Little India!

[babystan03]

The New Paper - 12 Nov 2004

LITTLE INDIA'S NOT ALL INDIAN

It's commonly known to S'poreans as Little India, but the area is really a mish-mash of cultures and cuisines of independent countries

By Fawziah Selamat

THERE'S more to food in Little India than dosai and fish head curry.

But then there's more to the little place than India.

Take a walk down Serangoon Road, and you can't miss little Bangladesh.

This is where Serangoon Road meets Rowell Road.

The signs here are more likely to be in Bengali than Tamil.

Across the road is the Angullia mosque and a little Afghanistan where beards are as long as the tossing of the teh tarik.

LINES BLURRED

Here, the heavy air of spicy South Indian masala gives way to the subtler aroma of freshly-baked naan.

But it's not so clearly mapped out.

Instead, Bengali shops jostle for space with Chinese food stalls and shops selling saris from Benares.

This is the area bordered by Rowell Road, Lembu Road, Syed Alwi Road and Serangoon Road.

Its unofficial moniker of Little Bangla has stuck - no doubt popularised by the more than 10,000 Bangladeshis who converge there every Sunday.

The many specialty Bangladeshi grocery shops with signs screaming Bangla Bazaar also serve to reinforce that identity.

Singaporean Mohammed Asadullah, 47, moved his business from Kaki Bukit to Little Bangla in the mid-'90s.

It was then that he noticed the growing demand for services catering specifically to Bangladeshis.

And his restaurant, Dhaka Cafe, started catering to the then-largely-ignored Bangladeshi taste-buds.

While Bangladeshis have been streaming into Little India since the mid-'80s, the culinary options open to them then were only the hawker stalls selling cheap eats at Tekka Centre and along the side streets of Buffalo Road and Buffalo Lane.

MILD CURRIES AND FISH

Bangladeshis, however, prefer their curries mild with fluffy naan bread or rice. Their favourite non-vegetarian dishes are usually made with fresh-water fish, said Mr Mohammed, who is originally from Bangladesh.

Mr Mohammed said there are at least six Bangladeshi-owned shops near his restaurant on Roberts Lane while more than 20 others dot the area around Syed Alwi Road and Lembu Road.

BAD REPUTATION

Marketing executive Deen Fajarudeen, 39, a frequent visitor to the area, remembers a time when what is now called Little Bangla was not so inviting, at least to mainstream folks.

'Back in the '80s, Little India began near the former Rex theatre at Mackenzie Road and stopped at Desker Road.

'You wouldn't want to venture past Desker Road as not only was the area dead, it was mainly a prostitution haunt,' said Mr Deen.

'These days, you've got families walking around here as Mustafa Centre is nearby and so many shops have mushroomed to serve the needs of the community.

'It's definitely come alive and the area has a very vibrant feel.'

North Indian influences are also making their impact around Little Bangla.

At Norris Road, men can be seen flattening dough to make chapatis.

Mr Shahid Javaid, 30, opened his tandoori restaurant in Little Bangla last year.

And he explained why North Indian food is increasingly popular in the area.

'North Indian and Pakistani cuisine are more similar to Bangladeshi than South Indian because of the milder, less spicy taste. Also, we tend to speak Urdu or Hindi, which is similar to Bengali so communication is not a problem,' said Mr Shahid, a Singapore PR from Pakistan.

Lunch-time at his restaurant sees Pakistani men in flowing salwar kameez (a long tunic worn over loose pyjamas), knitted skull caps and long, bushy beards digging into creamy lentil-based curries with pieces of flat breads like naan or chapati.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

[RafflesCity]

how cool, we even have a little Bangladesh and little Afghanistan!

[redstone]

We have a Little Thailand, Golden Mile!

[RafflesCity]

I went to the supermarket there recently - I sure felt like I was in Bangkok!

[redstone]

There's a very unique little building, a small kopitiam, a little wedge at Clive Street. So very kampong!


Most streets in Little India have European names...

[RafflesCity]

Traffic gives way to add flavour to Little India

12 Jan 05

Stretch of Campbell Lane kept clear for more cultural shows and ethnic stalls

By Yeo Ghim Lay

CONGESTED Campbell Lane, in the heart of Little India, will soon be a 'cultural corner', when the first half of the street is closed to traffic within this year.

The Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (Lisha) said yesterday that Campbell Lane, off Serangoon Road, will be turned partly pedestrian to make room for cultural shows and food and souvenir stalls.

'We hope to create a cultural corner in the area,' said Mr Rajakumar Chandra, the association's honorary secretary.

Campbell Lane is currently home to more than 30 shops. Parallel-parking lots on both sides cause congestion.

Mr Mallaiah Sundaram, 50, who owns a provision shop there, welcomed the news as he can now 'display goods better and attract more customers'.

This follows a similar move in Chinatown, where Pagoda and Trengganu streets are closed to motor vehicles. It is the first phase of a three-year plan by Lisha and the Hindu Endowments Board to develop Little India into a tourist hub. The move is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Plans include installing special lamp posts to allow the hanging of street decorations for this year's Deepavali.

The partial closure of Campbell Lane to traffic was announced yesterday on the first day of Pongal 2005. Pongal is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by South Indians, and is also the name of a sweet porridge made of freshly harvested rice.

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Finance and Transport, was the guest of honour.

Lisha also honoured 16 woman entrepreneurs of Little India, who received plaques at the event yesterday.

Among them was Mrs Ummal Faziriya, 53, who runs a provision store, Rasool Shop, in Buffalo Road. 'I am very happy. I've been in this business for a long time and it is the first time I am getting recognised,' she said.

Mrs Faziriya, who helped start up the shop in 1982, said that their in-house brand of curry powder is so popular that even foreign tourists visit her store.

A field along Campbell Lane will play host to a variety of cultural performances from today until Saturday, in celebration of this year's Pongal.

[RafflesCity]

A shophouse and old mansion in Little India with an interesting colour scheme

[redstone]

Very colourful!

[drwho]

wonderful picture raffie!!!

[huaiwei]

We will be meeting at LITTLE INDIA this saturday!

[SkylineTurbo]

Isn't Little India have the Arab community?

[huaiwei]

Nope...the Arab community is over at Kampong Glam.

[drwho]

Originally Posted by huaiwei

We will be meeting at LITTLE INDIA this saturday!

dont forget to take pictures!!!!

[SkylineTurbo]

Originally Posted by huaiwei

Nope...the Arab community is over at Kampong Glam.

Oh, so not so far away.

[RafflesCity]

Here is a panoramic overview of Little India

[SkylineTurbo]

Great picture rafflescity!

[huaiwei]

Agreed! Its cute seeing them fighting for space with taller contemporary developments too.

[SkylineTurbo]

This area should be under protection, it has increadibly nice and unique architecture.

[RafflesCity]

it is a conservation area, together with Chinatown and the Arab Street area, so all these shophouses will be restored.

will try to post more pics soon

[redstone]

There's one quaint old wooden coffee stall in a wedge at Clive Road.
Hope it won't be torn down...