6th of December, 2012
Whenever someone mentions India, I envision these crowded, smelly streets, the scent of curry pervading through the air. It's a limited picture, I know, but I caught a glimpse of it when we visited Little India today.
Unlike Chinatown, Little India was a part of Singapore I've yet to explore. The opportunity to acquaint myself with it made the experience all the more appealing.
We got through the first half of the day in class fairly quickly, going through coursework as usual. Once we were dismissed, we set off towards the bus stop in Toa Payoh Central and boarded the 56, headed towards Little India. It wasn't easy, cramming the 20 or so of us into the already packed bus, but we bucked up and tried our best to enjoy the ride.
From the bus stop we alighted, then we walked a little farther towards the MRT station underpass. There were rustic murals displayed here and there on the walls, and it certainly felt like a warm welcome to the district.
We exited the station and found ourselves in Tekka Market. The aforementioned smell of curry soon caught my nose, but not in the delicious scent when the dish is in front of you. It was a myriad of disparate smells that made up the dish's ingredients: the ginger, the coriander and other herbal names which I can't be bothered to recall or make up right now. The market also smelled faintly of fish. When we walked by the sidewalks of the wider streets later, the mixed smells of jasmine, roses and lilies would form a fragrant perfume, emanating from the stalls that sold these leis.
We had lunch together at the nearby food center. I had a go at Nasi Briyani, which was this yellowish-orange rice with a helping of curry drenched meat (I tried the mutton, absolutely delish). Once our stomachs were full, we trekked through the streets again on foot and found were shown this little villa, painted in a splash of eye-catching shades, embodying what Indians are like: colorful.
Just across the road from the Tekka Market Food Centre is a place called The Little India Arcade. It's like this small shopping mall that sells a various range of handmade crafts such as handbags, hanging lanterns, sandals and jewelry.
The Little India Arcade is also a good place to get Henna tattoos. The black ink (which comes in other colors too) sinks into the skin, forming a crusty layer that later peels off, revealing the semi-permanent pattern underneath (it lasts for at least week). The result resembles the surface of a cup of capuchino, only the colors are inverted -- smooth streaks of brown atop creamy, pale, froth-like skin.
We returned to the food centre to try some Indian cuisine, courtesy of our tour guide. We had some roti prata and teh tarik, the warm salty crunch of the bread and the sweet heat of the tea, making us feel comfortable in the middle of a torrential downpour of rain.
The final stop in our tour was the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple. The teachings of gods and goddesses, characteristic to the Indian culture, have always been something I saw interesting. Whether one believes in it or not is another matter, but the values behind the teachings are presented in such a way that is understandable, even enjoyable.
I've now ventured into two of Singapore's unique ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown and Little India. Both trips have left me feeling cultured, not to mention grateful at being given the chance to even be where I am.
Next week, is the final chapter of this little series, and I'll finally see what Singapore itself has to offer as a whole, as we saunter through the banks of the Singapore River and pay a visit to the Peranakan Museum.
Until then!
--Karin Novelia,
