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Little India

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Rattie
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Little India and Thieves' Market

  • July 1, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by marseilles from Metro Manila, Philippines
Little India and Thieves' Market

South Asians (people who trace their roots to the Indian subcontinent) comprise the third largest ethnic group in Singapore (after Chinese and Malays). Most of these Indians (as they're officially called) in Singapore are Tamil, and Tamil is one of the three "mother tongue" languages students may choose from in government schools (the others being Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Melayu).

Of the three ethnic neighborhoods I visited in Singapore--Chinatown, the Muslim Quarters, and Little India--I found Little India to be the most interesting.

To begin with, it was in Little India that I found -- finally! -- the Singapore of my childhood!!! Shophouses, "coffee shops" (Singaporean slang for outdoor hole-in-the-wall eateries), the strange smell of Indian spices, men sitting on the sidewalks watching the world pass by .... This was Singapore as I remembered it. The only things that were missing were the streetfood vendors (outlawed in the 80s) ... and the crowds. The crowds, the crowds -- where were the crowds???? (There hadn't been any crowds in Chinatown either.) I figured it may have been because I was in Little India on a weekday afternoon, before anyone had gotten off from work.

Most of the shops in Little India were in traditional shophouse structures, which the government had preserved in their vibrant colors. Beautiful Indian fabric and interesting bric-a-bracs were being sold at incredibly cheap prices, and if I didn't have a lot of self-discipline I would've easily fallen into a shopping frenzy.

But I was here to sightsee, not to shop, and so I pressed on.

At the edge of Little India, I arrived at the "Thieves' Market" (between Jalan Basar and Sungei Road), a makeshift flea market. It was mid-afternoon when I arrived, and streetside peddlers had set up their wares on blankets on the ground.

My guidebook described it as old "uncles" (Singaporean slang for old man) peddling their old wares. I wasn't so sure. While a few of them did look like tradesmen doing small-time retail, it looked more to me like many of the old men and women had picked many of these second-hand items out of garbage cans or dumpsters, had had them fixed, and had now hauled them using their bicycle sidecars to this park to sell them to make a little extra cash.

At any rate, it again felt a little more like the Singapore I'd known as a child. Even the way the place sounded--people were actually speaking in Hokkien (unlike the Singlish/Mandarin that I'd mostly been hearing along the more "modernized" roads in Singapore)! Thieves' Market was also a sobering reminder that despite the amazing pace at which Singapore had moved from third-world to first-world status, not everyone had benefited from the progress in the same way.

According to my research, vendors sell their goods at the Thieves' Market from around 11 AM to 7 PM everyday, and there are more vendors on weekends.

From journal Culture and History in Singapore

Editor Pick

Little India

  • May 23, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Poole Party from everywhere, Virginia
Once again, thanks to Singapore’s organized subway system, another charming area is easily accessible to visitors and residents alike. The district of little India is located at the, Little India MRT station. There is a large market selling produce and food on the ground level, and on the second level it looked like there were many clothes and fabrics. Unfortunately, I was not able to make my way upstairs because I could not find an elevator. It is hard for me to imagine that Singapore would not have thought of having an elevator though...I did manage to shop to my heart’s content at a small store at the foot of Tekka market where I bought free flowing dresses, batik fabric knee length dresses and a couple of brilliantly coloured skirts each less than $10.

Although the food court at the foot of Tekka Mart did not seem to be as clean as Chinatown’s food court, I bought a mango lassi to consume as I wandered around Little India. Once again, I arrived just around 11am so stores were just starting to open and my senses were inundated with the smell and smoke of burning incense at the small altars outside the opening stores. It was ironic to see store owners standing barefoot in front of their altars, even though they were standing on the street.

Little India has many stores that resemble those in Little Chinatown, except the smells, the spices, and the colours are different. Henna tattoos, Indian trinkets, beaded jewellery boxes, Indian style dresses and lots of fabric stores ready to sell you fabric for custom made saris. Also there were a number of stores with brass and wood artifacts, knick knacks. Many resembling some of the stores in Chinatown.

My trip was cut short by the torrential downpour. Rather than wait it out to try out the opening curry houses, I opted to return to the hotel.

Once again, I had my stroller with me, and like Chinatown, it was slightly hard to get around some of the small stores, and I found myself going up and down the pavement, however, for the most part I was able to get around the streets and smaller stores. If you are sensitive to smells and smoke, I would wait until after 11am to avoid the burning incense, but definitely, Little India, like so many of the other places in Singapore, is filled with colour and local culture worth capturing on film and in your memory.

From journal Singapore Delights

Little India

  • August 19, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Timone from Warwick, United Kingdom
If you don't like crowds, particularly crowds of men, don't go to Little India on a Sunday evening, as this is when all the Indians who work in Singapore have a day off and meet up with their friends. In fact, I found the whole experience rather fun, although the crowds were a bit irritating, as it prevented a good view of some of the temples. The Sri Veeramakiamman Temple on Serangoon Street is very colourful and worth a look at; you can get right up to the door and see inside without actually having to go inside. There is also the Tekka Centre for food (see separate entry), and upstairs there are numerous stalls selling crafts and textiles. Some of the shops and streets smell beautifully of spices and food, you could easily follow your nose around Little India!

A nice trip to Little India could start by taking the MRT to Little India station and then returning from Farrer Park further up Serangoon Street and off to the left.

From journal Exploring Singapore

Little India

  • February 24, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Rattie from Perth, Australia
This is a colourful and vibrant area where the aroma of spices, sandalwood, and patchouli will seduce your senses. Follow your nose!

We visited on Sunday evening when Little India is at its most lively. Around 10,000 workers celebrate their day off by eating, catching up on news, and visiting their temples. Arrive around 5pm and stay for a few hours. By 8pm, the crowds make it difficult to navigate the footpaths.

The crowd is mostly male, but women shouldn't feel threatened by this if they follow the same precautions they would in their own city.

Food is a highlight and ridiculously inexpensive.

Shoppers will find much to tempt them, including Indian handcrafts and religious paraphernalia.

From journal Singapore

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