Puzzled on what to do to make this a quality trip I remembered what TV character Dr. Frazier Crane once said, “If you’re not curious, it’s a sign that you are stupid.” Since I didn’t want to justify standing beside a guy wearing a shirt “I’m with stupid” printed on it, I analyzed my options. With that in mind I realized that there is one part of the country that I have reservations of going to. However, I’ve grown as a traveler and it would be worse if I became intentionally ignorant of what Singapore’s Indian community had to offer.
I started my Indian experience by visiting one of its oldest Hindu temples: Sri Mariamman, which is ironically situated in the heart of Chinatown. I didn’t find this place of worship geographically awkward since it’s in Singapore where cross-cultural backgrounds learned to co-exist throughout the years. To get there I had to take the MRT’s Northeast line to the Chinatown station followed by a short walk till I reached 244 Southbridge road. A Gopuram or grand tower entrance welcomed me, which is actually a combination of different figures stacked pyramidically. The arrangement of these life-like statues maybe intricate but matched with the mixture of colors it was a marvel to look at. As a sign of respect, visitors are requested to enter the premises barefoot, so I gladly took off my sandals and placed it along a line of other footwear at the doorstep. The temple’s doors were filled with tiny brass bells that I found uninteresting but nevertheless served a purpose. Devotees were said to ask the Hindu Gods to grant their requests by ringing the bells before entering the temple. As I was starting to engulf myself in this religious experience I was a bit irritated with the fact that I had to pay two Singaporean dollars because I had a camera with me. Ah well maybe it’s a form of contribution or for maintenance expenses. Though the main chamber was illuminated with just ambient light, I could still see the magnificent fresco paintings at its ceiling. A variety of deities were represented as carvings all throughout its walls and since Hinduism is a polytheistic religion wherein they worship more than one god, it can be a bit confusing. Sri Mariamman temple is dedicated to Devi, mother goddess, and Mariamman, the goddess of rain and an ethereal gallery of paintings and shrines honors them all across the temples walls. As I continued my excursion, a priest wearing only a sarong and with colored markings all over his forehead approached me. He had just finished performing a certain Hindu ritual wherein he prayed over a child whose injured arm was wrapped in bandages. He gladly posed for a snapshot upon my request. Pushing my luck further, I politely asked him a couple of question about the temple. He shared that tourists flocked the area during the annual Theemithi or the fire walking festival usually around October or November. Devotees would walk on hot coals to test their devotion and faith. Though I was roughly a month early, this form of religious sacrifice was something to look forward to on my next visit.
I transferred from one of oldest to probably one of the most popular Hindu temple in Singapore: Sri Veeramakaliamman (translated as Kali the Courageous). Located in the middle of Little India, it took me one MRT ride (Northeast line till the the Little India station) to get to Serangon road. I had arrived at dawn so activity within the area wasn’t all that brisk from the handful of locals to the occasional passing tourists (note the temple is closed from 12 pm till 4:30 pm). This temple is dedicated to Kali also known as the Goddess of Power. Historically the temple is close to the heart of the Indian community especially to its early immigrants because her (Kali) presence answered an important need during that time – protection and the feeling of security in a new land. Like Sri Mariamman, Sri Veeramakaliamman also had a gopuram though distinctly different from one another but its interiors a far more artistic masterpiece. The main hall is accentuated by images of Kali (a jet-black statue) wearing a garland of skulls and ripping out the insides of her victims, and another statue of Kali sharing more peaceful moments with her sons Ganesha and Murugan. At first, I believed her representation maybe a tad violent but having talked to a local cleared it up. Their belief is that Kali fought and used weapons of destruction only to rid the earth of its evils so naturally a fierce depiction of her is a usual imenticed print to many. As the sound of Hindu prayer echoed throughout the temple, I noticed a form of what I call “organized chaos” wherein one corner has locals chatting. Another has people performing certain rituals while tourists walked back and forth. While at the center of the hall, where I stood with a queue of Hindus, a priest gave blessings in the form of Vibhuti, a white ash from burned cow dung. I was surprised to be offered and I kindly obliged as he placed the ash on my forehead. Later I asked one of the devotees what the Vibhuti was for and answered that they accept this blessing to enlighten their soul and release the anger from within. He also explained to me why Ganesha was transformed to an elephant headed god and that Thaipuism (an extreme Hindu festival that involves a Kavadi, a heavy metal structure, with devotees carrying them with the use of body piercings and hooks and is usually held around Jan/Feb) is a celebration for their devotion to God Murugan.
Walking further down Serangon road I was finally at the heart of Singapore’s Indian community – Little India. I was fortunate to come here on a weekday because the place is packed on Sundays wherein around half a million Indians mingle and socialize. Though a number of malls surrounded the area, I preferred to indulge in touring the streets filled with shop houses. Appropriately designed with Indian scripts (Tamil, Bengali and Hindi), these gaily-painted structures sell a variety of goods such brass, silverware, jewelry, wood items and even traditional clothing such as saris or Punjabi suits. Superior fabric is also popular merchandise in this district. A friend of mine warned me before hand that some of the traders in this area are short tempered so if I ask for something I better buy it. I cautiously bought a pair of bangles as gifts for friends back home. For a photographer like me, to see Indian women walk around with their vibrantly colored saris was visually stimulating. Unfortunately most of them were camera shy so that Kodak moment was out of reach. Though I’m not really a movie bum, a shop caught my attention as it displayed a collection of DVDs featuring Bollywood movies and music. Little India is a big night market filled with fresh vegetables, rich spices and jasmine garlands in every corner. As I moved from one alleyway to another, I could not escape the pungent but delightful smell that imenticed me to crave for an authentic Indian dish. There are a lot of restos in the area but I settled for small but clean café. The first thing the waiter offered me was fish head curry (A specialty in this part of Singapore) but I had second thoughts since I didn’t have complete confidence on my digestive fortitude. Finally I settled for something more conservative – a chapatti (a thin pancake of unleavened whole-grain bread cooked on a griddle. The size of the meal was generous for a 3 Singaporean dollar buy plus it had two spicy dips so, not bad at all. When in Little India, do what the Indians do. So I dropped any inhibitions and ate the way Indians do – by hand. I finished my dinner by drinking a “Teh Tarik” or hand pulled cup of tea which I found somewhat strong for my taste but different nonetheless.
The most stereotypical proverb about curiosity is that it killed the cat. But my inquisitiveness in this trip regarding Singapore’s Indian community became a basis for me to have respect for one of this country’s ethnic neighborhood and I believe it’s a worthwhile experience into their heritage and religion.
