Little India is the main place for Indians in Singapore. Among other Asean countries, Singapore is indeed the country with the largest Indian population. In terms of population composition, there are 7.4% of Indians from the total population of Singapore. But of the entire population, not only Indian descent. Singapore refers to India in terms of people of South Asian descent, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
It is only those who are registered as residents, not immigrants who are not residents of Singapore. In Singapore itself, there are indeed many Indian workers who have a diaspora from South Asia. At various levels of work, from informal to top level, there must be a diaspora from India.
And it was in Little India that they congregated, huddled together every day. From early morning to midnight, twenty-four hours, Little India is where Indians live.
Even though the Indians have been in the diaspora for so long, they still carry their culture firmly. It is a common sight to meet Indian women in saris, Sikh men in their turbans. In the alleys of Little India also meet Bangladeshi men in sarongs or Pakistanis in white caps, beards and long robes.
Near the hostel where I stayed at night there were rows of pickup trucks, in one row there could be 7-10 cars. These cars are usually from construction companies, during the day these cars will be scattered on construction projects in many places in the city, at night rest in Little India.
Not just parking, these cars are the residences of construction workers from India. Usually they play music from cellphones that are loudly loud with cheap loudspeakers. Three or four Indians usually live together in one tub. There is a thin mat as a base and a sarong as a blanket.
They are manual laborers who squeeze the heat during the day for the upright concretes and smooth asphalt of Singapore. Even though these Indians persisted, for the sake of income that could be generated at home.
Even though it looks like a prosperous and sparkling city, the reality at night is more paradoxical than imagined. Here in Little India another view of Singapore exists and is real.
Not far from the construction cars where the workers are, there are stalls of used goods that are just laid out on the street, the sellers are mostly Chinese Chinese. The goods sold, ranging from shoes, clothes, electronic equipment, household utensils to carpentry tools, are certainly cheaper than new items. The buyers are low-wage Indian workers.
I had time to stop by one of the stalls and see the goods for sale. Brands like Adidas or Nike are there, the condition is good, it doesn’t look like it’s used. A logical choice for workers from India who have to struggle with limited wages.
The sellers of used goods usually sell until 10 pm. Above that it’s usually quiet and Little India is getting quiet.
But that doesn’t mean the Indians are gone. They move to Indian food stalls 24 hours. Chat with fellow Indians or call his family. While Chinese peranakans use kopitiam as a place to dine with each other, Indian food stalls are where Indians gather and talk about anything late into the night with Prata, Dosa or Masala as a meal of conversation.
Indians in Singapore seem to like to hang out with each other. Maybe it’s a way of strengthening them in other countries. It’s rare for Indians to be alone, except on the phone.
Yes, the custom of Indians in Singapore is to make phone calls. If Indonesians use smartphones to access social media, it becomes an addiction. Indians in Singapore use smartphones to make calls.
Came to Little India after work. Indian immigrants who relax must be busy making calls with their respective smartphones. This activity is done anywhere, in restaurants, on the street, on the MRT, on the bus. While eating, shopping, waiting for the bus, even while walking.
I had time to ask one of the immigrants, who the hell was being called. It turned out to be his family in India. Duh, romantically, exchanging news every night with families separated by the Andaman Sea.
This calling activity is directly proportional to the need for internet data packages. That’s why grocery stores or supermarkets in Little India are sure to sell sim cards or internet packages. There is hardly any Indian shop that doesn’t sell these two things.
Even in some shops that specialize in selling sim cards from India. I don’t understand why it has to be a sim card from India and what is the urgency. Isn’t it subject to roaming if you use it in Singapore? Or maybe this card was bought by Indians who are going back to their country?
Indian shops sell anything Indian, imported from India. Rice from India, saris, ceremonial supplies, medicines, incense, to cosmetics from India. No wonder many feel at home in Singapore, Indian goods are easy to find in Singapore.
From morning to night, exploring Little India may be like a walk in Bombay with a more organized and smaller scale. It turns out that Little India has a story, there is no need to go all the way to India or linger there. In Singapore, it turns out that Indian culture and people have a romance that is second to none.
