside in olden days, but under Singapore government’s policy for racial harmony, the immigrant population (just like Chinese and other immigrants) was spatially segregated into different parts of the islands. However, that doesn’t seem to stop Little India been a buzzing hangout for our fellow Indians friends and foeigner workers from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Where is Little India? To get to this prominent part of Singapore tourist attraction, one can just grab a taxi or even conveniently by MRT north-east line which will lead u directly to Little India. The main 3 types of tourist attractions to explore Singapore’s multi-racial cultures are to visit Chinatown, Little India and also Kampong Glam. But truly speaking of the cultures and tradition preservation, only Little India seems to be the only settlement in Singapore that still avoids the government mass transformation (or should I take it as destruction instead? haha) But what really makes Little India unique is its beautiful street (no big heavy traffic, but instead more of human traffic walking along the roadside) and beautiful shops that sell erotic stuffs that seem extinct in other parts of Singapore.
Spell#7 performance allows us Singaporeans a chance to get to know this part of Singapore in a greater depth. Singapore is a fast pace country. Our walking pace is so fast that we may miss out significant details even without knowing it.
Through the tour, I realized that Little India area was developed around a former settlement for Indian convicts. Its location along the Serangoon River originally made it attractive for raising cattle, and trade in livestock was once prominent in the area. Eventually, other economic activity developed, and by the turn of the 20th century, the area began to look like an Indian ethnic neighbourhood.
Without Spell#7 tour, I may not even know:
Where is the Tekka Market Centre?
Fresh jasmine flowers string together for Indian religious purposes. The type of stringing flowers culture I think can only find in Little India market nowadays.
Fortune told by psychic parrot. This kind of fortune telling can also only be found in Little India only already. The charge is 3 dollars per fortune told.
Henna Tattoing ( I saw this stall along the way of spell#7 tour path)
There is Chinese working in Little India too. (The 2 brothers who own the coffee shop at Upper Weld Road) I had always thought only Indian work in Little India. How ignorant am i.
Beautiful shophouses that alike those structures in Chinatown, expect that Chinatown ones are very commercial now.
Little India is full of stuffs, after I move out of another alley; there are even car servicing shops here. This just seems like a self-sufficient small town of its own.
Famous Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
There are 4 payphones behind the temple. That is a frequent place for those foreign workers to use their IDD call cards to call back to their respective countries.
From my first experience of walking around the streets, I can already feel the heavy religious background of Little India. That can be illustrated from their heavy jasmine flowers, Indian religious songs, fortune telling and even huge crowds gathering for temple worshipping. The temple and religious aspect seems to create an indescribable honor among the Indian community.
No doubt that Little India is a vibrant and colourful ethnic quarter that always seems to be bustling with people from all races who wish to savour Indian food and buy Indian stuffs. I can always find the best Indian food in Little India! There are clusters of old yet beautiful shophouses in Little India. Moreover, Little India never sleeps. I can shop in this very big Mustafa shopping centre that opens 24-hrs a day, 7-days a week! This shopping centre offers almost everything; from fresh vegetables, meats, other groceries to furniture, electronic products, apparels, stationery, car accessories, and even jewellery. This is a typical “mama” shop, that’s what the locals called it. Though the shop is small, i can find magazines, newspapers, drinks, snacks, cigarettes, medications, stationery, toys and many more (Who knows? Maybe 7-eleven is an imitated venture of these “mama” shops). Now there aren’t many mama shops left in Singapore, and most of them are found in those older neighborhoods (I stay in Bukit Batok which still have a number of these shops around. So lucky). However, as bigger chains of convenient shops like NTUC, 7-eleven operate in increasing area; I believe there might be days these “mama” shops may be cease to exist. So saddening.
P.S: (But why these grocery shops are called “mama” shop? From findings, I realize Mama = Uncle. So it’s actually called Uncle shop).
Another phenomenon we will see in Little India is that there are a number of Indian shops selling ethnic jewellery. Anyone passing by will be dazzled by all these ethnic gold jewellery elegantly displayed in the showcases. Little India is so full of such amazing culture and findings.
No comments:
Post a Comment