LITTLE INDIA: CHANGE & CONTINUITY

Welcome to the field trip to Little India. We hope you enjoy yourselves discovering this vibrant and colourful part of Singapore’s history. If at anytime you have any questions, please feel free to query your guide. We will try our best to answer all your queries.

The worksheet below will help you along the tour of Little India. All answers to the questions are all around as you walk through Serangoon Road. Keep your eyes and ears open.

Introduction - The History of Serangoon Road and the Cattle Trade

Think about these questions in the context of the 1800’s and the present time. The answers will be clearer as we move around Serangoon Road.

1. Why do you think Serangoon Road is called “ Little India”?

1.1 Are all Indians that you see the same? Do they all speak the same language, practice the same religion and do the same work?

1.2 Are there only Indians living and working in Little India? What other races do you see in Little India? What are they doing in Little India?

Our field trip starts here at Hasting Road. Look at the wall on the Arcade and you will see a figure of an animal’s head with inscriptions carved below it.

2. Look at the animal’s head? What animal do you think it is?

2.1 What do you think the inscriptions below the animal’s head is?

2.2 The surrounding area is the beginning of Serangoon Road. What do you think the entire area looked like in 1822? Look at the map provided for you.

2.3 What do think the area was predominantly used for? Look at the names of the roads surrounding area for clues.

The other communities in Little India

2.4 Look at the Zhuijiao Market. What does Zhuijiao actually mean; what was it formerly known as? Looking at the names, what do you think the area looked liked in 1822?

2.5 Was the market always here? Where was the market formerly? What was here before the market?

Look at the house being shown to you.

3 Whose house is this ?

3.1 Is the architecture of this house Indian in origin? If not what kind of house is it?

3.2 Who were these people who may have built this house or houses similar to this?

3.3 Does that mean that Indians only came to Singapore in the early 1900’s or was there a possibility that Indians came here much earlier?

Learning about the past through the names of the roads.

4 What do the road names tell you about the area situated around the roads?

4.1 Do they give you any indication to the types of people who stayed here?

4.2 Do they refer to the types of occupations that were situated here?

Look at the different temples

5 What is the predominant religion in Serangoon Road? Why did the Tamils who came from India build various temples?

5.1 Do you think that temples were used for mainly religious reasons? The carpark beside the temple used to be a huge open field were Indian immigrants used to gather during weekends. Presently, Indian immigrants still gather around the temple during weekends. Why do you think this is so?

5.2 The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is one of the oldest temples in Singapore. But the oldest temple in Singapore, the Sri Mariamman Temple, is situated in Chinatown along South Bridge Road. Why do you think the oldest Indian Temple is not situated in Singapore?

5.3 What other places of worship can be found in Serangoon Road? What do these different places of worship tell you about the Indians who settled in Little India?

Trade and Professions

The Indians in Serangoon Road are involved in a variety of trades and occupations.

6 What type of trades do you think the Indians were involved in the 1800’s and compare them with the trades you see now? Can you name some of the present day trades?

6.1 How has the nature of trade changed from the 1800’s to the present day? Can you think of any traditional trade, which have vanished with passage of time? Why has some traditional trades vanished yet others have remained?

6.2 If you were an Indian Immigrant in 1838, what would you want to buy in Serangoon Road? What would a modern Indian want to buy from Little India?

6.3 Are the traders and shop owners all Indians? How many non-Indian shops did you see?

6.4 Did you see anything peculiar about some non-Indian shops?

One predominant trade in Little India is the textile trade.

7 Do Indians today look completely different from the Indians of the 1830’s in the way they dress?

7.1 From your observations, what are the traditional apparels still worn commonly by either Indian men or women?

7.2 What is the dot on the foreheads of many Indian women called? Are there reasons for the dots being either black or red?

Look at the map above. Can you spot where Sernagoon Road was then? Look at the surrounding areas of Serangoon Road in 1822. What can you see?

Post Field-Trip Worksheet

LITTLE INDIA: CHANGE & CONTINUITY

Both these men came from India to Singapore; one in the early 1800s and the other in 1998.

Why do you think they both come to Singapore?
Do you think that they both had the same reasons for coming to Singapore? What do you think they were?
Why do you think they both brought their families along with them?
Do you think that the Indian from the early 1800s stayed back in Singapore, making Singapore his home? Why?
Do you think the present day Indian worker will stay in Singapore and try to make it his home? Why?

Back to Singapore History Page

Back to Bar counter My History Resources

About the Pub-Owner My Interests

Photo Album GuestBook

Anything to bitch about? (The Forum Page)

Email Me!