Vol.

16 Issue

04 2021 JAN–MAR

10 / The Mystery of Madras Chunam 24 / Remembering Robinsons 30 / Stories From the Stacks 36 / Let There Be Light 42 / A Convict Made Good 48 / The Young Ones

a Labour of Love The Origins of Kueh Lapis p. 4 I think we can all agree that 2020 was a challenging year. Like many people, I’m looking Director’s forward to a much better year ahead. And for those of us with a sweet tooth, what better way to start 2021 than to tuck into PRESERVING THE SOUNDS OF rich kueh lapis? Christopher Tan’s essay on the origins of this mouth-watering layered Note from – made of eggs, , and spices – is a feast for the senses, and very timely too, given the upcoming Lunar New Year. The clacking of a typewriter, the beeping of a pager and the Still on the subject of eggs, you should read Yeo Kang Shua’s examination of Madraschunam , the plaster made from, among other things, egg white and . It is widely believed to have shrill ringing of an analogue telephone – have you heard these been used on the interior walls of St Andrew’s Cathedral. Kang Shua sets the record straight. sounds before? Sounds can paint images in the mind and evoke Given the current predilection for toppling statues of contentious historical figures, poet and playwright Ng Yi-Sheng argues that Raffles has already been knocked off his pedestal – shared memories. figuratively speaking that is. From a familiar historical figure, we turn to a relatively unknown personality – Kunnuck Mistree, a former Indian convict who remade himself into a successful and respectable member of society. Vandana Aggarwal ferrets out the facts to uncover a fascinating story of redemption SoundscapeSG is a crowdsourcing platform by the National in 19th-century Singapore. Archives of Singapore that enables the community to contribute For a break from these heavy topics, check out our delightful photo essay on the children of the 1960s from the collection of the National Archives. And sadly, as Robinsons too fades into sounds from their daily lives and surroundings for historical history, we shine a spotlight on some not-so-well-known aspects of its storied past. Speaking of spotlights, one of my favourite essays in this issue is the one on the history preservation. It documents the sounds of today and integrates of street lighting in Singapore. Timothy Pwee takes what might have been a dull subject and turns it into an illuminating (pun intended) read. them into a sound map for archiving purposes, preserving this I’d also like to draw your attention to the essay that highlights the National Library’s rich intangible form of sound heritage for future generations. collection of rare paper-based artefacts. We have more than 19,000 items and our recent book, Stories from the Stacks, showcases a small selection of them, including a manual of football rules in Jawi, a colonial-era list of Tamil names, and a copy of a 15th-century Chinese map that mentions Temasek. These are just a few of the interesting articles that await you in this issue. Make yourself a nice cuppa (perhaps with a slice of kueh lapis), sit back, and slowly savour these essays. We enjoyed putting this issue together and we hope you will equally enjoy reading it.

Contribute your sounds Ms Tan Huism of Singapore at Director National Library www.go.gov.sg/soundscapesg

Editorial & Production

Editor-in-Chief Contributors Please direct all correspondence to On the cover Francis Dorai Christopher Tan Ng Yi-Sheng National Library Board Kueh lapis legit and its ingredients. Shaun Seah Managing Editor Gracie Lee 100 Victoria Street #14-01 Illustration by Oxygen Studio Designs Jimmy Yap Irene Lim Timothy Pwee National Library Building Pte Ltd. Justin Zhuang Vandana Aggarwal Singapore 188064 Senior Editor Kevin Khoo Yeo Kang Shua Email: [email protected] Veronica Chee Website: www.nlb.gov.sg PRESERVING THE SOUNDS OF SINGAPORE Liviniyah P Editorial Support Mazelan Anuar Design and Print Masamah Ahmad Mok Ly Yng Oxygen Studio Designs Pte Ltd

All rights reserved. National Library Board, Singapore, 2021.

BiblioAsia is a free quarterly publication produced by the National ISSN 0219-8126 (print) Library Board. It features articles on the history, culture and heritage ISSN 1793-9968 (online) of Singapore within the larger Asian context, and has a strong focus The views of the writers and contributors do not reflect the views of the Publisher. No part of this on the collections and services of the National Library. BiblioAsia is publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission from distributed to local and international libraries, academic institutions, the Publisher and copyright owner(s). government ministries and agencies, as well as members of the public. biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg Whilst reasonable care has been taken to ensure The online edition can be accessed with the QR code on the right. the accuracy of the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no ­legal liabilities whatsoever for the contents of this magazine. biblioasia VOLUME JAN 16 MAR CONTENTS ISSUE 04 2021

01 Director’s Note King Mongkut was a fan, Raleigh bicycles 04 Love Is a Many-Layered Thing were huge and the 1972 fire that killed nine. Christopher Tan delves into the origins and history of 24 kueh lapis legit, a cake famous for its exacting recipe. 10 St Andrew’s Cathedral and the Mystery of Madras Chunam Was Madras chunam used inside St Andrew’s Cathedral? Maybe not, says Yeo Kang Shua. 16 Raffles Displaced Once revered as the founder of Singapore, has been portrayed in a more complicated light in recent years, as Ng Yi-Sheng tells us. 24 Remembering Robinsons Generations of people have patronised Robinsons since its founding in 1858. Gracie Lee and Kevin Khoo A history of street lighting in Singapore: highlight some of the milestones in its history. 36 From oil lamps to electric bulbs. 30 Stories From the Stacks The National Library’s latest book, Stories from the Stacks, is a guide to the treasure trove of artefacts held in the library’s Rare Materials Collection. Century-old recipes for kueh lapis 36 Let There Be Light 04 legit and reveal a multi- Timothy Pwee enlightens us about the history of street layered history. lighting in Singapore. 42 The Extraordinary Life of Kunnuck Mistree Indian convicts contributed much to early Singapore. Vandana Aggarwal uncovers the story of one convict Despite rigorous search, no traces of Over the last 200 years, the portrayal who made good. Madras chunam were found on the walls of Stamford Raffles in popular culture 10 inside St Andrew’s Cathedral. 16 has evolved. 48 The Young Ones Photographs of children in the 1960s show how much Singapore has changed since. 54 Becoming Modern By Design The now-defunct Baharuddin Vocational Institute was Singapore’s first formal school for design.Justin Zhuang charts the history of the institute. 60 A Rugged Society: Adventure and Nation-Building The call to create a “rugged society” has resonated through the decades. Shaun Seah looks at how it shaped young people in the 1960s. 64 Asthma, Amahs and Amazing Irene Lim recalls herbal remedies, home-cooked meals and domestic servants in this extract from her memoir, 90 Years in Singapore.

Image credits, clockwise from top left: Illustration by Oxygen Studio Designs; What was it like being a child in Chiang Ker Chiu Collection, National Archives of Singapore; National Museum 48 1960s Singapore? This photo essay of Singapore, National Heritage Board; Urban Redevelopment Authority; gives us a glimpse. Singapore Bicentennial Office; Yeo Kang Shua. BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

incarnation: a soft, rich European-style spekkoek recipes in its inlandsche bakken Oost-Indische Kookboek also lists a single infused with spices native to (native ) chapter. One of them plain- variation, “for convenience”, the Indonesian Archipelago, cooked one has only three thick layers, with the spices merely sprinkled over layer at a time under a hot grill. baked individually and then sandwiched each layer after the cake is baked. In a with “some sort of jelly” – we know this Straits Times interview in 1983, famed Peeling Back the Years style today as lapis , koning- culinarian Hajjah Asfiah Trawling through vintage recipes, I found skroon (“king’s crown cake” in Dutch) or binte Haji Abdullah called this version that this basic template has persisted with lapis. kueh baulu lapis, which she would make little alteration for well over a century. The other two inlandsche recipes to sell at her Ramadan bazaar stall near The only major differences between are classic spekkoek, and both require Bussorah Street.11 old and modern recipes are the heat “two persons… two skillets… two deep Dutch-Indonesian chef Jeff Keasberry source – formerly charcoal, these days bowls… two wicker brooms or egg beat- identifies the two-batter cake with fewer usually an electric oven element – and ers” (see text box on page 7) to wrangle total layers as Indo-Dutch spekkoek that the now-frequent addition of condensed one plain white batter and one spiced originates from the era, milk and/or milk powder to the batter, brown batter, baked in alternating lay- a species older than and distinct from perhaps to mimic the stronger flavours ers. Their formulas otherwise differ: one what he calls Indonesian legit, and higher protein content of yesteryear’s rests on copious butter and flour, plus which uses a single batter and has thinner imported butter. , , , and more layers – at least 18, according The Spekkoek (Kwee Lapies) recipe in and mace; the other is more egg-rich, to him.12 Indonesian culinary teacher and the 1895 book, Recepten Van De Haagsche and omits nutmeg and mace but includes author Sitti Nur Zainuddin-Moro also Kookschool (Recipes from The Hague Cook- crushed ang-khak,6 or Chinese red yeast makes the same distinction in her influ- ing School), is fully consonant with modern . This last item is especially intriguing ential cookbookKue-Kue Manasuka (Kue What lies in this vale of tiers? Christopher Tan recipes, albeit its “65 cloves” might be a bit given Soemantri’s observation thatlapis You Will Like; 1980), naming the two-batter delves into lapis legit, the cake that is as famous much for most of us today. It directs the legit spice blends are “similar to Chinese version Sepekuk Biasa (ordinary spekkoek), for its exacting recipe as for the unparallelled cook to butter, sugar, eggs and flour five-spice… there is a lapis legit recipe and the other lapis legit.13 7 flavour of its buttery layers. into a batter “in the usual way”, flavour that uses fennel also”. Many examples of both variants have it with very finely ground spices, bake it Vintage recipes using a single spiced appeared in Singaporean recipe books in layers, smearing butter over each layer batter are also common. Besides the over the years, although their names are when it is done, and finally to store the Haagsche Kookschool book, Kokki Bitja sometimes conflated. Mrs Susie Hing’s cake in a tightly sealed tin, where it will (Beloved Cook; 1859),8 Oost-Indisch landmark 1956 cookbook, In A Malayan keep for “a long time”.4 Kookboek (East Indies Cookbook; 1870)9 Kitchen, includes a spekkoek recipe (and The 1925 Groot Nieuwe Volledig and Het Nieuwe Kookboek (The New a koningskroon recipe) that Dutch read- Oost-Indisch Kookboek (Great New Com- Cookbook; 1925)10 all take this tack for ers from earlier generations would have plete East Indies Cookbook)5 collates three their spekkoek. The Groot Nieuw Volledig recognised straightaway.14

Christopher Tan is a food writer, author, cooking instructor and photographer whose latest book is the award-winning The Way of Kueh, a comprehensive work about Singapore’s kueh culture.

When I was young, kueh lapis legit1 would Kue lapis legit and its sister confec- lapis legit and spekkoek as [legacies of] announce its presence in my family kitchen tion spekkoek (more of that sisterhood Dutch influence,” says Indonesian food long before anyone got to taste it. The later) are iconic for Indonesians, writer, author and restaurant pundit Wfirst portent was the careful shepherding Malays – especially those with some Kevindra Soemantri.2 of precious bottles of spice powders and Javanese heritage – and Peranakan Chi- Modern makeovers have spawned a brandy. The next sign was the buying of nese. Major festivals such as Hari Raya multiplicity oflapis varieties – patterned (Above) Dutch-Indonesian chef Jeff Keasberry identifies the two-batter cake with fewer many eggs and much butter. On baking day, and the Lunar New Year would not be in bright colours; flavoured with fresh or total layers as Indo-Dutch spekkoek (right) originating from the Dutch East Indies era, a the kitchen thrummed with signals: the loud complete without tables graced by these dried fruit, or coffee or choco- species older than and distinct from what he calls Indonesian kue lapis legit (left), which rhythm of batter vigorously beaten; the tiered touchstones. These communities late; rolled up into logs; or carved and uses a single batter and has more and thinner layers. Courtesy of Jeff Keasberry. steady cadence of spread batter thinly, grill have roots and branches in the milieus of rearranged like intricate marquetry. A (Left) Title page of Groot Nieuwe Volledig Oost-Indische Kookboek, published in 1925. It it until brown, press out bubbles, brush with maritime Southeast Asia’s Dutch colonial comprehensive 1986 Indonesian recipe contains nearly 1,400 recipes, including three spekkoek recipes in its inlandsche bakken butter, then repeat; and the rippling scent- era, which saw the flowering of many book, Hidangan Ringan: Party , (native baking) chapter. Image reproduced from van der Meijden, J.M.J.C. (1925). Groot nieuw volledig Oost-Indisch kookboek [Great New Complete East Indies Cookbook]. : waves of sizzling butter and caramelising hybrid foodways. “Most of us who live in includes 11 different variations on the G.C.T. Van Dorp & Co. (Not available in NLB holdings). crust. Anticipation ran at a fever pitch, or cities known for rich colonial history, like theme, to the tune of cempedak, , perhaps that was just the heat nimbus of Jakarta, Palembang, Bangka, Semarang, mocha and more.3 However, the clas- (Facing page) The author’s home-made kueh lapis legit. This is an iconic cake for Indonesians, our Baby Belling oven. Surabaya and , are familiar with sic version remains the most revered Malays and the Peranakan Chinese. Courtesy of Christopher Tan. 04 05 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

A 1957 Straits Times article records a taurant) on – described Some have suggested spekkoek has spekkoek recipe by a Mrs Rosaleen Yang, in a 1950 Straits Times article as being “not its origins in the German , the BEAT 16 EGG YOLKS… FOR ONE HOUR When you have baked four layers, who baked alternating plain and cocoa- unlike a Paris bistro”19 – where founder “tree-ring” cake considered the ultimate prick the cake with a knitting needle: if noth- The following is a 1925 recipe for spe- spiked batters in “a copper or brass pan”.15 Lim Djin Hai and his family served both test and accomplishment of a konditor- ing adheres to the needle then the layers kkoek from Groot nieuw volledig Oost- A similar recipe for Lapis Betawi (Batavia, Javanese and European food in the late meister (master chef). However, are done, and you can continue layering; Indisch kookboek (Great New Complete as Jakarta was called under the Dutch) 1940s. Prior to emigrating to Singapore in baumkuchen has a drier texture than otherwise let them bake for a while longer.12 East Indies Cookbook), translated from appeared in Berita Harian in 1968, which 1946, Lim was a caterer in his hometown spekkoek and is made using a different Use a ladle that is not too large the original Dutch by Christopher Tan.1 called for a generous amount of spice to of Bencoolen (now Bengkulu), where one method: its cylindrical layers are built to scoop the batter. The cake, in its springform pan, may augment the cocoa.16 of his clients was the then Governor- up around a rotating spit. Also, German For convenience’s sake, you can also have been baked within a metal vessel In 1981, the New Nation published General of the Dutch East Indies. (Java records clearly trace its evolution from a make this cake using only the first batter, with hot coals underneath and/or on Nonya doyenne and cookbook author Mrs Restaurant later moved to Killiney Road, dough-based cake in the 1500s into the and after every layer is baked, sprinkle it top of its lid. Dutch technical prowess Leong Yee Soo’s single-batter Speckok morphing into the Java Provision Store, batter-based form known from the 1700s well with the mixed spices, and then top at casting such pots led to such vessels Kueh Lapis Batavia recipe, which details where for over 25 years it purveyed home- until today.20 “There is no significant with the batter again. being dubbed “Dutch ovens” by other the importance of pricking each cooked baked and imported Indo-Dutch goods.) record of Prussian people in Indonesia,” Javanese kue lapis and spekkoek recipes in the Groot nations in the 18th century. layer with a skewer to deflate bubbles says Soemantri, but “perhaps baumkuchen Nieuwe Volledig Oost-Indische Kookboek, published and create microscopic holes for the next Building a Mystery influenced the original Dutchspekkoek ”. 21 in 1925. Reproduced from van der Meijden, J.M.J.C. Kwée lapis (Spekkoek) (1925). Groot nieuw volledig Oost-Indisch kookboek NOTES layer’s batter to flow in, for better adhe- The early origin stories of spekkoek and Here is a curious similarity though: [Great New Complete East Indies Cookbook] (p. 1 Van der Meijden, J.M.J.C. (1925). Groot nieuw volledig 17 sion. In 1977, the Straits Times featured lapis legit remain largely unknown, despite baumkuchen is traditionally flavoured with Thirty eggs, the whites beaten sepa- 305). Malang: G.C.T. Van Dorp & Co. (Not available Oost-Indisch kookboek [Great new complete East Indies cookbook] (p. 305). Malang: G.C.T. Van Dorp & Co. (Not in NLB holdings). a recipe by one Cik Khatijah Ashiblie for their widespread popularity. Spekkoek spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, rately, 30 tablespoons fine dry white available in NLB’s holdings) Lapis Mascovrish, whose batter derives from the Dutch words spek koek, or vanilla), citrus, nuts (most often sugar, 15 tablespoons sifted flour, 2 Freshly churned butter is always washed with plain was layered with and raisins.18 meaning “ cake”, no doubt an allusion almonds) and liquor. The oldest spekkoek one pound washed butter,2 two des- water to remove all traces of buttermilk – the liquid add eight tablespoons of flour one by one, separated from the butterfat by the churning – and Outside of home kitchens, only a few to the cake’s pale and red-brown stripes. recipe I have come across, from Kokki Bitja, sertspoons finely pounded Chinese casein dairy proteins. If not washed away, these make 3 then add half a pound of washed butter in stores in Singapore made or imported However, there seem to be no records in calls for , cardamom, white pepper, red rice or red yeast rice (ang-khak ), the butter develop rancid off-flavours and turn bad. small increments while beating constantly. spekkoek and kue lapis in the early 20th the of any layered cake by jeruk cina (mandarin orange) zest, kenari one teaspoon clove powder, one - 3 See note 6 on page 9. In the second pot, beat the remaining 4 The batters are mixed in the pots so presumably the century. One such establishment was the that name which pre-dates lapis legit, and nuts and brandy. Mere coincidence or spoon finely pounded cardamom, two 14 egg yolks with seven tablespoons of bowls are used for beating the egg whites. Java Restaurant (originally Mooi Thien Res- neither is there such an extant cake there. distant cousinhood? teaspoons finely pounded cinnamon, 5 Small brooms – bundled plant stalks or twigs – were the white sugar and seven tablespoons melted butter. historically used to beat liquid ingredients. Metal of flour, along with the spices mentioned whisks only started to become more common around the early 20th century. (Left and bottom left) Pressing a freshly baked lapis legit layer to flatten and smoothen it, and spreading above, and half a pound of butter. Preparation: 6 Brooms are not very efficient whisks. batter for the next layer. Courtesy of Christopher Tan. When the batters in the two pots 7 Presumably this means a thick and creamy foam. (Below) Spekkoek recipe from In a Malayan Kitchen. Spek koek means “bacon cake” in Dutch. Both bacon To make the batters for this cake, two have been well mixed, add the whipped 8 And presumably do the same for the remaining 14 whites for the 14-yolk batter lot, although the recipe and cake bear stripes – as can ribbons, as this recipe’s subtitle references. Reproduced from Hing, S. (1956). persons are needed, as well as two egg whites a spoonful at a time, 16 egg does not spell this out. 4 8 In a Malayan Kitchen (p. 65). Singapore: Mun Seong Press. (Call no.: RCLOS 641.59595 HIN). pots, two deep bowls and two wicker whites for the 16-yolk batter lot. 9 Springform pans with latched sides and removable brooms5 or egg beaters. The cake is baked in layers in a spring- bases were largely the same then as they still are now. 9 Pan size is unmentioned, so this was either standard One batter may not stand longer form pan, which must first be brushed knowledge, or the reader is expected to know how to than the other: this is why the above- well with butter. make do. mentioned ingredients are divided into The first layer must be thoroughly dry 10 The muslin prevents the cake layer from sticking to your hand as you flatten it. two lots. and well cooked: before you add a second 11 The layering alternates the two batters; every layer is In one of the pots, beat 16 egg layer of the spiced batter, press it down pressed and butter-brushed. yolks with 16 tablespoons of fine dry with a muslin-wrapped hand,10 then brush 12 The needle test checks for uncooked batter under 6 11 the surface: heat sources were not always even. white sugar for one hour, until the some melted butter over it. Then continue The baking set-up is not detailed, but it would have mixture is as smooth as butter.7 Then to bake the batters alternately in layers. featured top-down heat.

A more plausible progenitor for kue lapis jawa. In Kue-Kue Manasuka, Sitti lapis legit may be the layer cakes tradition- Nur Zainuddin-Moro records a Batavian ally made in southern to celebrate recipe for a red and white version called the annual Double Ninth festival – recipes “Lapis Merah Putih (Betawi)”.23 which travelled to maritime Southeast Asia The auspicious Chinese saying and with the Chinese diaspora. Chiefly rice- wish for success 歩歩高升 (bu bu gao based, these cakes are steamed layer by sheng, which means “rising step by step”) layer, frequently with alternating batters is embodied by both steamed and baked of different colours, often tinted with – yes lapis. For the Indonesian Chinese, lapis – red yeast rice. Chinese communities in legit “is always related to celebration, and Southeast Asia still make these today; in for them, its many layers equal prosper- Indonesia they are simply called kue lapis, ity,” says Soemantri.24 but old Dutch and Indonesian cookbooks identify them as kue lapis cina22 or kue A Nonlinear Lineage Indeed, kueh lapis legit is nothing if not rich. In my family, we let it sit untouched A vintage brass pan of the type used for baking kueh lapis legit. Note the “scars” on the lid left by hot coals. for at least a couple of days post-baking, Courtesy of Christopher Tan. so that all the butter and spice can fully 06 07 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Bebinca is also traditional to East Timor, batter? Or only half of it, for layers that fragile enough to melt on the tongue; a Portuguese colony up until the 1970s. alternate colours and scents? She thinks dairy-lush and spice-opulent, but debonair Though they seem similar, it is unclear and experiments, and so it goes. and delicate, and never ponderous. whether Timorese prefigured or Imagine such a narrative, writ not by Having taken over lapis-making duties instead descended from the Goan version. a single person over an afternoon, but by from my elders, I understand more keenly Such intricately connected and mingled gas- numberless cooks and bakers, exchanging why this kueh and its kin have enjoyed such tronomy is the legacy of centuries of Dutch ideas and handing down legacies through longevity and such exalted status. Refining and Portuguese colonisers contending over the generations as they spread and grill and notating my family’s lapis legit recipe the same turf in Asia and around the world. and press and brush. Is this line of thought for my book, The Way of Kueh,30 took me While not as emblematic to Singapore’s and practice not destined to birth some- months of research and testing, over 1,300 Eurasians as , spekkoek is also thing marvellous, something enduringly words and finally three pages of text and made by that community, whose origins, delicious? As The Straits Times opined in a photos to do it full justice. Yes, lapis legit history and traditions incorporate both 1957 article about makingspiku (another and spekkoek require significant mental Portuguese and Dutch heritage.28 nickname for spekkoek) for Hari Raya: and physical investment, but when they are “The results are more than equal to those imbued with care and commitment, their Much More Than Its Seams achieved by even the most accomplished glory – and the accompanying feeling of (Above left) Steamed rice-based kue lapis for sale at a kue Perhaps this is how the story could have pastrycook of Vienna.”29 achievement – transcends every ounce of permeate its crumb. When at last it falls bolu kojo (lapis kojo), and so on.25 Two older pasar (market) in Jakarta. Courtesy of Christopher Tan. gone: a colonial-era cook makes a Dutch I could not agree more. If mindfully expended effort. Master this cake, and you under the knife, the sight of even, lovely signature Palembang lapis types are much (Above) Home-made kue engkak ketan, composed taart (butter cake) batter. Some extra eggs made, each spice-flecked strata should can truly say you have earned your stripes. lamina evokes great relief in the baker, closer in spirit to spekkoek, baked the same of glutinous , eggs, butter, sugar, condensed are on hand, so in they go – has she not seen be a beautiful paradox: coherent enough who discovers only at this moment if the way but with fewer, slightly thicker layers. milk, and blondo – boiled, oily milk. Courtesy Portuguese cooks do likewise to make their to peel off without tearing, yet thin and deck was stacked for success. One of them, kue maksuba, is made of Christopher Tan. cakes richer, softer, more velvety? Familiar So what might have bridged the using chicken and/or duck eggs, butter with European cakes baked in separate gap between steamed rice-flour layers or , sugar, and Bebinca’s creation is often attributed layers and then assembled, she wonders Christopher Tan’s book, The Way of Kueh: Savouring and baked wheat-flour layers, and how? vanilla, with flour in miniscule quantity or, to a (possibly apocryphal) nun named if the layers could be baked in situ instead, & Saving Singapore’s Heritage (2019), won Permit me to suggest a trip to Palembang. most often, entirely absent. Essentially a Bibiana or Bebiana at the Convent of Santa just as her Chinese neighbours steam their Book of the Year at the 2020 Singapore Book Awards Now South Sumatra’s capital, Palembang hyper-rich , kue maksuba has a Monica in Goa, whose devout sisters were cakes, and what if that uprising steam was and was also the winner in the Best Illustrated was formerly the capital of the Srivijayan smooth solidity not unlike the Malay famed for their culinary skills and repertoire replaced by coal heat radiating from above? Non-Fiction Title category. The book is available for empire, a Buddhist kingdom which endured bakar, with less of a cake-like vibe than of festive sweetmeats.26 Alternative origin And then, surrounded by – or maybe only reference at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library from around the 7th century to the 13th orthodox spekkoek. stories suggest links with other similarly dreaming of – the East Indies, she seizes on and for loan at selected public libraries (Call nos.: century. Its trade links with China, South The other lapis variety, kue engkak named Asian baked goods such as the Fili- spices from that corner of the empire, those RSING 641.595957 TAN and SING 641.595957 TAN). Asia and the Middle East ensured a con- ketan, has the same ingredients as kue pino and the Macanese bebinca; seeds and bark and buds whose aromas It also retails at major bookshops in Singapore. stant flow of goods, pilgrims, cultures and maksuba, plus two key elements: glutinous however, these purported family resem- lift the spirits. Should these infuse all the languages between those regions and the rice flour, and blondo or glondo – thick blances are scattered and hard to qualify. Malay Archipelago. This made Palembang which has been boiled until For instance, in Macau, bebinca de leite is a Written in Indonesian, this book includes both 18 Hari Raya delight for you to try. (1977, September 13). NOTES a fertile place for culinary ferment. some of its oil has separated out. The oily baked milk custard and bebinca de inhame traditional Indonesian and Dutch recipes. The Straits Times, p. 34. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 1 Throughout this article, I have used different spellings 9 Oost-Indisch kookboek [East Indies cookbook] (pp. 62, “Mascovrish” is likely a rendering of “moscovis”, a The city lays claim to several lapis sheen from the blondo and a faint springi- is yam cake (wu tau koh in ), and for the word kuih, as appropriate to that community 89). (1870). Semarang: Van Dorp & Co. (Not available Dutch colonial-era name attached to cakes made with varieties. Some are modern glosses on the ness from the flour strongly neither is layered. to whose desserts I am referring: hence kuih for Malay in NLB holdings). The first Dutch-language cookbook dried fruit or candied peel. “Moscovis” refers to Russia, items, kueh for Peranakan items, and kue for Indonesian form – made with pineapple jam between recall steamed kue lapis cina, while the That said, there is a Goan bebinca of Indonesian recipes. although the connection to the country is unclear. items, plus idiosyncratic spelling within direct quotes. 10 Koopmans-Gorter, A., & De Boer-De Jonge, G.A.M. 19 Chefs of S’pore–3. (1950, April 27). The Straits Times, strata (lapis nenas), a multi-layered version heavy doses of butter and condensed milk variation made with mashed potatoes Legit, pronounced with a hard “g”, means “sweet” or (1925). Het nieuwe kookboek [The new cookbook] (p. 307). p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. of the regional pandan-scented specialty bestow a European richness. However, the and baked in a single layer, which is all but “sticky” in Bahasa Indonesia. Groningen: P. Noordhoff. (Not available in NLB holdings) 20 Fritz Hahn: The Baumkuchen family. (2017). Retrieved 2 Personal communication with Kevindra Soemantri airlessly dense wheat-free crumb and the identical to Malaykuih bingka kentang. In 11 Delicacies and titbits for Hari Raya. (1983, July 5). The from settinger.net website. (www.feastin.id), 23–30 March, 2019. Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 21 Personal communication with Kevindra Soemantri lack of spice means the resemblance to fact, many Goan sweetmeats appear to be 3 Pamudji, D. (1986). Hidangan ringan: Party snacks. Kuala 12 Keasberry, J. (2019, February 25). Spekkoek and kue lapis (www.feastin.id), 23–30 March, 2019. kue lapis legit A modern rolled variation of with a flower- spekkoek is only partial. cognates of Southeast Asian ones. These Lumpur: Arenabuku Sdn Bhd. (Not available in NLB legit differences revealed. Retrieved from Cooking with 22 Keijner, W.C. (1972). Kookboek voor Hollandse, Chinese shaped cross-section. Courtesy of Christopher Tan. holdings). Among the author’s lapis recipes are a few with Keasberry website. en Indonesische derechten [Cookbook for Dutch, Chinese Kue engkak ketan reminds me strongly include kulkuls (crisp shell-shaped ), “tikar” designs, constructed by rotating and reassembling 13 Sitti Nur Zainuddin-Moro. (1980). Kue-kue manasuka and Indonesian dishes] (p. 161). : Uitgeverij J. F. of another sweet, one from Goa, India. cousins of kuih siput; alle belle (crepes rolled cut sections of lapis, to yield complex patterns when [Kue you will like] (pp. 130, 132). Jakarta: Dian Rakyat. Duwaer & Zonenmsterdam. (Not available in NLB holdings) Bebinca, also called bibinca or bibik, is a around grated coconut cooked with palm sliced across. These pre-date by over a decade the more (Call no.: RSEA 641.5 ZAI). The author, a cooking 23 Sitti Nur Zainuddin-Moro, 1980, p. 18. colourful lapis designs popular in . academy veteran, formidably marshals 272 recipes for 24 Personal communication with Kevindra Soemantri colonial legacy said to be a Portuguese sugar), which are much like kuih dadar; 4 Manden, A.C. (1895). Recepten van de Haagsche Indonesian kue, colonial delicacies, Western-style cakes, (www.feastin.id), 23–30 March, 2019. recipe but tweaked with local ingredients. pinaca (roasted rice and coconut pounded kookschool [Recipes from the Hague Cooking School] (p. 244). savoury snacks and pantry essentials. 25 Rudy, G. (2020). 23 resep kue autentik Palembang [23 It has many spekkoek-like traits, first and with palm sugar and warm spices), the twin The Hague: De Gebroeders van Cleef. (Not available in NLB 14 Hing, S. (1956). In a Malayan kitchen (pp. 65–66). Singapore: authentic Palembang cake recipes]. Jakarta: Kompas holdings). Founded in the late 1800s, the school provided Mun Seong Press. (Call no.: RCLOS 641.59595 HIN). A Gramedia. (Not available in NLB holdings). Nine kinds of foremost a very rich batter made of egg yolk of Peranakan kueh dadu; and Goan its female students with formal culinary training. wonderfully eclectic treasure trove of recipes spanning Palembang lapis are pictured on this book’s cover. and coconut milk, with comparatively little (rice, palm sugar and coconut milk toffee), 5 Van der Meijden, J.M.J.C. (1925). Groot nieuw volledig Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, Dutch and colonial “fusion” items. 26 Doctor, V. (2019, March 25). Tried bebinca yet? The Goan Oost-Indisch kookboek [Great new complete East wheat flour, and spiced with cardamom and which differs from Indonesian dodol only 15 Prelude to New Year. (1957, January 24). The Straits queen of desserts packs layers of flavour and history. Indies cookbook] (pp. 305–306). Malang: G.C.T. Times, p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Retrieved from The Economic Times website. nutmeg. Bebinca is traditionally “baked” in that Goan cooks use regular rice instead Van Dorp & Co. (Not available in NLB holdings). A 16 Kueh bangket kelapa dan lapis betawi, waduh, lazat 27 Personal communication with Janet P. Boileau layer by layer – some recipes specify seven of glutinous rice. mammoth book chronicling nearly 1,400 recipes from sa-kali! (1968, June 2). Berita Harian, p. 8. Retrieved (www.janetboileau.com), October 2008. the Dutch East Indies, written to help familiarise Dutch layers, others multiples of seven – under a Food historian Janet Boileau quotes from NewspaperSG. This recipe has a truly decadent 28 Braga-Blake, M., Ebert-Oehlers, A., & Pereira, A.A. (2017). cooks with the cuisine. butter-to-flour ratio of around 6:1. Singapore Eurasians: Memories, hopes and dreams pot lid holding burning wood or coconut Macanese-culture expert Rui Rocha in 6 Also known as red rice, this is rice inoculated with a yeast 17 Feast with the experts. (1981, January 29). New (p. 246). Singapore: World Scientific. (Call no.: RSING husks, with clarified butter brushed over speculating that Southeast Asian desserts strain that produces a vivid red pigment as it grows. The Nation, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. The 305.80095957 SIN) dried grains are a traditional Chinese ingredient used to name Speckok Kueh Lapis Batavia comes from Mrs 29 Malay women are very busy now. (1957, April 30). The each layer. It must rest for several hours likely travelled westward to Goa, perhaps make rice wine and to add colour to dishes. Leong Yee Soo’s classic local cookbook, Singaporean Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. before being sliced. In terms of flavour and via Melaka, and were assimilated into local 7 Personal communication with Kevindra Soemantri Cooking. See Leong, Y.S. (1976). Singaporean 30 Tan, C. (2019). The way of kueh: Savouring & saving (www.feastin.id), 23–30 March, 2019. cooking. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press Sdn Singapore’s heritage desserts. Singapore: Epigram texture, bebinca sits squarely between and Catholic culinary and 8 Cornelia, N. (1859). Kokki bitja [Beloved cook] (p. 160). 27 Bhd. (Call no.: RSING 641.595957 LEO) Books. (Call no.: RSING 641.595957 TAN) spekkoek and kue engkak ketan. traditions there. Batavia: Lange & Co. (Not available in NLB holdings). 08 09 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Dr Yeo Kang Shua is Associate Professor of Archi- tectural History, Theory and Criticism, and Associ- ate Head of Pillar (Research/Practice/Industry) at St Andrew’s the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Completed in 1865, St Andrew’s Cathedral1 is a national monument that is regularly featured in guidebooks about Singapore. Built in the English Gothic style, cdescriptions of this handsome building Cathedral invariably mention that the interior walls of this Anglican church used a unique form of plaster known as Madras chunam. The (Above) Plaster sampling at one of the columns in St Andrew’s Cathedral. A sample of the plaster was rather unusual ingredients that make up taken from the surface to the brick substrate for laboratory analysis. In this photograph, a thin layer (2–3 mm) of grey Portland cement screed can be seen under the white paint layer. Courtesy of Yeo Kang Shua. and the Mystery of Madras chunam – among other things, egg white and coarse sugar – are undoubtedly (Facing page) Completed in 1865 and consecrated as an Anglican cathedral in 1870, St Andrew’s is a national a key reason why it has become lodged monument that regularly features in guidebooks of Singapore. Almost every description mentions that the interior walls of the building were plastered with Madras chunam, which is partly made of egg white. Courtesy Madras Chunam in the popular imagination. of Preservation of Sites and Monuments, National Heritage Board. The use of Madras chunam is men- Was Madras chunam used inside St Andrew’s Cathedral? tioned in the 1899 book, Prisoners Their Maybe not, says Yeo Kang Shua, who has carefully examined the Own Warders,2 by John Frederick Adolphus In his 1988 book, Singapore: A Guide to affected areas, mainly behind the lectern layers of plaster on its interior walls. (J.F.A.) McNair of the Madras Artillery who Buildings, Streets, Places, co-written with as well as around the Chapel had supervised the construction of the Norman Edwards, the authors said that and pulpit. Two years later, more localised church. (It was consecrated as a church in some of the buildings in the Serangoon repairs were carried out, this time on the 1862, before it was fully completed, and area also featured Madras chunam.6 A 2017 south facade of the west porch, to address re-consecrated as a cathedral in 1870.) In article in The Straits Times even claimed the same problem. his book, McNair wrote: that Madras chunam was used in the Istana In 2016, to prepare for a large-scale (formerly known as Government House),7 and comprehensive plaster repair, the “In dealing with the interior walls and despite McNair’s own account that they cathedral undertook lime plaster trials at columns, we used… ‘Madras chunam’, had used a mixture of Portland cement, selected interior walls and columns along made from shell lime without sand; sand and powdered granite.8 the south aisle of the building.9 In 2018, but with this lime we had whites of Over the last 100 years, it has become further trials using proprietary lime were eggs and coarse sugar, or ‘’, axiomatic that Madras chunam was used carried out behind the lectern and pulpit, beaten together to form a sort of in St Andrew’s. There is, however, just one on the west porch and on the north facade , and mixed with water in which problem: there is no physical evidence of of the west porch. the husks of cocoanuts [sic] had been Madras chunam on the walls of St Andrew’s. In addition to these trials, in 2019, steeped. The walls and columns were For close to a decade, I have been involved the internal walls of the tower (the belfry) plastered with this composition, and, in conservation issues pertaining to the were repaired during conservation work after a certain period for drying, were interior of St Andrew’s and, as part of this on the church bells. rubbed with rock crystal or rounded job, I have closely examined and analysed Thus between 2011 and 2019, we stone until they took a beautiful polish, the plaster work at various locations within had numerous opportunities to sample being occasionally dusted with fine the building. Despite having taken and ana- and study the plaster around many spots soapstone powder, and so leaving lysed numerous samples of the plaster, we within St Andrew’s because of the repair a remarkably smooth and glossy have not found any trace of egg white, the work and the lime plaster trials. However, surface….”3 tell-tale sign of Madras chunam. none of our investigations found any trace of protein (egg white) or fibre (coconut This claim has been repeated many Peeling Back the Mystery husk). The lime plaster trials in 2016 and times since, and not merely in guidebooks I first became involved with the conserva- 2018, in particular, allowed us to remove but also in press reports as well as serious tion of the walls of St Andrew’s in 2011. the existing plaster ahead of the trial. While works.4 Indeed, some writers have gone on Around that time, the paint on some parts doing so, we did find a thin finish coat of to suggest that the same plaster was not of its interior walls had begun peeling, while Portland cement screed and, in some cases, just found in St Andrew’s, but widely used in other parts, the plaster had delaminated layers of Portland cement plaster, but no in Singapore. In a 1981 Straits Times article, (the technical term for “popped out”). Madras chunam. (The existence of Portland author Peter Keys wrote that “Madras Because of my background in architectural cement attest to subsequent repair and/ (chunam) plasterwork became universally conservation, I was asked to study and or replastering at these localised areas.) used, with its odd (but since proven to be advise the cathedral. Our failure to find Madraschunam on practical) mixture of shell lime, egg white, While I began my investigation, the the walls of St Andrew’s was puzzling. Why sugar and coconut husk…” in Singapore.5 cathedral carried out ad-hoc repairs to the couldn’t we find any trace of this unique plas- 10 11 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

ter inside the church even though we had afterwards smoothed with a rubber, “If the plaster be not entirely dry on one-tenth plus one-sixteenth of an inch, around 10 to 12 eggs are needed per 1.28 Constructing St Andrew’s done extensive sampling? One possibility until it acquires an even surface. the second morning, the operation of or approximately 4 mm, to one-quarter of cu ft, while Holman said that the whites of The foundation stone of the present is that Madras chunam had been originally During the process of rubbing, the polishing ought to be continued until an inch, or approximately 6 mm. The total a dozen eggs were needed for every 2.17 church building was laid by the Right used, but was completely stripped away plaster is occasionally sprinkled with it is quite dry. The moisture as before volume of the final plaster would range cu ft.13 Based on these accounts, between Reverend Daniel Wilson, Lord Bishop of later, which is why no trace can be found a little pure lime mixed with water, mentioned must be carefully wiped approximately from 466 cu ft (13.2 cu m) 2,580 and 6,730 eggs would have been Calcutta and Metropolitan of India, on 4 today. The more controversial possibility, to give it a hard and even surface. off, and the wall kept quite dry till all to 718 cu ft (20.3 cu m). used to plaster the interior walls of St March 1856.14 It was designed by Ronald of course, is that despite McNair’s account, appearance of moisture ceases.”11 Vicat and Holman also held different Andrew’s, which is a considerable number MacPherson of the Madras Artillery, who Madras chunam was never actually used “For two coats. views on the number of eggs required of eggs. This quantity does not account was appointed Executive Engineer and inside St Andrew’s. Holman’s and Vicat’s descriptions of to make the plaster. According to Vicat, for the plaster on the columns. Superintendent of Convicts in Singapore. To unravel this mystery, we must … The plaster used for the second how to mix the plaster, combined with our delve into the intricacies of the making coat consists of three parts of lime, knowledge of the size of the church build- and application of Madraschunam , and we and one of white sand, which is mixed ing, allow us to calculate approximately THE CURIOUS INGREDIENTS THAT need to learn more about how St Andrew’s up as before… till it is reduced to a how much Madras chunam would have MAKE UP MADRAS CHUNAM was built. fine paste. The plaster thus prepared been needed to plaster the interior walls. When constructing a building, plaster is is… applied… over the first coat, According to McNair: applied to the walls to protect the under- Making Madras Chunam about one-eighth of an inch thick, lying stone or brick, and for decorative The word chunam is a transliteration after which it is rubbed down…. It “[The] building is 250 feet long reasons. In the 19th-century, walls were of cuṇṇāmpu or choona, which means is then polished with a crystal, or internally, by 65 feet in width, with typically plastered using lime plaster, which “lime” in Tamil and Hindi respectively. smooth stone rubber, and as soon nave and side aisles; or, with the north is primarily made of lime, sand and water. Madras (now known as Chennai) is a city as it has acquired a sufficient polish, and south transepts, 95 feet, the Madras chunam, in contrast, uses in Tamil Nadu, India. Madras chunam thus a little very fine Bellapum powder transepts being used as porticoes.”12 additional ingredients. According to refers to a particular type of lime plaster is sprinkled upon it, to increase its Louis-Joseph Vicat and James Holman, commonly used in Madras. whiteness and lustre, while the Based on these dimensions, the making Madras chunam also involved One of the earliest descriptions of rubbing is still continued. The second interior walls have a linear run of 690 using (butter) or oil,tyre (sour ), Madras chunam in English is found in A coat ought to begun [sic] and finished feet (250 by 95 feet) or approximately albumen (egg white) and soapstone Practical and Scientific Treatise on Calcare- in one day, unless in damp weather…. 210 m. With the height of the walls being powder (lapis ollaris, commonly known ous Mortars and Cements, Artificial and approximately 50 feet (15.24 m), the as talc) in the final coat. Natural, authored by Louis-Joseph Vicat. “For three coats. approximate surface area of the interior For lime, Vicat and Holman wrote His 1837 book describes how shell-lime, walls would then be 34,500 sq ft (3,205 that sea shells were used, while John West, linseed oil2 is typically used, while A lime kiln at Kampong Mata Ikan, 1967. Seashells sand, sugar, egg white, clarified butter, … A day or two afterwards, before sq m). Vicat and Holman differed on the (white pile on the left), which are made of calcium Frederick Aldophus McNair’s account Tung oil3 is used in China. The addition of sour milk and powdered soapstone were it has had time to dry, the third coat thickness of the final coat of Madras carbonate, are heated to approximately 900 degrees cites corals instead. “[Our] lime… [was] oil increases the plaster’s water resistance used as ingredients to make the coats of is applied. This consists of four parts chunam used. The thickness ranges from Celsius to produce calcium oxide, also known as made from coral, of which there were and is typically used in the final layer. quicklime. The man is using a woven rattan pungki this plaster.10 of lime, and one of fine white sand; extensive reefs round the Island of Singa- Soapstone powder consists of a or pengki (畚箕) (a shallow basket) to deposit what Published in 1840, James Holman’s these, after being well mixed, are pore…. Coral is almost a pure carbonate large agglomerate of hydrated magne- looks to be charcoal – fuel for the kiln – into an open Travels in Madras, Ceylon, Mauritius, reduced by grinding to a very fine A studio portrait of Major John Frederick Aldophus pit. Photo by Hor Kwok Kin. Retrieved from Photonico. McNair in his uniform, c. 1900. McNair, who of lime, and therefore very well suited for sium silicate that is used for polishing Cormoro Islands, Zanzibar, Calcutta, etc. paste…. This is… mixed with the supervised the construction of St Andrew’s the purpose. It was broken up and heated soft materials. etc. contains a very detailed description whites of eggs, tyre (curds), and ghee Church, recounted in his book, Prisoners Their in kilns constructed for the purpose”.1 Sour curd is largely made up of milk and Holman. It is unclear from McNair’s of Madras chunam that bears repeating (butter), in the following proportions:- Own Warders, that Madras chunam was used It is not unusual to use raw sugar proteins (casein), which are useful as a account if the lime plaster was mixed with to get an idea of the work necessary to as a plaster for the interior walls and columns of 12 eggs, 1½ measures of tyre and (jaggery) in plaster. In fact, sugar is widely binder in lime plaster to improve its adhe- water, together with the coconut fibre make the plaster, and how to apply it. the church. Courtesy of the National Museum of ½ lb. of ghee to every parah of plaster. Singapore, National Heritage Board. used as an additive to increase the sive properties.4 Conceivably, as albumen (husk) that was steeped in it, or just the plasticity of lime plaster as it decreases comprises primarily of protein, it might water, with the husk removed. Coconut “The lime is of the finest quality, the viscosity of plaster and improves its also have been used as a binder. In recent fibre is composed mainly of cellulose, hemi- and is produced from sea-shells “These must all be thoroughly mixed… workability and strength. This quality is years, studies have found that albumen cellulose and lignin, which are insoluble in well washed and properly cleansed, to a paste of a uniform consistence, a especially important in decorative plas- does increase the compressive and flexural water.6 Coconut fibre, however, is known to after which they are calcined with little thicker than cream, and perfectly tering, such as mouldings and capitals. strength of plaster.5 have been added to plaster to improve its charcoal, during which process the free from grittiness…, and is put on Oil is also a common ingredient Coconut fibre in some form is cited as tensile strength7 and it is not inconceivable greatest care is taken to exclude about one-tenth of an inch thick, … used in the final coat of plaster. In the an ingredient by McNair though not by Vicat that it was used in the mixture. every thing likely to injure the purity when it is gently rubbed, till it becomes and whiteness of the lime. …. perfectly smooth. Immediately after Research, 61–62, 28–39; Nunes, C., et al. (2018, November 5 Md Azree Othuman Mydin. (2017, October). this another coat of still finer plaster NOTES 20). Influence of linseed oil on the microstructure and Preliminary studies on the development of lime- “The plaster is composed of one part is applied, consisting of pure lime 1 McNair, J.F.A., & Bayliss, W.D. (1899). Prisoners composition of lime and lime-metakaolin pastes after based mortar with added egg white. International their own warders: A record of the convict prison a long curing time. Construction and Building Materials, Journal of Technology, 8 (5), 800–810, p. 800; Md of chunam, or burnt lime, and one ground to a very fine paste, and at Singapore established 1825, discontinued 1873, 189, 787–796. Retrieved from ResearchGate. Azree Othuman Mydin. (2018). Physico-mechanical and a half of river sand thoroughly afterwards mixed with water… until together with a cursory history of the convict 3 Fang, S., et al. (2014, January). A study of Tung-oil-lime properties of lime mortar by adding exerted egg establishments at Bencoolen, and putty – A traditional lime-based mortar. International albumen for plastering work in conservation work. mixed, and well beaten up with it is of consistency of cream. This is from the Year 1797 (p. 111). Westminster: A. Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 48, 224–230; Zhao, Journal of Materials and Environmental Sciences, 9 water. … Before the plaster is applied, put on one-sixteenth of an inch thick, Constable. (Call no.: RRARE 365.95957 MAC; P., et al. (2015, June). Material characteristics of ancient (2), 376–384. Retrieved from ResearchGate. the wall must be trimmed… and with a brush, and rubbed gently with Microfilm no.: NL12115) Chinese lime binder and experimental reproductions 6 Rencoret, J., et al. (2013, March). Structural characterization 2 Tesi, T. (2009). The effect of linseed oil on the with organic admixtures. Construction and Building of lignin isolated from coconut (Cocos nucifera) coir fibers, swept perfectly clean, it should then a small trowel, till it becomes slightly properties of lime-based restoration mortars Materials, 84, 477–488. Retrieved from ResearchGate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61 (10), 2434– be slightly sprinkled with water; after hard it is then rubbed with the crystal [Unpublished PhD thesis]. Universita di Bologna. 4 Ventola, L. et al. (2011, August). Traditional organic 2445. Retrieved from ResearchGate. the wall is ready the plaster is… mix… or stone rubber, until a beautiful polish Retrieved from Core website; Nunes, C., & Slizkova, additives improve lime mortars: New old materials 7 Navaratnarajah, S., et al. (2017, July 1). Performance of Z. (2014, July–August). Hydrophobic lime-based for restoration and building natural stone fabrics. coconut coir reinforced hydraulic cement mortar for with jagghery-water, to a proper is produced, during which process the mortars with linseed oil: Characterization and Construction and Building Materials, 25 (8), 3313–3318. surface plastering application. Construction and Building consistency, it is then laid on about wall is occasionally sprinkled with fine durability assessment. Cement and Concrete Retrieved from ResearchGate. Materials, 142, 23–30. Retrieved from ResearchGate. an inch thick… and levelled…, being Bellapum powder…. 12 13 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

He is said to have drawn inspiration for the still greater extent, as mentioned It would take another two years before Putting It All Together executed in Madras chunam as McNair Without a comprehensive examina- design from a ruined Cistercian monastery by him in his letter accompanying the spire was finally erected, signifying We know from Holman’s account that the had asserted, the colour is unlikely to be tion, we cannot know with any certainty in the village of Netley in Hampshire, a the Plan and Estimate; the Estimate the completion of the handsome English production process for the plaster – from grey. This is because only the purest and if Madras chunam was actually used in St county in southeast England.15 of the actual outlay of money may gothic edifice.26 (The original design of preparation and application to comple- whitest of shells are used in the produc- Andrew’s. And even if we were able to When MacPherson left for Melaka in be reduced to 40,000 Rs…”21 the spire could not be realised and the tion, especially for the final finishing coat tion of Madras chunam, and great care conduct comprehensive experiments that 1857 to take up a new posting as Resident spire was redesigned by Jasper Otway – is both laborious and labour-intensive. is taken to ensure its pristine whiteness. returned negative results, there is still a Councillor, McNair took over the respon- Funding remained tight throughout Mayne, an engineer in the Public Works Given the challenges of limited funds and As such, the mention of the grey interior possibility that Madras chunam was used sibility as Engineer and Superintendent of the entire building process. In 1859, three Department.) In total, the construc- a labour shortage, it is certainly possible walls suggests that the walls were not initially, but subsequently removed. Convicts, and with the assistance of John years into its construction, the govern- tion of the church took nine years: five that Madras chunam was not used at all, plastered with Madras chunam when Having weighed the historical evi- Bennett, a civil and mechanical engineer, ment tried to raise funds to complete the years to complete the main building or if it was, only in a very limited fashion. the building was first built, or possibly, dence – the budgetary constraints that supervised the construction of the church spire through loans from public subscrib- and interiors, and another four for the Some other clues emerged from that the material was replaced at some affected the progress of construction carried out by Indian convict labourers.16 ers.22 Three years later, The Singapore Free tower and spire. newspaper archives. In 1949, the cathe- point thereafter. and the grey walls in 1949 – and given After five years of construction, an Press reported that “Rs. 21,784 was spent One of the casualties of the tight dral had to undergo major repair work as In the absence of any physical confir- the results of the trials and repairs opening service was held on 11 October on St Andrew’s Church; the body of this funding was the plastering work. In 1859, the structure had suffered damage during mation or other published documentation conducted in the last decade, there is 1861.17 At the time, the interiors were fine building was completed” while “the The Singapore Free Press wrote that the Japanese Occupation (1942–45) when to confirm the presence of Madras chu- sufficient evidence to say that Madras almost completed but the exterior and spire is in abeyance”.23 This suggests that because the “proposal of a Government it was used as a hospital.28 A 1949 article nam in St Andrew’s, the only evidence for it chunam was never actually used in St the spire were still unfinished.18 The the project may not have been allocated Loan for the completion of the Church in The Malayan Tribune reported that the then is McNair’s account. Could McNair be Andrew’s. Regrettably, however, we will church was consecrated by the Bishop of the Rs. 40,000 estimated by Blundell. has not produced any favourable effect… “original walls of ‘Madras chunam’… are mistaken? His book, Prisoners Their Own never know for sure. Calcutta, George Edward Lynch Cotton, on Work progressed slowly over the not a single man is now allowed to work being replaced by plaster…” and that the Warders, was published in 1899, some 34 25 January the following year19 although next few years.24 In 1863, the tower with there – that the small number of Convicts colour scheme would be changed from years after the completion of the church, the spire would only be completed in eight pinnacles, on which the base of the allowed for plasterers of the interior have grey to white on the interiors and grey so a faulty memory cannot be ruled out. The author would like to acknowl- December 1864. Construction work on spire would be constructed, was built.25 been withdrawn”.27 on the exterior.29 An alternative explanation is that edge Wee Sheau Theng for her the entire building finally ended in April Based on this account, the interior Madras chunam was indeed used as invaluable assistance in the course 1865, nine years after the foundation of the church in 1949 was grey before described by McNair, but only in a very of this research. stone was laid.20 the repair work. The key point to note is limited fashion because of budgetary The construction of St Andrew’s this: if the church’s interior was indeed constraints. faced funding constraints from the very beginning, which affected the building schedule. In an 1855 letter, Edmund 6 Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to 17 The Straits Times, 12 Oct 1861, p. 19. It is interesting to NOTES Augustus Blundell, then Governor of the buildings, streets, places (p. 114). Singapore: Times Books note, however, that the church was recorded as opened 1 St Andrew’s Cathedral is the second church building International. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW) for service on 6 October 1861 in The Straits Calendar Straits Settlements, wrote to the Secretary on the site of the original St Andrew’s Church, named 7 Toh, W.L. (2017, November 2). Once upon a glorious time and Directory for 1861. See The Straits calendar and to the Government of India, outlining the after the patron saint of . The original building at the Istana. The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from directory for 1861, 1861, p. 42. was designed by Government Superintendent of Public budget and the reliance on convict labour NewspaperSG. 18 During construction, the original design of the spire by Works George D. Coleman and completed in 1836. After 8 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp.103–104. Ronald MacPherson was deemed unsuitable due to to keep costs down: the spire of the church had been struck by lightning in 9 Zaccheus, M. (2016, November 17). Caring for a 154-year- supposed settlement issues and thus said to have been 1845 and 1849, the building was considered unsafe and old Matriarch. The Straits Times, p. 14. Retrieved from redesigned by Jasper Otway Mayne, an engineer with later demolished. The second St Andrew’s Church was NewspaperSG. the Public Works Department. See The Straits Times, 24 “Original estimate sanctioned in completed in 1865. It was consecrated as a cathedral in 10 Vicat, L.-J. (1837). A practical and scientific treatise on Dec 1870, p. 1. 1853 amounting to Rs. 14,985 is 1870 and became known as St Andrew’s Cathedral. See calcareous mortars and cements, artificial and natural 19 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, p. 74; The Straits calendar and now, of course, wholly inadequate Cornelius-Takahama, V. (2017). St Andrew’s Cathedral. (p. 176). : John Weale. (Not available in NLB holdings) directory for 1863 (p. 20). (1863). Singapore: Printed at the Retrieved from Singapore Infopedia, National Library, 11 Holman, J. (1840). Travels in Madras, Ceylon, Mauritius, Commercial Press. Retrieved from BookSG. to effect the construction of Singapore. Cormoro Islands, Zanzibar, Calcutta, etc. etc (pp. 20 The Singapore Free Press: Notes on the annual report the entire New Building suited 2 McNair, J.F.A., & Bayliss, W.D. (1899). Prisoners their 420–425). London: George Routledge. (Not available in on the administration of the Straits Settlement for to accommodate the large and own warders: A record of the convict prison at Singapore NLB holdings) the year 1864–65. (1865, August 31). The Singapore established 1825, discontinued 1873, together with a 12 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. 98–100. Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2. Retrieved increasing Protestant Congregation cursory history of the convict establishments at Bencoolen, 13 Treese, S.A. (2018). History and measurement of the from NewspaperSG; The Straits calendar and directory of the place… Captain Macpherson’s Penang and Malacca from the Year 1797. Westminster: base and derived units (p. 429). Switzerland: Springer for 1865 (p. 21). (1865) Singapore: Printed at the estimate, amounts to 120,932 Rs, A. Constable. (Call no.: RRARE 365.95957 MAC; Microfilm International Publishing. (Not available in NLB holdings) Commercial Press. Retrieved from BookSG; The Straits no.: NL12115) 14 Untitled. (1856, March 4). The Straits Times, p. 4; Times, 24 Dec 1870, p. 1. but with the assistance of Convict 3 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. 98–100. St. Andrews. (1870, April 30). The Straits Times, p. 1; 21 Blundell, E.A. (1856, May 6). The editor’s room. The Straits labor, and chiefly of materials 4 Town and country. (1928, July 7). The Straits Times, p. 10; Untitled. (1870, December 24). The Straits Times, p. 1. Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Cathedral bells silent for first time in fifty years. (1936, prepared by Convict labor, he Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 22 Correspondence: Government loan. (1859, August 25). March 29). The Straits Times, p. 28; Cathedral’s walls 15 Straits Times Saturday, Oct. 12, 1861. (1861, October 12). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2. reduces the actual outlay to 47,916 were coated with egg. (1949, September 13). The Malaya The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Rs. and I have no doubt, that by Tribune, p. 2; Davies, D. (1954, October 24). Convicts and McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. 71–74, 97. 23 Page 3 Advertisement Column 1: Ecclesiastical. (1862, the whites of eggs. The Straits Times, p. 14; The hazards of venturing on Convict labour to a 16 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. 71–74, 97; The Straits June 26). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile photography 100 years ago. (1957, July 7). The Straits Times, calendar and directory for 1861 (pp. 26–27). (1861). Advertiser, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. p. 12; St. Andrew’s Cathedral. (1971, September 17). New Singapore: Printed at the Commercial Press. Retrieved 24 Singapore: Saturday, 12 Nov. 1859. (1859, November Nation, p. 9; Chandy, G. (1979, December 3). This elevation drawing of the proposed spire design from BookSG. In the Straits Times article, John Bennett 12). The Straits Times, p. 2; Straits Times Saturday, Oct. was special event even then. New Nation, p. 9; Chia, A. The Straits Times for St Andrew’s Church (now St Andrew’s Cathedral) was named the Executive Engineer while J.F.A. McNair 12, 1861. (1861, October 12). , p. 19; (1981, July 19). Peace and quiet pervades its grounds. The was not mentioned. However, in McNair’s Prisoners News of the Week. (1863, April 11). The Straits Times, p. 2. is attributed to Ronald MacPherson. However, his Straits Times, p. 4; Teh, J.L. (2003, June 5). Fewer cars might Their Own Warders, it is mentioned that a Captain Purvis Retrieved from NewspaperSG. design was not realised and a simplified design (see help this building last longer. The New Paper, p. 4; Ng, J.X. of the Madras Artillery had succeeded MacPherson in 25 St. Andrew’s Church. (1863, October 17). The Straits inset photo) by Jasper Otway Mayne, an engineer (2013, April 2). White church, colourful past. The Straits the role of Engineer and Superintendent of Convicts in Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. with the Public Works Department, was constructed Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Liu, G. (1996). 1857 but relinquished his position a year later. McNair 26 The Singapore Free Press, 31 Aug 1865, p. 2. instead. Among the many differences, the oeil-de- In granite and chunam: The national monuments of then succeeded him, while Bennett was Assistant 27 Correspondence. (1859, September 8). The Singapore Singapore (p. 174). Singapore: Landmark Books and boeuf (bull’s eye) windows at the belfry level were Superintendent of Convicts. Upon verification with The Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 3. Retrieved from Preservation of Monuments Board. (Call no.: RSING replaced by lancet windows, and the flying buttresses Straits Calendar and Directory for 1861, McNair was on NewspaperSG. 725.94095957 LIU); Tan, B. (2015, October–December). leave in Europe and Bennett, who held the positions of 28 Singapore on February 15, 1942. (1946, February 15). The connecting the pinnacles to the spire, as well as Convict labour in colonial Singapore. BiblioAsia, 11 (3), Special Assistant Engineer and Deputy Superintendent Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. lucarne (spire light), which is a type of dormer window, pp. 36–41. Retrieved from BiblioAsia website. of Convicts, was thus officiating as both the Executive 29 The Malaya Tribune, 13 Sep 1949, p. 2; Lim, S.J. (1996, were removed. Courtesy of the National Museum of 5 Keys, P. (1981, June 14). Terrace houses. The Straits Times, Engineer and the Superintendent of Convicts in November 30). Places of worship steeped in history. The Singapore, National Heritage Board. p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. McNair’s absence. Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 14 15 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

nese to be kidnapped for slavery, including (Left) An engraving of Stamford Raffles by James sexual bondage, for his friend Alexander Thomson, 1824. National Hare’s colony in Banjarmasin, on the island Portrait Gallery, London. of Borneo.5 Image reproduced from is a poet, fictionist, playwright and Criticisms mounted with Nadia Ng Yi-Sheng Boulger, D.C. (1897). The researcher. His books include his debut poetry collec- Wright’s William Farquhar and Singapore: Life of Sir Stamford Raffles. tion last boy, which won the Singapore Literature Prize 6 London: Horace Marshall Stepping out from Raffles’ Shadow(2017), in 2008; the short story collection Lion City, which won & Son. Collection of the which claims that the credit for establishing the Singapore Literature Prize in 2020, and the perfor- National Library, Singapore. the port of Singapore should in fact go to the mance lecture compilation Black Waters, Pink Sands. (Accession no.: B03013459C). first Resident, William Farquhar, rather than (Facing page) Raffles’ Raffles, who spent a mere eight months on “Disappearance” by Teng the island. Then in 2019, the Asian Civilisa- Kai Wei in partnership with tions Museum’s exhibition titled “Raffles in the Singapore Bicentennial Southeast Asia – Revisiting the Scholar and Office. On 31 December 2018, the polymarble Raffles Statesman” highlighted how his writings on statue along the Singapore Southeast Asia were rife with plagiarism and River was painted over to misinterpretation of evidence. give the optical illusion Artists and playwrights have been that it had been removed. inspired by these polemics. Jimmy Ong, Courtesy of the Singapore Bicentennial Office. for instance, has created numerous art- works that depict Raffles being punished for his sins. In his charcoal drawing Roro Rafflesia(2015), Raffles is stripped naked and scolded by a Javanese goddess. In his performance installationOpen Love Letters (2018), Raffles’ headless and legless body is sawn in half and used as a charcoal grill to make known colloquially as On 7 June 2020, as the Black Lives Matter How did this revolt against Raffles “love letters”. protests raged around the world, a group arise? One major stimulus was the publica- Haresh Sharma’s play Civilised (2019) of anti-racism activists in Bristol toppled tion of Tim Hannigan’sRaffles and the British imagines Raffles and Farquhar still alive in oa statue of the 17th-century slave trader Invasion of Java (2012).4 This non-fiction the present day, collaborating as oppres- Edward Colston, rolled it all the way to the work details how Raffles instigated the Brit- sors. Alfian Sa’at and Neo Hai Bin’s docu- harbour, and then triumphantly dumped ish ’s bloody invasion mentary theatre production Merdeka it into the Avon River. and subsequent occupation of Java between / 獨立 / 毁தந் 鎿ர믍 (2019) features re- This act galvanised activists across the 1811 and 1815, ritually humiliating the enactments of key events in Singapore’s globe. In Brussels, people began defacing royals and pillaging their treasure houses, history, including Raffles’ callous treatment sculptures of the murderous King Leopold II. and mismanaging funds and alienating his of Sultan Husain Shah in Singapore and the In and St Paul, statues of Christopher colleagues. He even allowed the local Java- royal family in Yogyakarta.7 Columbus were attacked while in Penang, a Francis Light statue was vandalised with 立 red paint. The 2019 theatre production ofMerdeka / 獨 / 毁தந் 鎿ர믍 by Alfian Sa’at and Neo Hai Bin re-enacts key events in Singapore’s history, including Stamford Raffles’ callous treatment of Sultan Husain Shah in Singapore Meanwhile, in Singapore, satirical Twit- and the royal family in Yogyakarta. Courtesy of of W!ld Rice. ter account @Raffles_Statue reposted a video of the Colston statue being dropped into the harbour, with this comment:

“I’d like to declare that I can’t swim. #StatueLivesMatter”1

Raffles, once widely admired This was just one of many voices in and revered as the founder of mid-2020 urging Singaporeans to consider the removal of the statue of Stamford Singapore, has been portrayed in Raffles. Dhevarajan Devadas, a research a more complicated light in recent assistant at the Institute of Policy Stud- years, as Ng Yi-Sheng tells us. ies, posted on Facebook that we should “finally acknowledge the impact of colo- nialism on the indigenous people of this region by vacating his place of honour”.2 Veteran journalist Jeevan Vasagar agreed, writing in a column for the Nikkei Times that “Raffles should disappear for good”.3 16 17 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

These revisionist depictions of Raf- who took on the task of rehabilitating Comes from thy cold but pensive face fles represent only the latest in a series of her husband’s image, with considerably To greet the glory of the place cultural movements, all grappling with a more success. In 1830, she published his Which eight and sixty years ago figure who has loomed large over popular papers under the title, Memoir of the Thy weary wand’rings well did know; history in Singapore. Over the past two Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Ope but a while thy closéd eyes centuries, dozens of artists and intellec- Stamford Raffles,9 and even convinced And see the perfect paradise tuals have invoked his name to further Chantrey to erect a life-size marble Thy restless once, now folded, arms their own agendas. Taken as a whole, their statue of him at Have placed amidst Earth’s fairest works reveal the complex and continually in 1832, which still stands today. She charms shifting relationship between Singapore also commissioned multiple copies of In vain we ask; Life’s spark no more society and the legacy of colonialism. Chantrey’s bust of Raffles, including one Doth shine as it had done before; that she sent to Singapore.10 Thou’rt gone, great soul, thou’rt Raffles Instituted (1817–1942) Raffles soon won further acclaim in gone, but thou, The earliest artworks associated with Singapore, thanks to the writer Abdullah Though dead, art not forgotten now! Raffles arose not out of victory, but abject bin Abdul Kadir, better known as Munsyi failure. In 1815, he was dismissed from Abdullah. In 1849, he published Hikayat Labor Omnia Vincit14 Java, having failed to make the colony Abdullah (Stories of Abdullah), a memoir profitable for the East India Company. containing anecdotes of early Melaka In the end, however, the final inscrip- Back in London, he took pains to restore and Singapore, including the time he tion was somewhat more prosaic: his reputation. In 1817, he wrote and worked as Raffles’ scribe.11 Here, the published The History of Java8 and com- latter is praised in the most glowing of “On this historic site, Sir Thomas missioned portraits of himself by George terms. Two poems celebrate Raffles and Stamford Raffles first landed in Francis Joseph and James Lonsdale, a his wife, and the author writes, “Even Singapore on 28th January 1819, marble bust by sculptor Francis Leggatt should I die and return to this world in and with genius and perception Chantrey, a miniature by Alfred Edward another life I should never again meet changed the destiny of Singapore Chalon as well as a coat of arms to com- such a man.”12 from an obscure fishing village memorate his knighthood. However, the cult of Raffles only to a great seaport and modern (Above) Artwork of Singapore: Stamford Raffles’ Farewell by Gerald Spencer Pryse, 1924. It shows a garlanded Stamford Raffles with local men and women Raffles died in 1826, bankrupt. It really gained momentum in the latter half metropolis.” kneeling before him as if in worship. The illustration appears in the souvenir volume for The Pageant of Empire: An Historical Epic held in London in 1924. was his widow, Lady Sophia Raffles, of the as his name began to Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. be attached to numerous landmarks in Sin- Why was Perreau’s more poetic text (Above right) Raffles Finds a Friend is a standard biography of the man, while Raffles by the River narrates the adventures of the two Raffles statues as they gapore: in 1855, Raffles not chosen? One possible reason is that come to life at night and frolic around modern Singapore. These two books are part of Janet Appleyard’s six-volume picture book series, Explore Singapore. Place (formerly Commercial Square) in it speaks of the death of the colonist. The Collection of the National Library, Singapore. (Accession nos.: B04216016I; B04216015H). 1858, (formerly Singa- British had no desire to mourn Raffles the pore Institution) in 1868, Raffles Library man – instead, they wanted to glorify his and Museum (formerly the Singapore lasting accomplishments. Raffles Reconstituted (1942 onwards) progress impossible; and second, not to sor… Raffles and Lee Kuan Yew have, as Library) in 1874 and Raffles Hotel in 1887. In the years that followed, the statue World War II put an end to the myth of remove the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles”.20 we shall see, much in common, not only These efforts culminated in the suffered a number of indignities. During British invincibility. During the Japanese Both these acts, he argued, would show in themselves, but in their stars.”22 bronze statue by the famed British sports events at the Esplanade, it was hit Occupation of Singapore (1942–45), amid Western capitalist nations that Singapore Thus, during the initial decades of sculptor-cum-poet Thomas Woolner by stray footballs and clambered upon rumours that the bronze statue of Raffles still welcomed their investments. Singapore’s independence, Raffles was portraying Raffles as a pillar of imperial by spectators, seeking better views.15 would be melted down for the metal, it was Lee embraced this advice. In 1969, lionised. Between 1962 and 1966, E.W. might, eight feet tall on his pedestal, arms For this reason, the statue was moved quickly removed and stored in the former at the opening of an exhibition to mark Jesudason, Principal of Raffles Institu- confidently folded, one foot trampling on to its current location in front of the Raffles Library and Museum (renamed the 15th anniversary of the People’s tion, wrote a school anthem, “Auspicium a map of Singapore. This was unveiled at Victoria Memorial Hall at Empress Place, Syonan Library and Museum during the Action Party (PAP), then Minister for Melioris Aevi”, picturing Raffles as a classi- the Esplanade (now Padang) on 27 June as part of the centenary celebrations in Occupation). When the statue was rein- Foreign Affairs S. Rajaratnam said that cal hero, holding “the torch/That cast Pro- 1887 to serve as “a permanent memorial 1919, accompanied by Doric columns, stalled at Empress Place after the war, it “[t]o pretend that [Raffles] did not found methean Flame”.23 In 1972, the Singapore of the Jubilee”,13 i.e. the 50th anniversary a marble-lined pool, fountain jets and was stripped of its colonnade, which had Singapore would be the first sign of a Tourist Promotion Board (now Singapore of Queen Victoria’s coronation. vases of flowers. been damaged by bombing, and its flower dishonest society”. He added that the Tourism Board) erected a second Raffles Before the grand opening, Inspector Meanwhile, Raffles’ image prolifer- vases were lost for good. statue had narrowly escaped demolition statue, in white polymarble, at his landing of Schools A.M. Skinner held a competi- ated in other media. In a 1927 poster In the post-war years, there were by the early PAP. “We started off as an site on the north bank of the Singapore tion for the best inscription to accom- produced for the Empire Marketing some signs that the cult of Raffles might anti-colonial party. We have passed that River, near Boat Quay. pany the statue. One finalist was Raffles Board,16 Raffles stands alongside other be on the wane. In 1949, Raffles College stage – only Raffles remains.”21 Later, companies began co-opting Institution schoolboy D.C. Perreau, who colonists such as James Cook17 and Cecil merged with King Edward VII College of That same year, Donald and Joanna his name, resulting in commercial enter- penned the following lines: John Rhodes18 in a group portrait. He Medicine, rebranding itself as the University Moore’s popular history book The First prises such as Raffles City Shopping Cen- also appears in The Pageant of Empire: of Malaya. In 1960, the Raffles Library was 150 Years of Singapore was published, tre (1986), Raffles Country Club (1988; An Epitaph An Historical Epic, held at the Empire renamed the National Library. marking a century-and-a-half since British now defunct), Singapore Airlines’ Raffles Stadium (now Wembley Stadium) in In 1960, the Dutch economist Albert arrival on the island. In the book, Prime Class (1990; renamed Business Class in Immortal founder of this isle, London in 1924.19 The souvenir volume Winsemius arrived in Singapore as a con- Minister Lee is described as a latter-day 2006), the Raffles Cup horse races (1991), Thy work is done and yet no smile features an illustration titledSingapore: sultant to the Singapore government. He Raffles. “The first one hundred and fifty Raffles Town Club (2000) and Raffles Stamford Raffles’ Farewell by Gerald told then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew years of Singapore open and close under Hospital (2002). Spencer Pryse, which shows a garlanded that there were “two pre-conditions for the aegis of a great man: Raffles, a beacon Writers, too, paid tribute. They retold Plaster cast of ’s bust of Stamford Raffles. Bastin Collection, National Raffles with local men and women kneel- Singapore’s success: first, to eliminate of almost blinding light at the beginning, Raffles’ story in works such as Hereward Library, Singapore. (Accession no.: B29029424J). ing before him as if in worship. the Communists who made any economic pointing the way; Lee Kuan Yew, succes- Brown and Ian Senior’s musical The Lion 18 19 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

The work consists of two chalk-white ped- “Serentak lelaki hilang kepala estals: one bears a grotesquely bloated bingkas bust of Raffles, while the other stands ‘Dosamu tujuh turunan kusumpah empty, bearing only a plaque inscribed terus with the name of the Sultan who signed kau membawa Farquhar dan Lord the treaty with him in 1819: “Hussein Minto Mu’azzam Shah, 1776–1835”. Expressing siasatmu halus. Membuka pintu fury towards the colonist is not the only kotaku part of an anti-colonial struggle; artists pedagang buru pemimpin menambah also seek to remember those who were kantung colonised – not just the winners of history, membangun Temasek menjadi but also the losers. Singapura masuk sama penipu perompak Riff-Raff (1989 onwards) pembunuh In the early 1980s, the professor and poet aku sekarang tinggal tulang dan gigi Robert Yeo was struck by a whimsical cuma idea: what if Raffles and Lee Kuan Yew kusumpah tujuh turunanmu tanpa were to meet face to face? This was the tangguh!’…” inspiration for his playThe Eye of History, Fyerool Darma’s installation,The Most Mild-Mannered Men, for the fifth edition of the Singapore Biennale, first presented in excerpted form at the 2016. The work consists of two chalk-white pedestals: one bears a grotesquely bloated bust of Raffles, while (Translation) National University of Singapore’sVoices the other stands empty, bearing only a plaque inscribed with the name of the Sultan who negotiated with “Suddenly, the man who has lost his of Singapore reading in 1989, followed him: “Hussein Mu’azzam Shah, 1776–1835”. Courtesy of Fyerool Darma. mind springs to his feet by a full staging in 1992. ‘Your sins for seven generations I put To the contemporary eye, the script of Singapore (1979), Nigel Barley’s travel- the Dutch and Javanese in Palembang; his a curse on appears rather lacking in conflict. When ogue The Duke of Puddle Dock: Travels in racist writings about Chinese, Malays and you brought with you Farquhar and Raffles makes his appearance at the Istana the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles(1991), 24 Arabs; and his failure to speak out regard- Lord Minto on his 200th birthday, Lee is surprised, but Asiapac Books’ children’s graphic novel ing social injustice in the . your intelligence was subtle. By unflustered. They wine and make Stamford Raffles: Founder of Modern “Raffles was just one of the hundreds of opening my city doors cordial conversation. Raffles compliments Singapore (2002),25 and Victoria Glendin- enthusiastic pioneers of empire building traders, labourers, leaders filled up Lee as “a leader who takes a long and ning’s biography Raffles and the Golden moved by the lust for gain,” Alatas concludes. their pockets enlightened view of history”,35 while Lee Opportunity 1781–1826 (2012).26 “[C]ompared to the wider circle of thinkers they developed Temasek into agrees to consider Raffles’ recommen- Perhaps the strangest of these and reformers, he was philosophically and Singapore dations to preserve more of Raffles’ texts is Janet Appleyard’s picture book ethically a dwarf.”28 swindlers, robbers, murders all heritage – for instance, by making his series, Explore Singapore (1992–94). The In 1977, Ronald Alcantra won the Minis- entered too birthday (5 July) a public holiday. first volume, Raffles Finds a Friend, is a try of Culture Playwriting Competition with a I’m now left with only bones and teeth What is revolutionary, however, is standard biography of the man. But there script titledAn Eclipse Leaves No Shadows.29 I curse you seven generations the fact that Raffles and Lee are portrayed is little exploration of history in the five This was first performed as a radio play in now!’…”31 as ordinary humans, not untouchable subsequent titles: Raffles by the River, 1979 and then adapted for TV in 1988. Set leaders. Raffles is written as someone Raffles Meets the , Raffles and in 1823, the play dramatises the power In later Malay works that touch on who likes the musical Cats, shops at local the Elephant, Raffles at Raffles and Raffles struggle between Raffles and Singapore’s Raffles, the tendency is to focus more on department store Metro and wears batik Happy Birthday.27 Instead, these books first Resident, William Farquhar. Into the the Malays who interacted with him. In shirts. This is iconoclasm of another sort: narrate the adventures of the two Raffles picture enters Syed Yassin,30 a merchant who Mohamed Latiff Mohamed’s 2007 poem the status of the colonist is diminished to statues as they come to life at night and escapes from prison and runs amok before “Raffles”, he is portrayed as exploitative, that of an ordinary citizen. frolic around modern Singapore. being killed. Here, Raffles is portrayed as a viewing Singapore as “a utopia/to be owned/ We see similar gestures elsewhere: The work is, in a sense, the natural sickly, tyrannical racist who is stricken by to be possessed”, but the poet’s real scorn is illustrator Shirley Eu imagines Raffles result of the endless reduplication of frequent mind-splitting headaches, who reserved for the Malays who embrace him: stripping down to his singlet and picking Raffles’ name and image. To many, he is snubs Farquhar for marrying a Eurasian wife, They are “fools nary of dignity”.32 his nose on the cover of Catherine Lim’s no longer a historical figure but a mere and who cruelly parades Syed Yasin’s corpse In Isa Kamari’s novel Duka Tuan Ber- 33 icon, utterly disassociated from colonial through the streets as a warning to all who takhta (His Majesty’s Sorrow) (2011), (Top right) A behind-the-scenes photo from Colin 34 violence and subjection, gently tinged with dared to defy British authority. published in English as 1819, Raffles is Goh and Woo Yen Yen’s Talking Cock: The Movie, the nostalgic grandeur of a bygone age. However, it is in the field of Malay depicted as a conniving, manipulative man 2002. In the comedy, Stamford Raffles is portrayed literature that we see a truly sustained intent on stripping the Sultan and Temeng- as an object of utter ridicule. Courtesy of Colin Goh. Raffles Reviled (1971 onwards) critique of Raffles. In 1980, the prolific poet gong of their power and participating in (Middle right) Ng Yi-Sheng’s play, The Last Temptation There were, of course, counter-narratives and writer Suratman Markasan published sinister Freemasonic rites. However, the of Stamford Raffles, reconstructs the last 12 hours to this onslaught of praise. In 1971, sociolo- “Balada Seorang Lelaki di Depan Patung heart of the story is about the Malay men of Raffles’ life. It was staged by W!ld Rice in 2008. gist Syed Hussein Alatas published Thomas Raffles” (“The Ballad of a Man Before the who were left defenceless without a cred- Courtesy of W!ld Rice. Stamford Raffles, 1781–1826: Schemer or Statue of Raffles”) in the journalSasterawan . ible leader to protect them from the British. (Right) The cover illustration for An Essential Guide Reformer? This text considers not only The five-part poem imagines a madman Fyerool Darma’s installation, TheMost to Singlish drawn by Prudencio Miel shows Stamford Raffles’ role in recruiting slaves for Alex­ in contemporary Singapore, screaming Mild-Mannered Men, created for the fifth Raffles speaking in Singlish, 2003.Image reproduced from Ma, M.P., & Hanna, S. (2003). An Essential Guide ander Hare’s settlement in Banjarmasin, curses at Raffles’ statue, blaming him for edition of the Singapore Biennale in 2016, to Singlish. Singapore: Gartbooks. (Call no.: RSING but also his involvement in the massacre of the impoverishment of the Malay race: captures the Malay perspective on Raffles. 427.95957 ESS). 20 21 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

O Singapore!: Stories in Celebration(1989); 36 Singapore its name after a Malay woman We see this in Charles Mandel’s horror that symbolic gestures such as removing cartoonist Prudencio Miel has him speaking screams “Singh kapuk!” (“The Sikh man thriller Days of Sir Raffles (1998),38 which statues are nowhere as important as acts Singlish on the cover of An Essential Guide has stolen something!”) and fantasises imagines him unleashing and then suffer- of reparation. Museums and other cultural to Singlish (2003);37 and the Singapore Tour- about a future mental institution full of ing under an ancient curse. I conveyed institutions would do well to shift their ism Board’s advertising campaign Let the young boys in tight shorts, which he will the same message in my play The Last attention away from British colonists, and Stars Guide You (2017) shows him chowing call Raffles Institution. Temptation of Stamford Raffles (2008), focus instead on reactivating the heritage down at food courts and buying clothes in There are, of course, works that which reconstructs the last 12 hours of of disenfranchised indigenous communi- . attempt to seriously and sympathetically Raffles’ life. In Kent Chan’s 2014 video ties such as the Orang Laut (“sea people”). An especially memorable example engage with Raffles. But increasingly, work To the Eastward (The Lines Divide) Panellist Faris Joraimi noted that much is Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen’s Talking these stories have a more nuanced take, and Brian Gothong Tan’s 2016 multimedia of the commentary assumed that those Cock: The Movie (2002). In the comedy, underscoring the fact that that he died in performance Tropical Traumas: A Series of who wanted to tear down the statues were he is portrayed as an object of utter the prime of his life, in debt and dishonour, Cinematic Choreographies, we not only hear vandals who wanted to remove historical ridicule. In one scene, Raffles bestows bereft of almost all his children. of Raffles’ misfortunes, but see how he, and markers in a violent manner. However, it all other historical actors, are eclipsed by does not necessarily have to be that way, the majesty of the indigenous rainforest. he said: Meanwhile, some artists have chosen to elevate the “common man” to stand “We don’t have to pull him down to as Raffles’ equal. Lee Wen’s installation the sound of drumbeats and toss him Untitled (Raffles)(2000) consisted of a scaf- into the river. It could be a solemn fold that visitors could climb to look the ceremony. Would we be reading polymarble Raffles statue in the eye. Vertical Foreign Talent by Vertical Submarine, 2007, featured a statue of a foreign construction worker placed directly Suratman Markasan’s poem? Would opposite the statue of Stamford Raffles. Courtesy of Vertical Submarine (Justin Loke and Joshua Yang). Submarine’s Foreign Talent (2007) featured we be reading Hussein Alatas? It a statue of a foreign construction worker could actually be a sober moment placed directly opposite Raffles’ statue. four additional statues were temporarily responses from those who want the for us to take stock of our symbolic More often, however, there has been installed next to the Raffles statue: that monument to remain intact.40 Evidently, departure from colonial narratives an interest in memorialising other historical of Sang Nila Utama, Munsyi Abdullah, a significant proportion of Singaporeans and our beholdenness to colonial figures. Haresh Sharma’s play Singapore Tan Tock Seng and Naraina Pillai. still view Raffles as worthy of reverence. past as a source of legitimacy. It could (2011) entirely omits Raffles from the -nar These two works – Teng Kai Wei’s Nonetheless, Raffles has, in a sense, be a powerful moment of national rative of early Singapore, focusing instead Raffles’ “Disappearance” and Hong Hai already fallen. More and more contem- reflection that marks the beginning on William Farquhar and his Eurasian wife Environmental Art’s The Arrivals – signal the porary writers and artists have vilified, of a renewed self-confidence.” Nonio Clement. Rosie Milne’s novel Olivia new relationship Singaporeans have with minimised or sidelined his legacy. Works of and Sophia (2015)39 transfers the focus to his Raffles in the 21st century: he has been dis- history such as Studying Singapore Before wives, describing the process of colonisation placed from the centre of our attention. He 180041 (2018) and Seven Hundred Years: A This article has its foundation in The cover illustration for Catherine through their eyes. is no longer the leading man in the pageant History of Singapore42 (2019) have extended Lim’s O Singapore!: Stories in the author’s earlier essay, “Raffles These various approaches were of history, but simply another member of the timeline of Singapore’s past, demoting Celebration by illustrator Shirley Restitution: Artistic Responses to echoed with the opening event of the the huge and varied cast. Raffles to a mere a bit player in the grander Eu shows Raffles stripping down Singapore’s 1819 Colonisation”, first to his singlet and picking his nose, Singapore Bicentennial. On 31 Decem- scheme of the Singapore story. published in the Journal of Southeast 1989. Image reproduced from Lim, ber 2018, the polymarble Raffles statue Raffles-lessness? (Forthcoming) On 27 June 2020, an online discus- Asian Studies (Volume 50, Issue 4, C. (1989). O Singapore!: Stories in along the was painted All this raises the question: should the sion, Still “Essential”?: Roundtable on the Celebration. Singapore: Times December 2019, pp. 599–631). Books International. (Call no.: over to give the optical illusion that it statue of Raffles be removed? Sugges- Icon of Stamford Raffles, was organised by R S828 LIM). had been removed. On 5 January 2019, tions to remove it have provoked angry The Substation. The panellists emphasised

8 Raffles, T.S. (1817). The history of Java (Vols. 1 and 14 The Jubilee Prize. (1887, June 2, 10, 29). The Rafflesian, 20 Lee, K.Y. (1996, December 10). Singapore is indebted to RSING 428.6 APP); Appleyard, J. (1994). Raffles happy a circle of rainbow: Selected poems (p. 146). Singapore: NOTES 2). London: Printed for Black, Parbury, and Allen, 63–64. Available via PublicationSG. [Note: the winner of Winsemius: SM. The Straits Times, p. 32. Retrieved from birthday. Singapore: EPB Publishers. (Call no.: JRSING Ethos Books. (Call no.: RSING 899.281 MOH) 1 Stamford Raffles. (2020, June 8). I’d like to declare that booksellers to the Hon. East-India Company, Leadenhall the competition, Lim Koon Tye, also wrote an epitaph, NewspaperSG. 428.6 APP) 33 Isa Kamari. (2011). Duka Tuan Bertakhta. Kuala Lumpur: Al- I can’t swim. #StatueLivesMatter [Tweet]. Retrieved Street, and John Murray, Albemarle Street. (Call no.: although it was ultimately not used.] 21 Raffles. (1969, August 7). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved 28 Syed Hussein Alatas. (2020). Thomas Stamford Raffles: Ameen Serve Holdings. (Call no.: Malay RSING 899.283 ISA) from Twitter. RRARE 959.82 RAF-[JSB]; Accession nos.: B29029409B 15 Centenary of Singapore. Celebrations brilliantly from NewspaperSG. Schemer or reformer? (p 101). Singapore: NUS Press. (Call 34 Isa Kamari. (2013). 1819. (R Krishnan, Trans.). Kuala 2 Sholihyn, I. (2020, June 11). Amid global backlash against [v. 1]; B29029410E [v. 2]) successful. (1919, February 7). The Straits Times, p. 27. 22 Donald, M., & Donald, J. (1969). The first 150 years of no.: RSING 959.5703092 ALA-[HIS]) [Note: The title is also Lumpur: Silverfish Books Sdn Bhd. (Call no.: RSING colonialists, netizens ask what about Raffles? AsiaOne. 9 Raffles, S. (1830). Memoir of the life and public services Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Singapore (p. 1). Singapore: Donald Moore Press in available as an ebook on NLB OverDrive.] 899.283 ISA) Retrieved from AsiaOne website. of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: Particularly in the 16 The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 to association with the Singapore International Chamber of 29 Yeo, R. (Ed.). (1980). Prize-winning plays. Singapore: 35 Yeo, R. (2016). The eye of history (p. 37). Singapore: 3 Vasagar, J. (2020, June 17). Singapore should tear down government of Java 1811–1816, and of Bencoolen promote intra-Empire trade without the use of tariffs and Commerce. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 MOR) Federal Publications for Ministry of Culture. (Call no.: Epigram Books. (Call no.: RSING S822 YEO) its statue of Raffles. Nikkei Asia. Retrieved from Nikkei and its dependencies, 1817–1824: With details of the to persuade consumers to “Buy Empire”. 23 The institution anthem. Retrieved from RAMpage. RSING S822 PRI) 36 Lim, C. (1989). O Singapore!: Stories in celebration. Asia website. commerce and resource of the Eastern Archipelago, 17 James Cook was an explorer, navigator, cartographer and 24 Barley, N. (1991). The Duke of Puddle Dock: Travels in the 30 Syed Yassin was an Arab merchant who owed Syed Omar Singapore: Times Books International. (Call no.: R S828 LIM) 4 Hannigan, T. (2012). Raffles and the British invasion of and selections from his correspondence. London: J. captain in the British . In 1770, he charted New footsteps of Stamford Raffles. London: Viking. (Call no.: Aljunied, another Arab merchant, a large sum of money. 37 Ma, M.P., & Hanna, S. (2003). An essential guide to Singlish. Java. Singapore: Monsoon Books Pte Ltd. (Call no.: RSEA Murray. Retrieved from BookSG. Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. RSING 325.31092 BAR) Syed Omar then sued Syed Yassin for the debt. William Singapore: Gartbooks. (Call no.: RSING 427.95957 ESS) 959.82 HAN) 10 Barnard, T. (2019). Commemorating Raffles: The creation 18 Cecil John Rhodes was Prime Minister of Cape Colony 25 Zhou, Y., & Goh, G. (2002). Stamford Raffles: Founder of Farquhar ruled in Syed Omar’s favour and ordered Syed 38 Mandel, C. (1998). Days of Sir Raffles. Singapore: Federal 5 Alexander Hare (1775–1834) was an English merchant of an imperial icon in colonial Singapore. Journal of (now South Africa) from 1890 to 1896. Rhodes modern Singapore. Singapore: Asiapac Books. (Call no.: Yassin to repay the debt or face imprisonment. On 11 Publications. (Call no.: RSING 823 MAN) infamous for his polygamous lifestyle. Raffles, Southeast Asian Studies, 50 (4), pp. 579–598. Retrieved and his British South Africa Company founded RCLOS 959.57092 ZHO-[JSB]) March 1823, Syed Yassin escaped from his prison cell, 39 Milne, R. (2015). Olivia and Sophia. Singapore: Monsoon as Lieutenant-Governor of Java, appointed Hare from ResearchGate. the southern African territory of Rhodesia (now 26 Glendinning, V. (2012). Raffles and the golden opportunity killed a police peon and severely wounded Farquhar, Books. (Call no.: RSING 823.92 MIL) Resident of Banjarmasin and Commissioner of the 11 Munshi Abdullah (1849). . Singapore: Zimbabwe and Zambia), which the company named 1781–1826. London: Profile Books. (Call no.: RSING before he was killed by Farquhar’s son. Raffles then 40 Aldgra, F. (2020, June 23). IPS research assistant receives Island of Borneo. B.P. Keasberry. Retrieved from BookSG. after him in 1895. 959.57021092 GLE-[HIS]) paraded Syed Yassin’s corpse around town and later abusive comments after former NMP Calvin Cheng 6 Wright, N.H. (2017). William Farquhar and 12 Some scholars have argued that Munsyi Abdullah 19 The Pageant of Empire was the name given to various 27 Appleyard, J. (1992). Raffles finds a friend. Singapore: displayed it in a cage hung from a mast. Syed Yassin was beseech his FB followers to “tell him off”. The Online Singapore: Stepping out from Raffles’ shadow. was in fact subtly critiquing Raffles in his writings. See historical pageants celebrating the British Empire, which EPB Publishers. (Call no.: RSING 428.6 APP); Appleyard, only buried a fortnight later. See Davies, D. (1954, August Citizen. Retrieved from The Online Citizen website. Penang, : Entrepot Publishing. (Call no.: Sweeney, A. (2006). Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munsyi: were held in the early 20th century. The most elaborate J. (1992). Raffles by the river. Singapore: EPB Publishers. 15). The day the holy man ran amok. The Straits Times, p. 41 Kwa, C.G., & Borschberg, P. (Eds). (2018). Studying RSING 959.5703 WRI-[HIS]) A man of bananas and thorns. Indonesia and the pageant was the one in London – from April to October (Call no.: RSING 428.6 APP); Appleyard, J. (1994). 14. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Singapore before 1800. Singapore: NUS Press. (Call no.: 7 This theatre project has led to the publication of a new Malay World, 34 (100), pp. 223–245. Retrieved from 1924 – featuring a cast of 15,000 people, 300 horses, 500 Raffles meets the Merlions. Singapore: EPB Publishers. 31 Suratman Markasan. (2014). Suratman Markasan puisi- RSING 959.57 STU-[HIS]) non-fiction work,Raffles Renounced: Towards a Merdeka ResearchGate. donkeys, 730 camels, 72 monkeys, 1,000 doves, seven (Call no.: RSING 428.6 APP); Appleyard, J. (1994). puisi pilihan = Selected poems of Suratman Markasan (p. 42 Kwa, C.G., Heng, D., Borschberg, P., & Tan, T.Y. (2019). History, edited by Alfian Sa’at, Faris Joraimi and Sai Siew 13 The Jubilee. (1887, July 6). Straits Times Weekly Issue, p. 7. elephants, three bears and one macaw. It apparently took Raffles and the elephant. Singapore: EPB Publishers. 23). Singapore: National Library Board. (Call no.: Malay Seven hundred years: A (p. 19). Min, and published by Ethos Books (2021). Retrieved from NewspaperSG. three days to watch the entire performance. (Call no.: RSING 428.6 APP); Appleyard, J. (1994). RSING 899.281 KAR) Singapore: National Library Board and Marshall Cavendish Raffles at Raffles. Singapore: EPB Publishers. (Call no.: 32 Mohamed Latiff Mohamed. (2017). A crackle of flames, International. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 KWA-[HIS]) 22 23 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

FROM HIGH-END TO HOW ROBINSONS Robinson’s partnership with Spicer was HIGH STREET GOT ITS NAME dissolved and George Rappa, Jr. came on board. After Robinson’s death in Robinsons began life as a high-end store REMEMBERING The grand dame’s history can be traced 1886, his son, with the splendid name when it opened, setting out to woo back to 1 February 1858 when Philip of Stamford Raffles Robinson, suc- customers with its wide array of qual- Robinson, who came from Australia, and ceeded him. One A.W. Bean was also ity merchandise, excellent service and James Gaborian Spicer, a former keeper brought in as a partner. The business eye-catching displays. By the turn of the at the Singapore Jail, opened Spicer & flourished and was incorporated as 20th century, the store had become a ROBINSONS Robinson at Nos. 9 & 10 Commercial a limited company in 1920. The firm household name among British “mems”, Many generations of Singaporeans have shopped in Robinsons since its founding in 1858. Square (now Raffles Place). then came under the management of European expatriates and the well-heeled Gracie Lee and Kevin Khoo highlight some milestones in its illustrious history. An 1858 advertisement for the a hired general manager and a board of of Singapore society. “New Family Warehouse”, as it was directors comprising members such as Robinsons made a name for itself called, went: “Spicer & Robinson prominent businessman Eu Tong Sen.2 as a one-stop shopping paradise, with respectfully invite the attention of Gracie Lee departments dedicated to drapery, hab- Private Families, Hotel Proprietors, and erdashery, millinery, home furnishings, the Public generally to their establish- NOTES bicycles, photographic apparatus, sport- 1 New Family Warehouse. (1858, February 25). The ment, now replete with a well selected Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 3. ing equipment, musical instruments, stock, which they are determined to Retrieved from NewspaperSG. and even arms and ammunitions used offer at the lowest remunerative rates, 2 Robinson’s & Co. (1958). The story of Robinson’s, for game hunting. 1858–1958 [n.p.]. Singapore: [publisher not in order to ensure a large amount of identified]. (Call no.: RCLOS 338.065 ROB); Buckley, It was said that wealthy Straits Chinese public support.”1 The store sold items C.B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in women would travel from Kuching in Sar- Singapore: 1819–1867 (p. 350). Singapore: Oxford such as tea, rice, sugar, oatmeal, bis- University Press. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 BUC); Koh awak to Singapore just to buy Swiss voile, cuits, crackers, cheese, preserved Seow Chuan Collection: Eu Tong Sen: Robinson & which could only be found in Robinsons. meats and women’s hats. Company, Limited: Minutes of meetings, financial To appeal to female shoppers, the store statements, receipts and invoices, 1922–1934. (1922– A year later, the store was 1934). [n.p.]. (Call no.: RRARE 338.7616151092 KOH) later offered dressmaking services that renamed Robinson and Company when included bespoke clothing sent all the way from London. Robinsons was also a trailblazer in introducing new shopping experiences and brands exclusive to the store, such as Hennessy brandy and Heineken beer. In 1907, Robinsons became among the

After surviving 162 years, the Great Depres- of Siam was a loyal customer and was known footfall to its outlets was exacerbated by sion, being bombed by the Japanese during to have signed off his letters to Robinsons the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the World War II, several economic downturns and as “your good friend”. Famous people who world for much of 2020. aa devastating fire in 1972, the curtains have graced its portals back in its heyday included As Singaporeans bid farewell to a finally come down on home-grown depart- Britain’s Prince Philip, Prime Minister Mar- much-loved icon, we look back at some of ment store Robinsons – once hailed as “one garet Thatcher and singer Cliff Richard.2 the defining moments in Robinsons’ storied of the handsomest shops in the Far East”.1 Over the years, Robinsons served past gleaned from newspaper reports in In August 2020, Robinsons closed its store countless Singaporeans, many of whom NewspaperSG, annual reports and inhouse (Facing page) The Robinsons building in Raffles Place, 1950s. The store’s name is also displayed in Chinese and in Jem shopping mall. Barely four months later, became friendly with staff who had worked newsletters kept by the National Library, Malay on the signboard. The statue of Mercury is perched on the top of the arch. Chiang Ker Chiu Collection, its flagship luxury store in The Heeren followed in the store for decades. The annual Robin- and oral history interviews and images courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. suit. Its last outlet at Raffles City Shopping sons’ sale, touted as “the sale truly worth from the National Archives. (Left)Robinsons advertising its annual sale in 1907. The Straits Times, 5 September 1907, p. 1. Retrieved Centre shuttered in January 2021. waiting for”, was one of the highlights of from NewspaperSG. High-quality merchandise and impec- Singapore’s shopping calendar. (Above) Spicer & Robinson’s first newspaper advertisement. The company started out as a family warehouse cable service set Robinsons apart when What felled the retail giant? Declining NOTES in Commercial Square (now Raffles Place). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 25 February it opened in 1858, and the store quickly sales due to changing consumer tastes and 1 ‘Open as usual’ after bombing. (1958, October 4). The 1858, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. became popular with the European commu- the rising popularity of online shopping 2 Tay, S.C. (2015, August 25). A store of nostalgia. The (Above right) Robinsons advertising the services of its experienced European cutters who offered bespoke nity and Malay royalty. Even King Mongkut were contributing factors. The reduced Business Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. clothing for “every well-dressed man”. The Straits Times, 17 November 1928, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 24 25 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

ALWAYS ON THE City Mall in the United Arab Emirates, a development opened in 2017 by the MOVE Al-Futtaim Group, which acquired Rob- In Singapore, Robinsons relocated insons in 2008.9 Gracie Lee several times in the course of its long history. The store’s first move took place in 1859 when it shifted from NOTES Raffles Place c. 1901. 1 Heathcott, M. (1941, September 30). In The “New Family its original site in Commercial Square Robinsons occupied Warehouse”. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile to the corner of Coleman Street and the two buildings on Advertiser, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG North Bridge Road. The new site was the extreme right, 2 Robinson’s & Co. (1958). The story of Robinson’s, 1858– before moving to 1958 [n.p.]. Singapore: [publisher not identified]. (Call a stone’s throw away from the Espla- no.: RCLOS 338.065 ROB); ‘Open as usual’ after bombing. Raffles Chambers nade (Padang), the heart of social life (1958, October 4). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from in 1941. Andrew Tan in 19th-century Singapore. NewspaperSG. Collection, courtesy 3 Robinson & Co. (Singapore). (1973). Annual report In 1881, Robinsons opened a new of National Archives 1973 (p. 3). Singapore: The Company. (Call no.: RCLOS shop with a tailoring department on Bat- of Singapore. q338.47658871 RCSAR) tery Road. Ten years later, it returned to 4 Pereira, A. (1983, November–December). History of Clifford Centre Branch. Robinson’s Group Berita [n.p.]. Commercial Square – by then renamed The Centrepoint store was where the Robinsons also opened other outlets (Accession no. B28739090E) Raffles Place – and occupied much larger management pinned its hopes on regain- in Singapore. A branch in Raffles City was 5 A step forward in difficult time. (1983, July-August). Robinson’s Group Berita [n.p.]. (Accession no. premises. In November 1941, the store ing the lustre lost after the disastrous fire. unveiled in 2001 to reach out to younger B28739088A) moved to Raffles Chambers, located on In the company’s in-house newsletter customers. In 2013, Robinsons expanded 6 Robinson & Co. (Singapore). (1983). Annual report 1983 the opposite side of Raffles Place. in 1983, Chief Executive Loh Man Chee into the suburbs with an outlet in Jem, a (p. 9). (Call no.: RCLOS q338.47658871 RCSAR-[AR]); 7 Zachariah, N.A. (2013, November 9). Robinson’s fancy This new store was met with wrote that “your management has [sic] shopping mall in Jurong East. new home. The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved from approval by the press. Noted a news determined to regain the lost leadership Robinsons also expanded overseas, NewspaperSG. report: “Those who have visited it already of Robinson’s being ‘the shopping place’ launching its first overseas outlet in 1928 in 7 Robinsons takes the city. (2001, June). Family news: The staff newsletter of the Robinsons Group, 3. (Accession no.: (Left)In 1907, Robinsons became among the world’s have remarked on its spaciousness, the for families in South East Asia”. He noted Kuala Lumpur, though this closed in 1975. B12020063C); Gems at JEM. (2013, June 26). Today, p. 60. first agents for Raleigh bicycles, a British brand. modern way of displaying the merchan- that the company had invested more than The company re-entered the Malaysian Retrieved from NewspaperSG. For the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Raleigh dise so that you can walk all round it, the $10 million in fixing up the new store. market with stores at The Gardens Mall 8 Robinson’s & Co, 1958, [n.p.]; David, A. (2020, December launched its “New Elizabethan” model of bicycles, 21). End of an era as Robinsons closes in Malaysia. New wide entrance where you can wait for “Great effort has been made to give the in 2007 and The Shoppes at Four Seasons Straits Times which were sold in Robinsons. Image reproduced . Retrieved from New Straits Times website. your car in comfort.” The ground floor new store a new look and to reinforce Place in 2018 (both ceased operations in 9 Fung, E. (2008, April 4). Sold – Robinson’s now owned from The Straits Times Annual, 1954, p. 131. housed the “men’s clothing and tailoring our merchandising objectives – superior December 20208). by Dubai’s Al-Futtaim. Today, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Dubai Festival City Mall. (2021). Robinsons. (Above) The Robinsons “Big Sale” in 1959 took place 5 departments, leather goods, confection- quality and value.” Although all of Robinsons’ stores Retrieved from Dubai Festival City Mall website. [Note: from 23 March to 11 April, with substantial discounts ary, cosmetics, perfumes, gramophones The store was a major tenant in in Singapore and Malaysia have closed, Robinsons’ main shareholder OCBC Bank sold its stake to storewide. Shoppers could write in to order their and sports goods, silverware. On the first Centrepoint until 2013 when it moved to the time-honoured trade name lives on Indonesia’s Lippo Group in 2006. Robinsons was acquired items and collect them later. Image reproduced from by the Al-Futtaim Group in 2008.] Robinson & Co. Ltd. (1959, March 2). This is Robinson’s floor you have women’s departments, The Heeren.6 through its sole store at the Dubai Festival reporting from Singapore. Singapore: Robinson & Co. dresses for children, furnishing and dress Ltd. Collection of the National Library, Singapore. materials, household linens, haberdash- (Accession no.: B28906607E). ery, shoes and the like”. The second floor Raffles Place in 1965. The Overseas Union Bank building is on the extreme left and Robinsons department store just next to it. In the middle is the Chartered Bank building with the dome, while the tall building on the featured an air-conditioned cafe as well as right is Bank of China. Arshak C. Galstaun Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. hair salons for men and women.1 world’s first agents for Raleigh bicycles ing middle class. Over time, Robinsons Business came to a halt during and, by the 1950s, had sold more than grew in popularity among shoppers from the Japanese Occupation (1942–45), half a million of such bicycles. all walks of life. and resumed only in April 1946. Oper- Unfortunately, Robinsons’ reputa- In 2013, its new owners decided to ating from the same iconic location at tion as a high-end shopping destina- revive the store’s luxury roots: its prem- Raffles Place, Robinsons became the first tion put off some people. Polytechnic ises at The Centrepoint were closed and department store in Southeast Asia to lecturer Ng Joo Kee, who was born in a new, decidedly more upscale, flagship be fully air-conditioned in 1955. After a 1959 and lived in nearby Chulia Street, store opened at The Heeren. However, facelift in 1957, the name “Robinsons” recalled that Robinsons was particular the attempt to target more affluent cus- on its facade was also displayed in Malay about who could enter its premises. It tomers failed. According to retail experts, and Chinese, envisioning its future in a was “a very up-market kind of a depart- Robinsons ended up being too expensive self-governing Singapore.2 ment store and we were very poor. We for the general public, but at the same Tragedy struck in 1972 when a huge usually [wore] singlets, and shorts and time, it was not attractive enough for fire razed the store to the ground (see slippers and we weren’t allowed in”. It the well-heeled.2 Gracie Lee overleaf). The store reopened in less was only when the underground carpark than a month at Specialists’ Shopping in Raffles Place opened in 1965, giving Centre on Orchard Road – Singapore’s people access to the supermarket at NOTES prime shopping district.3 To keep its links Robinsons, that he managed to sneak 1 Yap, W.C. (Interviewer). (1997, November 3). Oral history interview with Ng Joo Kee [Transcript of MP3 recording with the original site in Raffles Place, into the store.1 no. 001970/4/1, p. 4]. Retrieved from National Archives Robinsons opened a branch at Clifford By the 1970s and 80s, as Singapore’s of Singapore website. Centre in 1977 but this closed in 1983.4 economy took off and disposable incomes 2 Low, Y. (2020, November 2). Upmarket or mass market? Retail experts say Robinsons’ confused That same year, the store decamped rose, Robinsons began carrying a wider identity contributed to its closure. Today. Retrieved across the road to Centrepoint Shopping range of products to cater to the emerg- from Today website. Centre (now known as The Centrepoint). 26 27 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Robinsons was built just of wooden floors been deployed to the scene. The police subsequently incorporated into the Build- ROBINSONS DURING that the increased profit is due to advan- fall of Singapore, the cafe in Robinsons and wooden rafters. And so it went up [in later cordoned off most of Raffles Place ing Control Act of 1974, which vested the tage having been taken of war conditions… became a rallying point for the European flames] very quickly, very dry.”4 for public safety and to prevent looting. government with the power to take action WORLD WAR II [t]o a limited extent that perhaps is true, community, packed with civilians and Tan Wee Him, a journalist with The The total value of the Robinsons building, against unauthorised building works as well In July 1941, Robinsons held its annual but it is a truism which applies to every servicemen as many deserted the busi- Straits Times who covered the fire, was the goods destroyed and loss of profits as the owners of dangerous or dilapidated shareholder meeting in Singapore. This business… and is difficult to avoid… [the] ness district and eateries bolted their another eyewitness. “I received a call was estimated to be about $14 million.6 buildings.7 took place amidst the backdrop of World policy of the Board, however, has been doors.5 The store was struck again by from my office… ‘We need every available On 21 December 1972, then President Robinsons would bounce back quickly War II which had broken out in Europe to maintain prices at a reasonable level, bombs on 13 February 1942 and was journalist to cover the fire that broke out at Benjamin Sheares officially appointed a from this disaster. On 11 December 1972, in 1939.1 When the company’s Chairman and I should like to emphasise that the later looted. Robinson.’… When I [reached] Robinsons, I Commission of Inquiry to investigate the a new Robinsons store opened at Special- W.H. MacGregor addressed sharehold- improved results this year have resulted Robinsons was closed through- couldn’t believe [it]. The whole place was a cause of the fire. The commission found ists’ Shopping Centre on Orchard Road. ers on 28 July, Britain was still reeling from greatly increased rather out the three-and-a-half years of the towering inferno. The flame was shooting that Robinsons had overloaded its ageing The company also made plans to rebuild from aerial bombings by the Luftwaffe, than from large profit margins”. Mac- Japanese Occupation (1942–45). It up and even this bronze statue right at the and deteriorating electrical circuitry by the store in Raffles Place, but the govern- the German air force, which had taken Gregor also announced that the company only reopened for business in April top of the roof of Robinsons melted. You installing numerous spotlights and decora- ment had acquired the prime site for place between September 1940 and had earlier contributed $5,000 towards the 1946 and in the first year of opera- can just imagine the heat generated… I had tive fittings for the festive Christmas period, urban redevelopment before this could May 1941. War Fund and would be making a further tions, managed to reap a profit of over to hide behind pillars… to protect myself ignoring warnings of overloading by its happen.8 The site is presently occupied by Fortunately, as the war had not yet donation of $5,000.3 a million dollars. from the heat.”5 own electricians. One Raffles Place, the former OUB Centre. reached the shores of Britain’s colonies At the same time, MacGregor sounded MacGregor did not live to see Rob- The fire brigade arrived at 10.13 am The commission also noted that Rob- Kevin Khoo in Southeast Asia, Robinsons managed a note of caution. “Conditions at the present inson’s post-war restoration as he had and attempted to put out the blaze but the insons had inadequate fire safety measures to turn a profit. In 1941, the company time make it difficult to foresee what the died in March 1942 during his internment nearby fire hydrants were not functioning and had, in fact, stored large quantities of Gracie Lee is a Senior Librarian with the National 6 reported profits amounting to more than future may bring.” He assured shareholders by the Japanese. Kevin Khoo as they should as the water pressure was combustible goods in unauthorised loft Library, Singapore, and works with its Rare Materi- $270,000, almost double its pre-war that “however much the spending power too low. Although efforts were made to storage areas. In its report released to the als Collection.Kevin Khoo is a Senior Manager with 1939 earnings. Robinsons sharehold- of the public is contracted, or import bans divert and supply water from other mains, public in December 1973, the commission the Oral History Centre at the National Archives ers received dividends ranging from 5 extended, there will always be goods to NOTES the water pressure fell again at noon and made several recommendations on fire of Singapore. percent to 8 percent, depending on the sell and there will also be buyers of these 1 Robinsons to buy goods from Australia. (1941, the firemen resorted to pumping water safety and building safety measures to July 28). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from class of stock each person owned. Even goods, and we can rest assured that we shall NewspaperSG. directly from the Singapore River. By late prevent a similar tragedy. Many of the NOTES after the payouts, there were substantial have a full share of any business passing”.4 2 Robinson’s & Co. (1958). The story of Robinson’s, afternoon, a fleet of 18 fire engines had commission’s recommendations were 1 Singapore. Commission of Inquiry into the Robinson’s 1858–1958 [n.p.]. Singapore: [publisher not Fire. (1973). Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the funds left over to fill the company’s cof- Just five month later, on 8 December identified]. (Call no.: RCLOS 338.065 ROB); The Straits Robinson’s Fire, 1973 (pp. 5–8). [Singapore: Printed for the fers. Despite the ongoing war in Europe, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army dropped Times, 28 Jul 1941, p. 4. Govt. of Singapore by the Singapore National Printers]. The Robinsons store in Raffles Place engulfed in flames. The fire on 21 November 1972 completely gutted the store had plenty of fine goods on the first bombs on Singapore. Some of these 3 The Straits Times, 28 Jul 1941, p. 4. (Call no.: RSING 614.84 SIN) 4 The Straits Times, 28 Jul 1941, p. 4. the building and destroyed millions of dollars worth of goods. Nine people died in the fire. Image reproduced 2 Nine feared dead. (1972, November 22). The Straits display as the company was able to landed on Robinsons, which damaged its 5 Robinsons and Company (Singapore). (2002, from Robinsons and Company (Singapore). (2002, December). Family News: The Staff Newsletter of the Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 2 procure supplies from Australia. beautiful frontage. Although Robinsons December). Robinsons 1858: A century of progress Robinsons Group (p. 11). Singapore: The Robinsons Group. (Call no.: RSING 338.47658871 FN). 3 The Straits Times, 22 Nov 1972, p. 1. At the shareholder meeting in declared the store “Open as usual” the fol- (p. 11). Family News: The Staff Newsletter of the 4 Ng, B. (Interviewer). (2012, November 1). Oral history Robinsons Group. Singapore: The Robinsons Group. interview with George Yuille Caldwell [MP3 recording 1941, MacGregor ruefully noted that lowing day, rubble piled up at the entrance (Call no.: RSING 338.47658871 FN) no. 003776/38/14]. Retrieved from National Archives of “there may be some who will suggest of its premises. In the last days before the 6 Robinson’s & Company, 1958, [n.p.]. Singapore website. 5 Chew, H.M. (Interviewer). (2006, June 9). Oral history interview with Tan Wee Him [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 003058/07/03, pp. 65–67]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website. buildings, including the roof of the adjoin- 6 The Straits Times, 22 Nov 1972, p. 1. THE GREAT 7 Singapore. Commission of Inquiry into the Robinson’s ing Overseas Union Bank. Businesses Fire, 1973, pp. 5–20. ROBINSONS FIRE across Raffles Place and the commercial 8 Kwee, M. (1972, December 12). Robinson’s plans to rebuild at fire site. The Straits Times, p. 15; Govt takes over On Tuesday, 21 November 1972, an over- district were forced to stop for the day, Robinson fire site. (1973, January 18). The Straits Times, loaded electrical system short-circuited on and thousands of workers were evacuated p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. the ground floor of the buiding and started from their offices.3 a fire at about 9.50 am.1 According to The George Yuille Cadwell was a medical Straits Times, “a Robinson’s salesman in doctor whose practice was located at the the Men’s Department said he saw a flash Bank of China building across from the across some electrical wire running along store. “I was busy working and didn’t notice the ground floor ceiling near the jewellery anything and… [one of my patients] came counter. The drapes on the wall were set in [and said] ‘Robinsons is on fire!’,” he ablaze, he said, and within minutes the fire recalled. “And I looked out of the window had spread across the room”. The flames and I saw lots of smoke coming out of the that engulfed the building soared as high building and flames coming out of the win- as 200 ft (61 m) at one point, with the con- dows… a very, very big fire. And I noticed flagration reportedly visible as far away as that as the flames got higher and higher, Toa Payoh and Jurong.2 this little tiny figure of winged Mercury Nine people died in the fire, eight of [on the roof of the Robinsons building] whom were trapped in the store’s lifts. Out just slowly melting in the heat and folding of the nine fatalities, eight were employees. over and dropping down. And I could feel The fire gutted the entire building, leav- the heat through the glass of my window ing only a shell, and incinerated millions [although] we must have been 200 yards The Straits Times put the news of the Robinsons fire of dollars worth of goods stockpiled for away? It was quite warm… The buildings on the front page. The Straits Times, 22 November Christmas. It also damaged neighbouring [at Raffles Place] are all joined together… as 1972, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 28 29 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Although Mahmud was well versed Siraj’s shop at 43 Sultan Road.3 When he “All these native races have readily in Malay linguistics – between 1881 passed away in 1909, The Straits Times taken to various forms of athletic and 1918, he was involved as either the described him as “one of the best known sport, and the sight of men of every author or translator of 16 Malay works, of the Malays of Singapore”.4 race, colour and creed assembled including a Malay dictionary Kamus( Dar al-Adab, the publisher of Risalat together on the cricket or football Mahmudiyyah) – he admitted in the Peraturan Bola Sepak, was one of the field, afford striking evidence of foreword that the task of translating earliest Malay/Muslim recreation clubs the good results attending British football rules from English to Malay in Singapore. The club was established protection, whilst the mere assembly was challenging. in 1893 and had its own grounds in Jalan for a common purpose by teaching To make the text clearer, he used Besar, where it held sports events that men of different races to know and basic English terms that Malay players were well attended by locals and Euro- respect one another exercises a by were already familiar with, such as peans.5 Dar al-Adab likely had a vested no means unimportant influence on “goal”, “corner” and “free kick”. Even so, interest in commissioning the book of their general civilisation”.8 Mahmud was dissatisfied with his attempt football rules as it was the organiser of and, in his foreword, expressed hopes the annual football competition called It is debatable whether football of producing a more detailed book on the Darul Adab Cup. Several recreation had any civilising effect on the “men of football rules in future. However, to date, clubs and local football teams competed different races” in Singapore. What is no other football-related book authored for this trophy.6 more certain is that Risalat Peraturan by Mahmud has ever been found. Interestingly, the British regarded Bola Sepak was helpful in teaching Malay Another key person involved in football as a tool to “civilise” the “ignorant” youths the basic rules of the game.9 More the publication was Haji Muhammad “natives” living in its colonies.7 An 1894 than a century after its publication, the Siraj bin Haji Salih. He was an accom- report in The Singapore Free Press and sport remains hugely popular, not just A book of football rules in Jawi, a colonial-era compilation of Tamil names and the 19th-century plished copyist-editor, a prolific printer Mercantile Advertiser noted in rather among Malays in Singapore, but for all version of a 600-year-old Chinese map showing Temasek are among the items showcased in and the biggest bookseller of Muslim grandiose terms: communities. Mazelan Anuar publications in Singapore in the late Stories from the Stacks, the latest book published by the National Library, Singapore. 19th century. As the Honorary Secre- tary of Dar al-Adab, Haji Muhammad Siraj was instrumental in engaging the services of the American Mission Press – the Arabic script adapted for writing to print Mahmud’s work.2 Copies of the Title: Inilah Risalat Peraturan Bola the Malay language. booklet were sold at Haji Muhammad Sepak yang Dinamai oleh Inggeris The title, author, publisher and Football (A Book of Football Rules) printer of the booklet are stated on the Author: Mahmud ibn Almarhum front cover. Inside the 16-page booklet (Right) The booklet includes a fold-out plan with Sayyid Abdul Kadir al-Hindi (translator) is a fold-out plan of a football field with positions of players labelled in Jawi on the diagram Year published: 1895 the positions of the players indicated in of a football field. Collection of the National Library, Singapore. Publisher: Lembaga Keadilan Jawi. Below the diagram are Jawi refer- (Committee) Persekutuan Dar al-Adab ences to player positions, accompanied (Below) Football (or soccer) in the form played Language: Malay (Jawi script) by their English equivalents. today can be traced to mid-19th-century England, although the actual history of the game goes back Type: Booklet, 16 pages with a fold- With the exception of the fold-out more than 2,000 years. Image reproduced from out plan of a football field plan and a glossary of terms where the Shearman, M. (1887). Athletics and Football (p. Call no.: RRARE 796.334 FOO corresponding English explanations such 345). London: Longmans, Green, and Co. Retrieved Accession no.: B21189180H as “off-side” and “free kick” appear from Wikimedia Commons. next to the Jawi phrases, everything else in Risalat Peraturan Bola Sepak is A Football Rulebook in Jawi written in Jawi. Although it is not clear exactly when the It is not known which English football-loving British introduced the source (or sources) the writer, Mahmud game to Malaya, it became so popular ibn Almarhum Sayyid Abdul Kadir al- among Malay youths here that a guide Hindi, used as a reference to produce to the sport was published by the this book of football rules. In the Ethical Committee of the Dar al-Adab foreword, Mahmud writes that argu- Association1 in 1895. Printed by the ments and disputes on the playing field American Mission Press in Singapore, became commonplace as more Malays At the bottom of the cover page of Risalat Inilah Risalat Peraturan Bola Sepak took to the game. Seeing the need Peraturan Bola Sepak is a line indicating that yang Dinamai oleh Inggeris Football to explain the basic rules of football the booklet is registered under Chapter Five of (henceforth referred to as Risalat Per- to new enthusiasts, the Dar al-Adab the Book Register Ordinance 1886. Collection of aturan Bola Sepak) covers the rules of Association commissioned him to write the National Library, Singapore. the game over 17 topics (bab) in Jawi the book.

Mazelan Anuar is a Senior Librarian with the National Library, Singapore, whose research interests are in early Malay publishing and digital librarianship. Liviniyah P. is a former Associate Librarian working with the Singapore and Southeast Asia collections.Mok Ly Yng is a map research consultant with more than 20 years of experience. He has provided mapping consultancy to several map exhibitions, books and heritage projects. 30 31 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

adhered closely to the transliteration Julius Lodewijk Duyvendak (1889–1954), system laid down by the Board of Rev- is the most commonly used name today enue in Madras, Tamil Nadu.15 He also for this set of Chinese navigational maps. Title: Mao Kun Map (茅坤图), from provided a useful guide to help readers The Mao Kun Map was first pub- Wu Bei Zhi (武备志), Chapter 240 pronounce vowels in the romanised lished in the late-Ming publication Compiler: Mao Yuanyi (茅元仪) Tamil names by using corresponding Wu Bei Zhi (武备志).20 It was compiled in Year published: Late 19th century vowel sounds found in English words. 1621 by Mao Yuanyi (茅元仪; 1594–1640), Language: Chinese Page 1 (unnumbered) to page 45 of who served as a strategist in the Ming Type: Map the book contain the romanised spellings court, and published in 1628. Mao’s Call no.: RRARE 355.00951 WBZ of common Tamil personal names. This list grandfather, Mao Kun (茅坤; 1512–1601), Accession no.: B26078782G is organised in alphabetical order, along- owned a large and distinguished personal Donated by: Singapore Federation side a column that indicates if the names library, and it is believed that this map was of Chinese Clan Associations belong to men (labelled “M”) or women part of his collection. Given that three (“F”). The third column contains the cor- generations of the Mao family had served responding names written in Tamil script. Admiral Zheng He’s Navigation Map in the Ming dynasty’s imperial service – On the last page of the book is a list The Mao Kun Map (茅坤图) is the collective either in a military or naval capacity – it of 19 caste names, most of which belong name for a set of navigational maps that is not surprising that the map ended up to those from the upper castes, including are based on the 15th-century expeditions in their possession. widely recognised names such as “Chetti” of the Indian Ocean by renowned Ming Originally drawn as a scroll measur- and “Pillai”.16 The former, for instance, dynasty explorer Admiral Zheng He (郑和; ing 20.5 cm by 560 cm (in the manner of refers to the Chettiar community, a Tamil 1371–1433/35). traditional Chinese paintings), which no trading caste of businessmen and mon- Also known as Zheng He’s Naviga- longer exists today, the Mao Kun Map was eylenders. The Chettiars who migrated tion Map 郑和航海图( ) or the Wu Bei Zhi recast into 40 pages – essentially an atlas to consisted mainly of the Chart, the map is believed to have been format – for publication in the 240-chapter Nattukottai Chettiars, a subgroup involved drawn between 1425 and 1430, although Wu Bei Zhi. The map is featured in the final principally in moneylending,17 and who scholars have offered differing views of its chapter of the Wu Bei Zhi, in the “Geo- later became a key fixture of the business exact date of origin.19 The term Mao Kun graphical Surveys” section, which covers landscape in British Malaya. Map, as coined by the Dutch sinologist Jan astronomical observations and geographi- Interestingly, some of the caste names in the list, such as “Nayidu” and The Mao Kun Map is believed to be based on the naval expeditions of the early 15th-century Ming (Above left)A glimpse of the personal and caste names used by the Tamil community in British Malaya. “Reddi”, are typically associated with admiral, Zheng He, who made several voyages from China to Southeast Asia and across the Indian The list was collated by colonial officer Alfred Vanhouse Brown and A. Swaminatha Pillai, an intrepreter of the Telugu community rather than the Ocean. The pages shown here depict the return route between Melaka and China through the Strait Tamil and Hindi languages from Perak. Interestingly, some caste names in the booklet, such as “Nayidu” Tamils. Both names may have been used of Singapore. The name Temasek (淡马锡), is marked on a hill on the right page. Pedra Branca (白礁) List of Tamil Proper Names and “Reddi”, are typically associated with the Telugu community, rather than Tamils. Collection of the by Telugu migrants who moved from the appears on the same page, whereas Melaka (满剌加) is labelled at the top left of the left page.Collection Title: National Library, Singapore. Author: Alfred Vanhouse Brown coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh to of the National Library, Singapore. Year published: 1904 (Above right) A Chettiar moneylender, c. 1890. Originally from South India, the Chettiars started Tamil Nadu, before migrating to British Government Printing coming to Singapore during the 19th century. Courtesy of the National Museum of Singapore, Malaya. Over time, these immigrants from Publisher: National Heritage Board. Office (Kuala Lumpur) various castes and linguistic groups who Language: Tamil, English settled in Tamil Nadu may have adopted Type: Book, 48 pages 48-page List of Tamil Proper Names, pub- Alfred Vanhouse Brown, an officer the language and cultural practices of Call no.: RRARE 929.4 BRO lished in Kuala Lumpur in 1904. Although with the Federated Malay States Civil the Tamils.18 Accession no.: B16331012F this was neither the first nor the longest Service who was based in Kuala Lumpur, Names provide a window into an list produced by the Government Printing compiled the list with the assistance of individual’s identity – whether it be gen- Office of the Federated Malay States, A. Swaminatha Pillai, an interpreter of der, ethnicity, religious affiliation, nation- A Book of Tamil Names the personal and caste names in the Indian languages from Batu Gajah, Perak.13 ality or social position. For instance, In governing a diverse population that book shed light on the patterns of Indian Brown was educated at the Merchant Tamil names traditionally do not carry spoke and wrote a variety of languages, migration into British Malaya during the Taylor’s School in London and Queen’s Col- a family name. Instead, both males and the British colonial administrators in 19th and early 20th centuries. lege in Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor females use their father’s name before Singapore and Malaya faced many chal- The Indian subcontinent is home of Arts degree in 1896. That year, he was their personal name. Upon marriage, a lenges. The languages used in Malaya, to numerous ethno-linguistic groups. appointed to serve in the Eastern Cadet- Tamil woman would traditionally adopt China and India have their own writing Of these, South Indians formed the ships, specifically the civil service in the her husband’s personal name in place of systems, none of which were remotely largest segment of the Indian immigrant Federated Malay States. He undertook her father’s name. similar to the Latin script familiar to population in British Malaya, particularly several positions there until 1906, when The List of Tamil Proper Names is a the British. This would have made the from the late 19th century onwards. The he was appointed Superintendent of Posts useful historical source for reseaching identification of individuals, with their Tamils, most of whom were employed and Telegraphs in Selangor, Negri Sembi- the migration and settlement history names rendered in different scripts, a as labourers in plantations, the harbour, lan and Pahang. In the same year, Brown of Singapore’s Tamil community. It also problem. To overcome this, the colonial and transportation and municipal sec- also served as the Acting District Officer complements similar publications in the government commissioned the compila- tors, constituted the majority of these and Indian Immigration Agent in Perak.14 National Library that list the common tion of lists containing the romanised migrants,11 with smaller groups of Malay- There is not much more informa- names of members of the Malay and versions of common Asian names. alees and Telugus.12 This explains why tion about Brown and Pillai, or how they Chinese communities in the Straits Settle- One such document used by colonial the British saw the need to commission collated the names. According to the ments. Liviniyah P. officials to transcribe Tamil names10 is the a book of specifically Tamil names. note at the front of the book, Brown 32 33 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

cal surveys for military operations. After The Mao Kun Map was conceived landmarks are labelled. Altogether, some A depiction of Longyamen (Dragon’s Teeth Gate) more than 250 years of obscurity, the Mao and drawn as a strip map, with the sail- 500 place names appear on the map, with by an unknown artist, c. 1848. Kun Map was made known to the rest of ing route taking centre stage and the the most prominent place names – such the world around 1885–86 in a journal geographical features rendered in a linear as countries, provinces and prefectures, centre of page 27, while Melaka (满剌加) article by George Phillips (1836–96).21 fashion along the sailing route. As such, and official installations like forts or appears at the top left of page 28. Other The National Library’s copy of the both the orientation and scale vary from depots – boxed up. familiar places on page 27 as identified by Mao Kun Map is from a late 19th-century one segment to the next on the map, The Mao Kun Map uses two naviga- scholar J.V.G. Mills include Pulau Sakijang edition of the Wu Bei Zhi. It is among one leading to a “distortion” of space as we tional techniques. The first is the Chinese Pelepah22 (琵琶屿), Pulau Tembakul23 (官屿/ of six known editions of the Wu Bei Zhi generally understand it. 24-point compass, with 15 degrees for 龟屿岛), Pulau Satumu24 (长腰屿) and published over the centuries. All six editions To further compound the difficulty each compass point or “needle” (or Pedra Branca25 (白礁). are still extant and held in various private of interpreting the map, upon reaching compass needle) employed throughout The sailing directions radiating from and public collections around the world, the Southeast Asian archipelago, the jour- the map. The second is the “star altitude” Melaka depict the homeward journey but it is not known how many copies there neys no longer progress in a linear route. technique (过洋牵星术), which navigators from Melaka to China across the South are of each. From this point onwards, the map has to once used to cross the Indian Ocean. This China Sea. The route passes through The navigational map is read from be read as two distinct parts: the upper technique made use of the known altitude Karimun (吉利门) and to the South China right to left in the tradition of classical half of each page depicting one journey, of selected stars and compared them Sea via Longyamen (龙牙门), or Dragon’s Chinese writing and painting. The voyage and the lower half presenting a separate with markings on a reference board. If Teeth Gate, which was a significant begins at the Treasure Ship factory near and unrelated journey. Both narratives the altitude of a selected star matched a navigational landmark in those days. the Ming capital city of Nanjing and fol- continue onto the subsequent pages – certain pre-marked altitude line on the Longyamen as indicated on the map lows a southerly course along the coast of but at different travel speeds. In order reference board, the exact position and refers to the main Strait of Singapore. China for 19 pages until it reaches Chiêm to understand the map better, the two location of the ship could be determined. The Mao Kun Map is of great sig- Thành in Vietnam. It then continues to halves have to be interpreted separately. In order to achieve this feat, the nificance to Singapore as it is the only various places in Southeast Asia over the While land masses and islands are people living along the coasts of the Indian known cartographic work that mentions next 12 pages, before reaching Martaban depicted in plan view (i.e. bird’s-eye Ocean would have been called upon to “Temasek” – the name that was used in in Myanmar. The last nine pages depict view), the major cities and mountains assist with this type of navigation. Four ancient documents to indicate the site of These extracts are reproduced from Library Board, the routes to Ceylon (), India, are portrayed in elevation view (i.e. pages of “star altitudes” are appended at modern Singapore. Other place names Stories from the Stacks: Selections from Singapore, Arabia and the east coast of Africa. The like cardboard stand-ups). The sailing the end of the Mao Kun Map. on the map have helped to narrow the the Rare Materials Collection, National and Marshall furthest point reached on the map is routes are shown as dashed lines, while Of interest is the fact that the name location of Temasek to an area con- Library Singapore. This recently pub- Cavendish Edi- Malindi in Kenya. important places like settlements and Temasek (淡马锡) appears at the top sistent with where Singapore is found lished book features a small selection tions, the book today. There is, however, uncertainty of some 19,000 items that form the is available for over what exactly Temasek means on Overlay of six pages from the Mao Kun Map over a contemporary map of the Malay Peninsula. Image overlay provided by Mok Ly Yng. library’s Rare Materials Collection. reference at the map – does it refer to the island Spanning five centuries, with a special the Lee Kong itself or to a larger region encompass- focus on Singapore and Southeast Asia, Chian Refer- ing the island? the collection comprises books, manu- ence Library and for loan at selected What is certain from the Mao Kun scripts, maps, photographs, letters, public libraries (Call nos.: RSING 016.95957 Map is that the was documents and other paper-based SIN-[LIB] and SING 016.95957 SIN) as used as a sailing route between the artefacts that offer invaluable insights well as for digital loan at nlb.overdrive. Indian Ocean and China in the 15th into the history of Singapore and the com. It is also available for sale at major century, testifying to the importance of region. Published by the National bookshops in Singapore. Singapore’s location in the regional trade network during this period. Mok Ly Yng

11 Sandhu, 2010, p. 286. 18 Vijaya, M., et al. (2007). A study on Telugu-speaking NOTES 12 Sinnappah, A. (1979). Indians in Malaysia and Singapore immigrants of Tamil Nadu, South India. International 1 Also spelt “Daral Adab” and “Darul Adab”. (pp. 44–45). Kuala Lumpur; New York: Oxford University Journal of Human Genetics, 7 (4), 303–306. 2 Proudfoot, I. (1993). Early Malay printed books: A Press. (Call no.: RSING 325.25409595 ARA) Retrieved from Pennsylvania State University’s provisional account of materials published in the 13 Brown, A.V. (1904). List of Tamil proper names (title page). CiteSeerX website. Singapore-Malaysia area up to 1920, noting holdings in Kuala Lumpur: Government Printing Office. (Call no.: 19 徐玉虎. (2005). 郑和下西洋航海图考. In《郑和下 major public collections (p. 41). Kuala Lumpur: Academy RRARE 929.4 BRO; Accession no.: B16331012F) 西洋研究文选 (1905–2005)》(p. 530). Beijing: China of Malay Studies and the Library, University of Malaya. 14 The Civil Services of Ceylon, the Straits Settlements Ocean Press. (Call no.: Chinese R q951.06092 ZHX); (Call no.: RSING 015.5957 PRO) and were collectively referred to as the 巩珍 & 向达. (2000).《西洋番国志》. Beijing: Zhonghua 3 Proudfoot, I. (1987, December). A nineteenth-century Eastern Cadetships. See Mills, L.A. (2012). Ceylon Shu Ju. (Call no.: Chinese RSEA 959 GZ); 马欢 & 万明. Malay bookseller’s catalogue. Kekal Abadi, 6 (4), pp. 6, 8. under British rule 1795–1932 (p. 90). Routledge. (Not (2005).《明钞本瀛涯胜览校注》. Beijing: China Ocean Retrieved from Malay Concordance Project website. available in NLB holdings). For details about Alfred Press (Not available in NLB holdings); Ma, H. (1997). 4 Social and personal. (1909, October 29). The Straits Times, Vanhouse Brown, see The Directory & Chronicle of Ying Yai Sheng Lan: ‘The overall survey of the ocean’s p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. China, Japan, Straits Settlements, Malaya, Borneo, shores’ [1433]. (Translated from the Chinese text 5 Darul Adab athletic sports. (1900, June 21). The Singapore Siam, the Philippines, Korea, Indo-China, Netherlands edited by Feng Chʻeng-Chün with introduction, notes Free Press, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Indies, etc. (1906). (p. 1192). Cambridge: Harvard and appendices by J.V.G. Mills). Bangkok, Thailand: 6 The Darul Adab Cup. (1900, October 8). The Straits Times, University. (Not available in NLB holdings); Wright, White Lotus Press. (Call no.: R 915.04 MA) p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. A., & Cartwright, H.A. (1908). Twentieth century 20 Translated by J.V.G. Mills as Records of Military 7 Cho, Y., & Little, C. (Eds.). (2015). Football in Asia: History, impressions of British Malaya: Its history, people, Preparations. culture and business (p. 19). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. commerce, industries, and resources (p. 328). London: 21 Phillips, G. (1885–1886). The seaports of India and Ceylon (Call no.: RSEA 796.334095 FOO) Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, Limited. described by Chinese voyages of the fifteenth century. 8 Selangor in 1894. (1895, July 15). The Singapore Free (Call no.: RCLOS 959.5103 TWE) Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Press, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 15 Brown, 1904, “Note”. Society, 20, 209–226; and 21, 30–42. 9 Cho & Little, 2015, p. 19. 16 Britto, F. (1986, Fall). Personal names in Tamil society. 22 Pulau Sakijang Pelepah is also known as . 10 Sandhu, K.S. (2010). Indians in Malaya: Immigration and Anthropological Linguistics, 28 (3), 349–365. Retrieved 23 Pulau Tembakul is also known as . settlement (1786–1957) (p. 15). Cambridge: Cambridge from JSTOR via NLB’s eResources website. 24 is where Raffles Lighthouse is located. University Press. (Call no.: RSEA 325.25409595 SAN) 17 Sinnappah, 1979, p. 36. 25 Pedra Branca is where Horsburgh Lighthouse is located. 34 35 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

[left] hanging at the bottom of the the Nacodah of the prow likewise It is not long since an unfortunate stair-case, which they could not had received a wound....”4 Commander of a vessel was drowned ascend from the door having been near the entrance of the river; now, fortunately locked.”2 It was only in 1843 that Singapore Mr Editor, had there been a light LET got its first fulltime police commissioner, the chances are his life might have The lack of adequate street lighting Thomas Dunman. That same year, Maria been saved.”6 meant that the “natives”, as locals were Revere , wife of the first Ameri- referred to by European residents, used can consul in Singapore Joseph Balestier, The landing places in question would THERE torches with naked flames whenever they donated a bell from her family’s Revere have been located along the north bank held night processions. This, of course, Foundry in Boston to St Andrew’s Church of the Singapore River, in front of what is posed a fire hazard to buildings made of (subsequently demolished and replaced by today the Asian Civilisations Museum. It combustible materials such as wood and St Andrew’s Cathedral in 1861). seems that lamps were indeed installed BE attap. In an 1833 letter to the editor of the As was typical in the largely unlit after that letter was published, because in Singapore Chronicle, the writer expressed world of that era, Singapore was unsafe at 1847, there was another letter complaining concern after seeing a number of such night and had an after-dark curfew. One that the lamps had been removed when processions during a walk around town: condition of Balestier’s gift was that the repairs were carried out at the Landing Timothy Pwee enlightens us about the bell would be rung for five minutes every Place, causing people to miss their step “Last night I took a walk through night, immediately after the firing of the and fall into the water: history of street lighting in Singapore, the Town and in the course of my 8 pm gun, to announce the start of curfew starting with the first flickering oil perambulations met no less than hours. This practice continued until 1874.5 “A few evenings since a Lady accom­ lamps that were lit in 1824. three or four processions of a similar (The bell currently resides in the National panied by her Husband, child and kind… all of them carrying a greater or Museum of Singapore). ayah nearly met with a very serious Light less number of torches, from which Aside from facilitating crime, the lack accident. They had alighted from a sparks were continually flying up of street lighting also increased the chances Palanquin and were proceeding to into the air…”3 of accidents, as a letter in The Singapore the landing place to embark in a Free Press in July 1844 noted: Boat when the gentleman, who was The poor lighting, combined with in advance, not being aware of any the absence of a proper police force in “I beg to suggest a remedy against steps, fancied he was still far from the early decades of colonial Singapore, broken legs of a dark night by the the water, and was in consequence contributed to the spate of violent crimes erection of two lamp Posts at the precipitated to the bottom. The committed under the cover of darkness, as top of the Stairs. A bright idea that Lady unconscious of the danger this account from the Singapore Chronicle and no mistake! It would also be was following, when a gentleman in February 1832 demonstrates: judicious to place lamps at each present caught her by the arm. of the landing places, which would The Ayah went a little to the left “[The] witness was awoke by a probably prevent the numerous and fell amongst the loose stones noise and perceived Chinese and accidents we hear of to parties but fortunately without injury to witness’s companions fighting – also leaving the steps on a dark night. the child.”7 There is something special about Singapore were lit on 1 April 1824, some five years observed by the torches the Chinese at night. The glittering skyline of the Central after the British East India Company set up brought, that the latter took away 7 Business District and Marina Bay is now a trading post on the island. Oil lamps using boxes. Witness and his companions tan iconic image, while the annual festive coconut oil were installed on some bridges pursued, but he received a wound in light-ups of Orchard Road, , and major streets, at police tannah (police the right arm. On returning observed Geylang Serai and Serangoon Road never outpost or station) and on the facade of that Bander and Bandarre, two of fail to draw a crowd intent on taking selfies important buildings. While these lamps the crew had been killed and that and wefies. were an improvement over moonlight, Singapore did not always sparkle after there were problems. According to Buckley, (Facing page) Lighted torches illuminating the evening dark though. The first streetlights relied on “there were very few lamps and they had sky as coolies transport coal to refuel a ship, c. 1876. feeble, flickering oil lamps, which were joined only a single glass in front, so the light was Given the amount of fuel such torches consumed, it by gas-lit lamps in the second half of the little use. As if to show this, Mr Purvis’s is not surprising that two years after this image was 19th century. Even then, street lighting was godown was broken into that same night published, the first electric light began replacing limited to major areas in town. Streetlamps and robbed of goods worth $500”.1 torches. However, it would take several decades before electricity would light up many of the streets running on electricity were introduced in the Indeed, the lamps themselves could in Singapore. This illustration first appeared in The early 20th century but there were not very become the targets of theft, as reported Graphic on 4 November 1876. Courtesy of the National many of these back then. It was only after by the Singapore Chronicle in 1836: Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board. World War II that the authorities came up (Right) Detail from Charles Dyce’s The River from with plans to ensure that all of Singapore’s “Last night the dwelling houses of Monkey Bridge (ink and watercolour, 1842–3) showing streets would be lit at night. both Messrs. Fraser and Guthrie, a bridge lamp on the right. It would have been fuelled immediately adjoining each other, by coconut oil as this was before the introduction of The First Streetlamps were entered by thieves. From the gas lighting in Singapore in 1864. Image reproduced Timothy Pwee is a Senior Librarian with the National from Liu, G. (1999). Singapore: A Pictorial History, Library, Singapore. He is interested in Singapore’s According to Charles Burton Buckley’s 1902 former all the hanging lamps in the 1819–2000 (p. 31). Singapore: Archipelago Press in business and natural histories, and is developing the work, An Anecdotal History of Singapore, upper verandah were taken away, association with the National Heritage Board. (Call library’s donor collections around these areas. the first streetlamps in the settlement and from the latter, only one lamp no.: RSING 959.57 LIU-[HIS]). 36 37 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

(Left) Detail from an illustration from the 1880s showing gas lamps along Boat Quay. The design of public lamps up of gas lamps here – was started. What oil lamps.Interestingly, the new gas lamps Advertiser Weekly Mail Edition in 1890 did not change much throughout the 19th century until is known is that there were negotiations were not lit during the full moon and the illustrates: the advent of electric lighting in the 20th century.Image from at least 1860 onwards about floating Municipal Council decided that oil lamps reproduced from Moerlein, G. (1886). A Trip Around a company in London to build gasworks and should be left unlit as well.16 “A great inconvenience could be very the World (p. 57). Cincinnati, Ohio: M. & R. Burgheim. piping in Singapore for street lighting. The The prevalence of street lighting easily abolished if the Royal Engineers Retrieved from BookSG. Collection of the National Library, Singapore. (Accession no.: B03351770D) company was officially registered in London gave life to the city, as a poem composed by on would, in their electric in 1861, and a deal was subsequently struck 许南英 (Xu Nan Ying) in 1896, demonstrates: searchlight practice, avoid choosing (Bottom left) Singapore’s first gasworks, for the company to supply a minimum of the exact time and neighbourhood of Gasworks, c. 1911. The gasworks was constructed in “ 海 山 雄 镇 水 之 涯 ，商 贾 云 屯 十 万 家 ; 1862 to supply the first piped gas for street lighting. It 400 gas lamps to the town of Singapore. the departure of mail steamers. It is a was decommissioned in March 1998 and its function The company also oversaw the construc- 三岛千洲人萃处，此坡合好号新嘉. physical impossibility to pilot a vessel taken over by Senoko Gasworks. Arshak C. Galstaun tion of Singapore’s first gasworks, Kallang 傍晚齐辉万点灯，牛车水里闹奔腾;”17 safely in the face of the blinding glare Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Gasworks,13 in 1862 to supply piped gas of the electric light.”18 for street lighting. [Translation] big European cities of the 19th century The gas lamps were first lit on the “Sea and mountain meeting at the shore, Another downside was that the open were moving away from oil lamps to gas-lit occasion of Queen Victoria’s birthday on 24 A multitude of businesses gather; arc was a potential fire hazard, which pre- lamps for street lighting. Cities in Europe May 1864. People were supposedly so fasci- Where people of a thousand lands meet, cluded it from being used indoors. had already embarked on gas lighting be- nated with the lamps that they were “seen ‘Singapore’ is the name of this town. The Dock Company fore Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore going up to the lamp-posts and touching Ten thousand lamps light up the evening, installed an electric arc light in July 1878; the in 1819. The Gas Light and Coke Company11 them gingerly with their finger-tips; they Kreta Ayer bustles with life;” Siemen’s arc lamp emitted light equivalent had been established in London in 1812 could not understand how a fire came out to about 2,000 candles “to facilitate work to supply gas for public use. at the top without the post getting hot”.14 The Advent of Electric Lighting which had to be carried on all night”.19 Installing gas-lit streetlamps around The Singapore Free Press reported that Electric lamps only started appearing on In February 1885, the Telegraph Office a city was no small matter though. Meth- crowds “follow[ed] the lamplighter from Singapore’s streets from the early 20th cen- in Singapore installed 59 Edison-Swan ane, the gas used for these lamps, had lamp to lamp and gasp[ed] with astonish- tury, although electricity had been used for incandescent bulbs. These bulbs worked by to be manufactured from coal and then ment and admiration as he produced light indoor lighting from as early as the 1880s. heating a filament in a vacuum to produce distributed by an underground network of from nothing”.15 Cities in the United States first began light. The following year, the Union Hotel pipes to each lamp post. This meant that Why was a London-based company using electric arc lighting in the 1870s, on Hill Street replaced its gas burners with heavy investment was needed to build a gas providing the infrastructure of streetlamps despite its light being too glaring.Electric electric lamps, using incandescent bulbs of production plant and to lay out a network instead of a local one in Singapore? Aside arc lighting involved placing two carbon either 16 or 32 candlepower each (around of pipes connected to fixed lamp posts. The from the engineering expertise being in electrodes slightly apart but close enough 20 to 40 watts ).20 In 1890, Government gas plant would also require a constant London, there was also the large capital for an electric spark to form between the House (now known as the Istana) was also supply of coal. In addition, legislation investment needed. At the time, Singapore two electrodes, emitting a brilliant arc. So fitted with incandescent lamps.21 would be needed to allow for the laying of did not have a capital market to raise the brilliant was the light that one of the earli- Using such bulbs for street lighting, underground pipes around the city. funds required. est records of its use was by the British however, took longer. While the owners In 1856, several acts were passed The availability of gas lighting did not Navy as searchlights mounted on ships. of individual buildings could install a small by the Legislative Council of India (known mean the end of oil lamps however. While Not everyone appreciated being spotlit generator to power their own lights, a sys- as the Indian Acts), which allowed for the the main thoroughfares were lit with gas, though, as this irate-sounding letter in tem of electric street lighting – which was appointment of municipal commissioners, less important areas continued to rely on The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile more complex – necessitated an electrical granted powers of taxation and created a common legal structure for the municipal A gas lamp along , c. 1900s. Lim Shao governments in Indian cities, including Bin Collection, PictureSG, National Library, Singapore. those in the Straits Settlements. These acts replaced a hodgepodge of older laws. In particular, the provisions of “Act XIV for By 1849, it seems that lighting the town water, to clean these lamps. There is the Conservancy and Improvement of the had become a priority, as the Municipal also a scarcity of lamplighters, it being Towns of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, Committee decided to add “nearly 50 lamps, sometimes pretty near Gun-fire and the Several Stations of the Settlement at a cost or lighting, of 300 dollars a year, before the lamps in some localities of Prince of Wales’ Island, Singapore and exclusive of the first cost of lamps &c”.8 are reached.”9 Malacca” vested municipal commission- Merely adding a lamp did not necessar- ers with powers to contract and maintain ily mean there would be sufficient illumina- Another problem was the tendency street lighting. In the decade following this tion as this complaint inThe Singapore Free of some of these lamps to go out at night legislation, the cities under Indian admin- Press of 19 April 1850 attests: as this 1861 complaint in The Straits Times istration, including Singapore, introduced illustrates: “We call the attention of the gas streetlamps, something previously “Most of the Public lamps are of no Public Lamplighter to the fact, that the found only in the municipalities of Britain. use whatever, through the dirt which lamp at the corner of High Street and North Robert Rigg, the first Secretary of the covers them, and which prevents the Bridge Road, generally ceases to burn at Municipal Commission, is credited as the rays of the light from passing through One A.M.”10 driving force behind the introduction of it. The lamplighters have no clean gas lighting to Singapore.12 However, not rags, employ very dirty ones, and From Oil to Gas much is known of his exact contribution, have been seen using the water of the While the fledgling town of Singapore nor is it clear how or when the Singapore drains, that is to say muddy and dirty was trying to get by with oil lamps, the Gas Company – the firm behind the setting 38 39 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

power station, in the same way that gas At the start of the Japanese Occupation ers had replaced the lamplighters, who Songs were even written about how beau- (Below) Singapore’s first electrical power station on Mackenzie Road, 1905. It generated electrical power for lighting required a central gasworks. the trams and also supplied the electricity for electric street lamps, which were first installed in 1906. F.W. York (1942–45), the Japanese Military Administra- previously did their rounds in the evening tiful Singapore was after dusk. The 1962 The impetus was the introduction Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. tion took the opportunity to repair the dam- to light the gas lamps and then returning P. Ramlee movie Labu dan Labi, a comedy of the electric tram system in Singapore, age caused by the war by replacing street in the morning to extinguish them.36 How- about two bumbling servants, features the (Bottom) Overhead electric tram lines and an electric lamp along High Street, early 20th century. Lim Shao Bin which led to the setting up of the city’s Collection, PictureSG, National Library, Singapore. lighting at 43 major junctions in Singapore ever, while lamp lighting was no longer song “Singapura Waktu Malam”, a paean to first electrical power station. In 1901, the with electric street lighting.32 needed, the lamps still needed cleaning Singapore at night. The opening stanza goes: Singapore Tramways Ltd was founded in The immediate post-war years saw and maintenance. This was a job handled London, and work on the power station Singapore’s population swelling to over by the lamp attendants employed by the “Singapura waktu malam and headquarters at MacKenzie Road in 900,000 due to people being displaced Gas Department. Lampu neon indah berkilauan Singapore began the following year. The from Malaya and the surrounding region. While electric lamps were brighter Gedung tinggi gemerlapan power station began generating electric- The resulting demand, which saw a sharp and cheaper, there was, however, one Sungguh megah tiada bandingan” ity in 1905 and the first regular tramway increase in the use of gas plus the difficulty important task that gas lamps excelled at route started running on 25 July the same of getting replacement gas lamps, hindered that electric lamps could not accomplish [Translation] year. The power station also supplied the repair and servicing work. – concealing bad smells. In 1955, about a “Singapore at night electricity required for electric street In December 1946, the Municipal dozen gas lamps around Singapore were Neon lights beautifully sparkling lamps, which were first used in 1906 to Commission approved a $30,000 budget kept burning day and night, supposedly to Glittering tall buildings light up Raffles Place and the Esplanade to install 72 electric lamps at various stra- “offset the smell which might otherwise Really magnificent without (now Padang). tegic locations in the city, such as Victoria escape from the sewage mains near which compare” Electricity quickly penetrated society, Street, , River Valley Road they were installed”, according to City used in government offices, commercial and Outram Road as an initial measure.33 Councillor Chan Kum Chee.37 These gas Assistance for the English translations buildings and homes. The Tanjong Pagar In 1947, a proper five-year scheme cost- lamps were located in places such as the of the Chinese poem by 许南英 and Dock even started its own power plant to ing $1 million was implemented to install Telok Ayer police station, Fort Canning the Malay song by P. Ramlee were electrify operations in 1909. Singapore’s more than 3,000 electric street lamps in and the Immigration Office. provided by colleagues Goh Yu Mei increasing electricity demand led to the Singapore. This was followed in July 1951 By the 1960s, thanks to widespread and Juffri Supaat respectively. opening of a second power station, St by a second five-year plan amounting to electrification, Singapore glowed at night. James Power Station,22 in 1927. $1.5 million to improve street lighting.34 A major power failure on the evening In 1954, the City Council (successor of 18 Untitled. (1890, October 8). The Singapore Free Press of 16 April 1936 showed how dependent the Municipal Commission) announced that NOTES and Mercantile Advertiser Weekly Mail Edition, p. 399. Singapore had become on electricity, the approximately 530 gas street lamps still 1 Buckley, C.B. (1902). An anecdotal history of old times Retrieved from NewspaperSG. in Singapore (Vol. I; p. 155). Singapore: Fraser & Neave. 19 The electric light in the Straits Settlements. (1886, November with cookers and refrigeration shutting in use in Singapore would be scrapped by (Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 BUC) 22). The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. down and cinemas cancelling screenings. the end of the following year and replaced 2 Singapore. (1836, May 14). Singapore Chronicle, p. 2. 20 The first installation of the electric light in Singapore. Even Government House was not spared, with electric lamps.35 Retrieved from NewspaperSG. (1886, April 3). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from 3 Correspondence. (1833, May 30). Singapore Chronicle, NewspaperSG. and Governor “had to Whether in 1955 or a little later, the p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 21 Electric light at Government House. (1890, February 25). ‘feel’ his way round the passages until complete crossover to electric bulbs would 4 Singapore. (1832, February 2). Singapore Chronicle, p. 3. The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 22 Nuradilah Ramlan & Neo, T.S. (2017). St James Power peons arrived with electric torches”. have put Singapore’s 25 lamp attendants 5 Balestier bell finds a home. (1937, October 17). The Station. Retrieved from Singapore Infopedia, National The Singapore Free Press reported that out of work. By the late 1940s, time switch- Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Library, Singapore. a “feature of the ‘black-out’ was the 6 Correspondence. (1844, July 24). The Singapore Free 23 Great black-out in Singapore. (1936, April 17). The revelation that about seven-eighths of Press, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Singapore Free Press, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. The bulb of this street lamp along Phillip Street 7 The Free Press. (1847, August 12). The Singapore Free 24 Move to better Singapore’s street lighting. (1936, November the streets of Singapore, claimed to be photographed in 1968 resembles the ones from early Press, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 22). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. one of the most modern cities of the 20th-century Singapore. Lim Shao Bin Collection, 8 The Free Press. (1849, February 22). The Singapore Free Press 25 Strong criticism of Singapore’s lighting. (1937, and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. September 30). The Singapore Free Press, p. 3. Retrieved 23 PictureSG, National Library, Singapore. East, are still gas-lit”. 9 Local. (1850, April 19). The Singapore Free Press, p. 2. from NewspaperSG. In November 1936, a Straits Times Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 26 Daylight at night on British roads. (1933, August 3). The editorial claimed that Singapore had 10 Untitled. (1861, January 12). The Straits Times, p. 2. Straits Times, p. 17. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 27 Around Malaya. (1937, March 24). The Malaya Tribune, “some of the worst lighted streets in 11 The Gas Light and Coke Company, headquartered in p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. the world”, and the obsolete and old- mercury vapour to create a bright glow, streets. The most important routes were Westminster, London, made and supplied coal gas and 28 Important street lighting plan started in Singapore last fashioned gas street lamps provided poor it made “perpetual daylight” possible as classified as Group A, and only mercury or coke. It was the first company set up to supply London night. (1938, September 3). The Malaya Tribune, p. 12. 24 with coal gas and operated the first gasworks in the United Retrieved from NewspaperSG. lighting for motorists and pedestrians. one enthusiastic 1933 report inThe Straits sodium vapour lamps were deemed suit- Kingdom, which was also the world’s first public gasworks. 29 Committee will investigate city traffic problems. (1937, T.H. Stone, President of the Singapore Times put it.26 By 1937, both Kuala Lum- able for these roads. The dozen highway 12 Untitled: Gas for Singapore. (1861, August 17). The December 1). The Singapore Free Press, p. 9. Retrieved Rotary Club, echoed this view. In a Rotary pur and Ipoh had installed test stretches routes included the main thoroughfares in Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. from NewspaperSG. 13 Kallang Gasworks was decommissioned in March 30 Trimmer, G.W.A. (1938). Traffic conditions in Singapore, luncheon in September 1937, he said “[t] of mercury vapour lamps with positive town such as Beach Road, Orchard Road 1998 and its function taken over by Senoko Gasworks. 1938 (pp. 18–25). Singapore: Government Printing he complete overhaul of Singapore’s results.27 Singapore did its own test along and Connaught Drive as well as major See Tan, B. (2018). Kallang Gasworks. Retrieved from Office. Retrieved from BookSG. Singapore Infopedia, National Library, Singapore. 31 Singapore relighting scheme postponed. (1940, March 2). lighting is necessary and urgent because East Coast Road between Katong and Siglap routes outside of town, like Clemenceau 14 Makepeace, W., Brooke, G.E., & Braddell, R.S.J. (1921). The Singapore Free Press, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. there is not a single street in this island with 300-yard stretches lit up by mercury Avenue, Kallang Road, , One hundred years of Singapore: Being some account of 32 Syonan to have better type street lights. (1942, July 14). that is properly lit”.25 vapour, sodium vapour and standard Thomson Road and Serangoon Road.30 the capital of the Straits Settlements from its foundation Syonan Shimbun, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 28 by Sir Stamford Raffles on the 6th February 1819 to the 33 More street lights at strategic points. (1946, December 18). The rise of the automobile was the electric filament lamps. The lighting recommendations, how- 6th February 1919 (Vol. II; p. 512). London: John Murray. The Malaya Tribune, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. reason for the sudden disaffection with In December 1937, a committee ever, were not accepted by the Municipal (Call no.: RCLOS 959.51 MAK-[RFL]) 34 Lights for 86 miles of road. (1951, July 7). The Straits gas streetlamps. Poorly lit streets made was set up to look into traffic problems in Commission who proceeded with its 15 Groom, P. (1957, October 21). Crowds worshipped the Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 29 ‘miracle’ lamplighter. The Singapore Free Press, p. 10. 35 A brighter S’pore soon: Gas yields to power. (1954, June 1). The the darkness between gas lamps danger- Singapore and to recommend solutions. own lighting plans and street classifica- Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Singapore Free Press, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. ous blind spots for drivers. The report, produced the following year, tion system. In 1940, it successfully lit 16 Municipal Council. (1864, July 9). The Straits Times, p. 1. 36 Time and the lamplighter. (1948, June 13). The Straits In the early 1930s, there was a further noted that poor street lighting was one of a stretch of Clemenceau Avenue using Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 17 饶宗颐 [Rao, Z.Y.]. (1994).《新加坡古事记》(pp. 283– 37 Lamps that are never put out. (1955, March 21). The development of the electric arc lamp. By the causes of traffic accidents and proposed mercury vapour lamps but further plans 284). 香港: 中文大学出版社. (Call no.: Chinese RSING Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG sealing the lamps in tubes of sodium or lighting standards for the various classes of were derailed due to the war.31 959.57 JTI) 40 41 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

these shores, even merited a mention A petition in 1857 from in the local newspaper. (Different docu- Kunnuck Mistree’s ments use different spellings of his name, solicitor to the Lieutenant-Governor including Konnuckram Mittre and Kanak of Bengal, laying down 2 Mittery. Kunnuck Mistree, the version his case for a free chosen for this essay, was how his name pardon. The document The Extraordinary Life was spelt in an official appeal filed by his is the most detailed legal counsel in 1857.3) source of the key highlights of Mistree’s life since being sent to From Calcutta to Bencoolen Bencoolen. Attached Nothing is known of Mistree’s early life to the petition were of and neither do we have an image of him. copies of certificates What we know of him dates back to 1818 vouching for his when he was convicted of larceny – a conduct, character Kunnuck references as well category which includes housebreaking, as his employment burglary and dacoity (gang robbery) – in history. Mistree Calcutta (now Kolkata) and was shipped to was granted a full Bencoolen in Sumatra: pardon in January 1858. Collection of the National Archives “… in the Christian year one thousand of Singapore. (Media Mistree eight hundred and eighteen tried no.: SSR/S026_00750). Indian convicts contributed much to the early infrastructural before Sir Francis Workman development of Singapore but their voices have rarely been heard. Macnaghten then Senior Justice uncovers the story of one convict who made good. of Her Majesty’s Supreme Court Vandana Aggarwal of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal on a charge of Larceny and being duly convicted was sentenced to transportation for life to Fort It is no exaggeration to say that Singapore drew’s Church (now Cathedral), Horsburgh men (and a handful of women) are simply Marlborough Bencoolen in the Island was built on the backs of Indian convicts. Lighthouse and Government House (today’s referred to as Indian convicts – faceless of Sumatra.”4 These men – and they were mainly but not Istana). In addition to manual labour, some and nameless. However, thanks to dogged iexclusively men – laid roads, cleared forests also worked as hospital attendants, garden- detective work in the archives, we have Mistree was around 31 years old and were involved in the construction of ers and domestic servants. been able to piece together the life story when he arrived in Bencoolen, a convicted buildings like Sri Mariamman Temple, St An- The first batch of 80 Indian convicts of one remarkable individual. criminal sentenced to permanent exile. arrived in Singapore from Bencoolen (now Kunnuck Mistree was 38 years old Despite being relatively young, his future Bengkulu) in Sumatra on 18 April 1825 on when he arrived in Singapore in 1825. prospects looked bleak.5 Fortunately, Vandana Aggarwal is a teacher and a freelance the brig Horatio. Over the decades that Once here, he was able to turn his life Stamford Raffles, who was then Lieuten- journalist. An active citizen archivist for the National Archives of Singapore, she is the author of Voice of followed, more convicts were shipped to around: he eventually set up a business, ant-Governor of Bencoolen, believed that to be allowed to give evidence in court, local hospital as a convict of the first class. Indian Women: The Kamala Club Singapore (2018). Singapore until 1867 when the practice got married and had children. His death, convicts should be given the chance to and permitted to settle on land secured According to the rules, the earliest this She enjoys reading and researching about history. was abolished.1 In history books, these some four decades after stepping on redeem themselves and, for some, even to them and their children; but no one to could have happened would have been the chance of emancipation. In a letter to be admitted to this class until he has been 1821, three years after his internment.9 A general monthly muster of convicts at the Bras the Court of Directors of the British East resident in Bencoolen three years”; (ii) “the The practice of sending Indian con- Basah convict jail, Singapore, 1860–99. The National India Company (EIC) in 1818, Raffles wrote: second class to be employed in ordinary victs to Bencoolen began at the end of Archives of the UK, ref. CO 1069/484 (29). labour”; and (iii) “the third class, or men the 18th century. In 1787, the EIC sent the “The object of the punishment as far of abandoned and profligate character, first batch of convicts to its settlement in as it affects the parties must be the to be kept to the harder kinds of labour, Fort Marlborough. Subsequently, the ter- reclaiming them from their bad habits, and confined at night”.7 ritories of Penang, Melaka and Singapore but I must question whether the Well-behaved convicts could move also received convict labour.10 practice hitherto pursued has been up to a higher class and be freed from Transportation served both penal productive of that effect… There are servitude, while those who failed to toe and economic objectives. Shipping con- at present about five hundred of these the line would be demoted to a lower class, victs to the colonies gave those territories unfortunate people… I would suggest and lose their freedom and privileges. For a source of cheap labour. It also served as the propriety of the chief authority convicts, the promise of a better life made a deterrent as transportation was deemed being vested with a discretionary them work towards improving their lot. a severe punishment. “To be sent across power of freeing such men as conduct A similar system was later implemented the ‘kala pani’, or ‘black water’, in a convict themselves well, from the obligations in Singapore, though with six rather than ship or ‘jeta junaza’, or ‘living tomb’ as of service, and permitting them to three classes of convicts.8 they called it, meant, especially to a man settle in the place, and resume the Initially, Mistree could have been of high caste… the total loss to him of all privileges of citizenship.”6 assigned jobs like clearing forests or that was worth living for.”11 building roads like any other convict in In 1797, the EIC passed the first of a Raffles organised the convicts in Bencoolen, but he eventually managed number of laws regarding transportation: Bencoolen into three classes: (i) “first class to get employment as a dresser at the Regulation IV directed that all sentences 42 43 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

of imprisonment for seven years or more Just before leaving for Singapore, he was nearing the completion of three that Mistree may have been working for would be commuted to transportation Mistree was given a character certificate years of service in Singapore. Woodford at his dispensary. in a foreign land. By the end of the 19th that gives us a peek into his life in Ben- This was the mandatory period before century, over 3,000 Indian convicts had coolen. Dated 23 March 1825, the name a convict could move up to the category of Quest for Freedom been transported to the penal sites of and signature on it are illegible but it first class, provided all other requirements In 1855, three decades after Mistree Bencoolen, Amboina (now Ambon Island), confirms that “Connick Mittre” had been were met. Various people who knew Mis- first set foot on Singapore, he began the the Andaman Islands and Penang.12 employed at the general hospital for seven tree in Bencoolen and Singapore wrote let- process of asking to be pardoned and years and his behaviour during this period ters of commendation. One of these, dated to be allowed to return to India. Appar- Moving to Singapore was that of “sobriety, honesty, and atten- August 1827, was from Dr R. Tytler, Head ently, Mistree had written to Whitehall Within seven years of his arrival in Bencool- tion to duties”.15 One month later, on 25 Surgeon of the Straits Settlements, who in London, which responded in a reply en, Mistree’s life would be up-ended again. April, Mistree arrived in Singapore on the certified that “convict Konnuck Ram Mittrie dated 7 August 1855, advising “Konuck This time, though, it would be through no schooner Anne. For the 38-year-old, the served as a Native Doctor in the General Ram Mittre” to refer the matter to the fault of his. The 1824 Anglo-Dutch treaty that island was to be his third and final home.16 Hospital of Fort Marlboro while I was Head Governor-General of India as the latter demarcated British and Dutch possessions On arrival, Mistree and the other Surgeon Straits Settlement. I always found had the authority to grant a remission of in Southeast Asia resulted in an exchange convicts were housed in temporary attap him very diligent and attentive”.19 sentence if he so desired.34 of territories, with Britain ceding Bencoolen huts in the Temenggong’s village (later called In a letter dated 16 June 1827, Dr Wil- It wasn’t until two years later that a to the Dutch in exchange for Melaka. The Kampong Bencoolen), located at the mouth liam Montgomerie, former Acting Surgeon petition was submitted by Mistree’s solici- Supreme Government in Calcutta decided of the Singapore River. Not all convicts were in charge of Singapore, wrote that “Konat tor, which was forwarded by the Governor to relocate all convicts to the Straits Settle- automatically given jobs similar to what Mistery” had always behaved well during his of Singapore to the Lieutenant-Governor ments, although convicts of the first class they did in Bencoolen or enjoyed the same time as a dresser at the Pauper Hospital,20 of Bengal on 23 December 1857.35 In his and a few others were given the option of freedom. They were also not placed in the while Assistant Surgeon Alex Warrand certi- petition, Mistree presented himself, not staying back in Bencoolen as free men and same convict class as before.17 fied on 1 July 1828 that “Kunnick Maistry” without reason, as someone of impeccable women, albeit without the option of return- Mistree was assigned the job of a had served “in a sober and steady manner” Prisoners in the Bras Bash convict jail, c. 1900. The jail was built by convict labour and was completed in 1860. character ever since his days in Bencoolen. Photo by G.R. Lambert & Co. Illustrated London News Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. ing to India until their term was served.13 dresser at the Pauper Hospital, possibly under his charge for a year.21 These letters The petition described in detail Mistree’s Rather than remaining in Bencoolen, due to his prior experience and the con- proved effective and Mistree was upgraded journey from Fort William in Calcutta to Mistree chose to be transported to Sin- nections he had built up in Bencoolen.18 to a convict of the first class. Carpenter Street lies in the heart of China- request”.29 A formal certificate bearing the Fort Marlborough in Bencoolen and then gapore. “[C]omfortable and happy in his He was likely categorised as a second-class Convicts were rarely addressed by town and it is unlikely that Mistree resided official seal of Resident Councillor Thomas to Singapore: then position neglected to avail himself of convict, one level down from his convict name in official letters. However, a letter there. He could have used this property to Church validates this information.30 the conditional Pardon accepted by other status in Bencoolen. This may account for dated 21 February 1828 by Kenneth Mur- earn rental income and in all probability According to John Frederick Adolphus “That your Petitioner having by convicts and was consequently removed the many letters of recommendation he chison, Resident Councillor of Singapore, still lived in Kampong Bencoolen, where McNair, Executive Engineer and Superin- reason of good behaviour won the to Sincapore [sic].”14 received between 1827 and 1828, when specifically mentions that “Kunnuck Mit- many immigrants from Bencoolen had tendent of Convicts, convicts who were good opinion of the parties in charge tree, dresser Pauper Hospital”, along settled down.27 released from imprisonment with a ticket of the convict establishment at Fort A plan of the Bras Bash with two other convicts, had not been of leave were “absorbed innoxiously into Marlborough was employed in the convict jail. The jail was given a monthly ration and in lieu, a sum A Ticket of Leave the native community, and again contrib- convict hospital as dresser, in the act built entirely by convict of Rs 2 was added to his salary bringing it In 1845, under the newly formulated uted to the advantage of the place in the of which he has attained considerable labour and was completed up to a princely sum of Rs 12 per month.22 guidelines for the management of convicts, various occupations they had recourse to, experience… and in consequence in 1860. The convicts soon Mistree’s name next appears in Mistree applied for a ticket of leave – a in order to obtain an honest livelihood”. of good behaviour enjoyed many realised that “an open campong, or village, had 1842 in Lease Deed No. 711, made in privilege accorded to trustworthy first-class He added that the convicts “very rarely a comforts derived to the greatest body become a closed cage”. favour of “Kunnick Meetre” for a piece convicts after 16 years of service. Once second time came under the cognisance of convicts… consequently removed Image reproduced from of land on Carpenter Street measuring approved, Mistree would be allowed to of the police, but peaceably merged into to Sincapore [sic] where he continued McNair, J.F.A., & Bayliss, about 324 square feet.23 One might ask live outside convict lines as a respectable the population, and earned their livelihood to serve in the convict hospital in the W.D. (1899). Prisoners Their how a convict was allowed to own land, member of society and take up a profes- by honest means”.31 capacity of a dresser…”36 Own Warders: A Record 28 of the Convict Prison at but surprisingly this was not unusual as sion of his choice. Mistree used his newfound freedom Singapore Established well-behaved convicts were accorded a Convict lines were residential quar- to earn a living as a “native holistic doctor”. The petition is the most detailed 1825, Discontinued relative amount of freedom.24 Thanks to ters specially constructed for convicts. By virtue of his long stints at various hospi- source of the key highlights of Mistree’s 1873, Together with a the liberal ideas first espoused by Raffles Ironically, convict labour was more often tals in Bencoolen and Singapore, Mistree life since being sent to Bencoolen. It laid Cursory History of the in Bencoolen, convicts could buy land, get than not used to build them. The convicts had gained enough knowledge and skills down several reasons why Mistree should Convict Establishments at Bencoolen, Penang and married and even own small businesses. in Singapore lived in open prisons in dedi- to practise medicine and, according to be pardoned, mentioning his age (70 years) Malacca from the Year In Singapore, these measures contin- cated areas although they could also live his official petition for a pardon, he had and the fact that he had already served 1797. Westminster: A. ued and the convicts could move about in temporary buildings near their place of “gain[ed] esteem of his countrymen and banishment for 38 years.37 Constable. (Call no.: RRARE unshackled.25 Mistree was clearly one of work. Mistree might have been allotted others… in Sincapore [sic] with whom he Another reason cited was Mistree’s 365.95957 MAC; Microfilm the many convicts who benefitted from quarters near the hospital where he worked [had] come in contact”.32 desire to die in his homeland. “To a Hin- no.: NL12115). this freedom and put it to good use. “The or, allowed to live as he pleased. All that In 1846, an assistant doctor by the doo the punishment of transportation is convicts were at this time treated with was expected of him was to stay on the name of J.I. Woodford resigned from gov- more terrible than death itself and the great indulgence…” and some of the right side of the law and attend muster ernment service and opened a dispensary only consolation left to a Hindoo under older convicts managed to amass “con- when required. on Church Street in Kampong Bencoolen. such circumstances is the hope of return- siderable sums of money, and, indeed, A letter by Senior Surgeon Thomas Woodford’s name appears both in refer- ing if it be but to die on the banks of his to become possessed of landed property Oxley on 14 September 1846 certified that ence to the property that Mistree bought beloved Ganges.”38 in the town”.26 “Connak Mistery having a Ticket of leave on Carpenter Street in 1842 and also as Attached to the petition were cop- Mistree did not live a life of penury. to provide for himself & being desirous the executor of Mistree’s will.33 Woodford ies of certificates vouching for Mistree’s He became a financially savvy man who of quitting his situation of Dresser in the was obviously someone whom Mistree had conduct, character references as well as began investing his money in real estate. Paupers Hospital… leave it now at his own a great deal of trust in and it is possible his employment history. Senior officers, 44 45 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Although he was now able to return for them. In order to qualify, they should addition, his quest for a pardon appeared to his homeland, it appears that Mistree pay taxes amounting to at least 25 rupees to have earned him respectability and the did not do so, or at least, not permanently. annually. The name “Kanaka Maistry” status of a free man. Instead, we see that from 1857 onwards, appears on the list.45 On 27 July 1865, a death notice pub- Mistree became more of a “settler” than a Why did Mistree not return to India lished in The Singapore Free Press and Mer- “sojourner”. Through donations of land and to spend his remaining days as he had peti- cantile Advertiser announced the passing money, he began to give back to the country tioned? Having left India under shameful of Mistree on 24 July 1865: that had granted him a new lease of life. circumstances and after being away for so Kunnuck Mistree’s death on 24 July 1865 was Around 1858, Mistree is known to long, Mistree, who was Hindu, would have “Kanakay Maistry, a liberated published in the press. The Singapore Free Press and have donated a piece of land for “religious lost his caste and like most convicts, would Bengallee convict of considerable Mercantile Advertiser, 27 July 1865, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. purposes”.41 It cannot be ascertained have nothing to look forward to in India.46 wealth, died on the 24th inst. at exactly where this land was but the Sri After a little over three decades in Singa- Campong Bencoolen; his estate Sivan Temple,42 formerly located in Dhoby pore, Mistree had a new life, a successful which is worth about 50,000 dollars Mistree would have borne this permanent Ghaut, was within walking distance from business and a family. Age was also not on has been divided among his sons.”47 mark, he did not let his convict past define Kampong Bencoolen. This might have been his side as Mistree was already in his 70s. In him. Instead, he rose above his challenging the Hindu temple that benefitted from The amount of his estate was consid- circumstances and became a man of Mistree’s generosity. ered substantial at the time, and is even substance. It is possible that Mistree’s Subsequently, Mistree made a dona- more remarkable given that the majority descendants still live in Singapore tion of 1,100 rupees towards a bathing area, of convicts died penniless and in ignominy. today, unaware of his remarkable and earning for himself a mention in theStraits As part of their punishment, all life inspiring story. Government Gazette of 4 March 1859. It lists convicts had their name, crime and date “Kunuck Mistry” alongside other generous of sentence tattooed on their foreheads I first came across Kunnuck donors such as Tan Kim Seng43 “to whom in the vernacular before being transported Mistree’s name in 2015 while the Government of the Straits Settlements from India. To hide this, former convicts transcribing the Straits Settle- is indebted for liberal contributions towards would wear a headgear that was pulled ments Records at the National works for public utility or charity, during the down to cover their foreheads.48 Although Kunnuck Mistree’s donation of Rs 1,100 towards a bathing area was announced in the Straits Government Archives of Singapore. Intrigued, I Years 1857 and 1858”.44 The fact that Mis- Gazette of 4 March 1859. It mentions “Kunuck Mistry” alongside other donors such as Tan Kim Seng. Image began to search for more information tree appears on the same list as the likes of reproduced from Straits Settlements. (1859, March 4). Straits Settlements Government Gazette, 2 (9). Singapore: about him in books, newspapers and Mission Press. Collection of the National Library, Singapore. (Accession no.: B02969339H). prominent businessman and philanthropist Indian convicts were tattooed on the forehead with old documents. I have uncovered a Tan Kim Seng speaks volumes. the crime they had committed. Shown here is a convict branded on the forehead with “Doomga”, lot of information about Mistree’s life including doctors and jail staff, strongly I know him at Bencoolen and also here There are other signs that Mistree’s which means “murder” in Hindustani. Image as a convict. To my knowledge, there supported Mistree’s quest for freedom. for the last 19 years”.39 social standing had risen within Singapore reproduced from Marryat, F. (1848). Borneo and the is no other convict in Singapore who Resident Councillor Thomas Church Mistree’s petition was successful and society. In 1857, notices were published Indian Archipelago: With drawings of Costume and has had his journey reconstructed in issued a conduct certificate dated 20 in January 1858, he was granted a full par- in the newspapers containing the names Scenery (p. 215). London: Longman, Brown, Green such detail. There are still gaps to be September 1856 noting that the “conduct don on account of his age and stellar service of people eligible to stand for election as and Longmans. Collection of the National Library, Singapore. (Accession no.: B03013523F). filled and my research continues. of Kunnuck Mistry has been very good. record, allowing him to return to India.40 municipal commissioners as well as vote

Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Project. petition, Kunnuck Mistree explains that most of the 21 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist 32 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist 42 Sri Sivan Temple was demolished in 1983 to make way NOTES (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from Bengal convicts undergoing sentence at Fort Marlborough Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from Project, 1858, SSR/S026_00780. for the construction of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. It 1 McNair, J.F.A., & Bayliss, W.D. (1899). Prisoners their [Media no.: SSR/S026_00780]. Retrieved from National “received a Pardon on the condition of their not Bengal [SSR/S026_00900]. Retrieved from National 33 Page 1 advertisements column 2. (1846, March 5). The was relocated next to Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple own warders: A record of the convict prison at Archives of Singapore website. returning again to the continent of India being free Archives of Singapore website. Singapore Free Press, p. 1; The Singapore Free Press. on Serangoon Road, before it was consecrated at its Singapore established 1825, discontinued 1873, 6 Raffles, S. (1830). Memoir of the life and public services however to reside and live in any part of the Islands 22 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist (1865, July 27). The Singapore Free Press, p. 2. Retrieved present site in on 30 May 1993. together with a cursory history of the convict of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: Particularly in the of the Eastern Archipelago”. Since Mistree was a life Project. (1828). Q2: Singapore Miscellaneous [SSR/ from NewspaperSG. 43 Tan Kim Seng was a prominent businessman and establishments at Bencoolen, Penang and Malacca government of Java 1811–1816, and of Bencoolen and its convict, he did not have the option to return to India but Q002_00750]. Retrieved from National Archives of 34 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist philanthropist of his time. In 1857, he donated a large from the Year 1797 (pp. 38–39). Westminster: dependencies, 1817–1824: With details of the commerce could have lived on in Bencoolen as a free citizen.] Singapore website. Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from sum of money to build Singapore’s first reservoir A. Constable. (Call no.: RRARE 365.95957 MAC; and resource of the Eastern Archipelago, and selections 15 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist 23 Information courtesy of Mr Charles Goh who found this Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00720]. Retrieved from and waterworks. To commemorate Tan’s generous Microfilm no.: NL12115) from his correspondence (p. 298). London, J. Murray. Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from land deed and shared it with me. National Archives of Singapore website. contribution, the Municipal Commissioners erected 2 Kunnuck Mistree was most likely illiterate and left it Retrieved from BookSG. Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00880]. Retrieved from 24 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, p. 41. 35 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist the Tan Kim Seng Fountain in Fullerton Square in 1882. to the writer to spell his name as he wished. National 7 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, p. 6. National Archives of Singapore website. 25 Yang, A.A. (2003, June). Indian convict workers in Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from The fountain was moved to the on Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Project. 8 For the definitions of the convict classes, see Tan, B. 16 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Southeast Asia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00640]. Retrieved from Connaught Drive in 1925. It was gazetted as a national (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from Bengal (2015, October–December). Convict labour in colonial Project. (1855). M4: Singapore: Letters from Bengal to centuries. Journal of World History, 14 (2),​ 179–208, p.18. 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Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from Bengal (p. 24). Singapore: Landmark Books. (Call no.: RSING (Eds.). (1921). One hundred years of Singapore: National Archives of Singapore website. 45 Yeoh, B.S.A. (2003). Contesting space in colonial National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist [Media no.: SSR/S026_00870]. Retrieved from National 959.57 TYE-[HIS]); Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Being some account of the capital of the Straits 37 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Singapore (p. 32). Singapore: Singapore University Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from Archives of Singapore website; Raffles, 1830, p. 299. Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (p. 283). Settlements from its foundation by Sir Stamford Project, 1858, SSR/S026_00780. Press. (Call no.: RSING 307.76095957 YEO); Page 1 Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00920]. Retrieved from 10 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. 1–2, 8. Singapore: Times Books International. (Call no.: RSING Raffles on the 6th February 1819 to the 6th February 38 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist advertisements column 1. (1857, November 19). National Archives of Singapore website. 11 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, p. 9. 915.957 EDW-[TRA]); Cornelius-Takahama, V. (2016). 1919 (Vol. II, p. 488). London: John Murray. (Call no.: Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from The Singapore Free Press, p. 1. Retrieved from 3 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist 12 Anderson, C. (2018). The British Indian Empire, 1789– Bencoolen Street. Retrieved from Singapore Infopedia, RCLOS 959.51 MAK) Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00790]. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from 1939 (p. 213). In C. Anderson (Eds.), A global history National Library Singapore; Raffles, 1830, p. 299. 28 Untitled. (1847, July 22). The Singapore Free Press, p. 2. 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Retrieved from National Archives of 14 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00820]. Retrieved from Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from 41 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist and Mauritius: Penal transportation in East India co., Singapore website. Project. (1858). S26: Vol. I/II: Governor’s letters from National Archives of Singapore website. Bengal [SSR/S026_00800]. Retrieved from National Project. (1858). Z36 Singapore: Letters from Governor 1787–1863. Retrieved from convictvoyages.org; McNair 5 Kunnuck Mistree’s application for a free pardon Bengal [Media no.: SSR/S026_00770]. Retrieved from 20 National Archives of Singapore The Citizen Archivist Archives of Singapore website. [Media no.: SSR/Z036_00240]. Retrieved from National & Bayliss, 1899, p. 12. submitted in 1857 puts his age at 70 years. National National Archives of Singapore website. [Note: In his Project, 1858, SSR/S026_00890. 31 McNair & Bayliss, 1899, pp. viii, 161–162. Archives of Singapore website. 46 47 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

A good number of the silver-haired men as it negotiated the shaky transition from Children at play, 1962. Captek, kuti-kuti, five and women of the Merdeka generation British crown colony to self-rule, then stones, hopscotch, gasing and even tikam-tikam have retired today. They now while away being part of the short-lived but tumultu- – games played by children of every race. © Urban their time chatting with friends over coffee ous Federation of Malaysia before becom- Redevelopment Authority. All rights reserved. aand playing with their grandchildren. But ing an independent and sovereign nation. back in the 1960s, these men and women This was a time when Singapore had played on five-footways, families enjoyed were young boys and girls, bursting just begun its process of modernisation. the sea breeze along Queen Elizabeth Walk, Photographs of children in the 1960s show how with life, energy and potential, much Kampong folk moved into high-rise flats, and eating out at roadside hawker stalls much things have changed in Singapore like Singapore itself as the new nation new careers were forged in factories was a way of life. in the last six decades. found its feet. built in Jurong, the trading of stocks and This small selection of photographs is The following photographs of chil- shares began in Raffles Place, television a reminder that every senior citizen today dren are from the pictorial book, There was introduced to Singapore, and the was once a playful, lively child and that it is Was a Time, which was produced in col- new red-brick National Library opened important to remember, as Cliff Richard so laboration with the National Archives of on Stamford Road. famously sang in his 1962 record-breaking Singapore. The book portrays the rhythms Yet, some things carried on as they pop single, “The Young Ones”, to “live, of daily life between 1959 and 1965. This had before. Bumboats still jostled on the love, while the flame is strong, ‘cause we was a pivotal period in Singapore’s history fetid waters of the Singapore River, children may not be the young ones, very long”. 48 49 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Free milk for children during recess, 1950s. After the war, there was a policy of giving out free milk to needy children. Supplied by UNICEF, the milk was distributed by the Social Welfare Department to welfare institutions and schools. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Running tap water, Seletar, 1960. The Rural and Urban Services Advisory Council had a water supply scheme in the 1960s, but some villages would not get piped water until much later.The Ralph Charles Saunders Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

A public crèche, 1963. In the mid-1960s, the Department of Social Welfare ran 10 crèches catering to low-income families. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, Friends posing for a photo in a back lane, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 1963. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

An Indian family in Serangoon Road, 1962. This was the time when the iconic businesses of Little India were being founded: Lian Seng for household goods, Haniffa Textiles, Jothi flower shop and Mustafa, which started out as a food stall. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

50 51 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Qur’an lesson, Katong, 1962. In 1959, there were 12 madrasah (Islamic religious schools) in Singapore, increasing to 28 by 1962. Photo by Wong Ken Foo (K.F. Wong). Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Sharing a bowl of noodles by the roadside, 1962. Photo by Wong Ken Foo (K . F.Wo ng). Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

There Was a Time: Singapore from Self-Rule to Independence, 1959–1965 – produced by Landmark Books in collaboration with the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) – is avail- able for reference at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and for loan at selected public libraries (Call nos.: RSING 959.5705 THE-[HIS] and SING 959.5705 THE). Comprising some 238 images, largely taken from the collec- Bukit Merah estate, 1963. The Housing and Development Board, established in 1960, was set up to alleviate the severe housing shortage in Singapore. By tions of the NAS, the 288-page pictorial the time of Singapore’s independence, it had built 54,430 flats.Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Girl posing with an Indian milkman’s calf, with the Winstedt Road flats in the background, book also retails at major bookshops 1961. Lau Nyeng Siang, from “Family and Friends: A Singapore Album” organised by in Singapore. Nexus, National Museum of Singapore and Landmark Books.

52 53 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

(Facing page) According to a manifesto by the editorial team of Baharuddin Vocational Institute’s 1971 commemorative magazine, the institute aimed to produce a “new breed of creative people”. Image reproduced from Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call no.: RCLOS 372.95957 BVI). (Far left) The design of the crest of Baharuddin Vocational Institute. The crest was an abstract combination of the letters “BVI”. Image reproduced from Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call no.: RCLOS 372.95957 BVI). (Left)The cover of the commemorative magazine to mark the official launch of Baharuddin Vocational Institute in 1971. Image reproduced from Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call no.: RCLOS 372.95957 BVI).

be modern and contemporary whereas if will inevitably generate a demand calligraphy, graphic design, fabric design you start to have lions and tigers you are for handicrafts and souvenirs with a and illustration.4 However, it was primar- going back [in time].”1 local flavour.”3 ily regarded as a school for artists rather The eventual adoption of Wee’s than one that trained skilled workers for In the 1960s, most school crests in Singa- progressive design was a fitting start for the manufacturing and industrial sector. pore probably involved some combination an institute set up to support Singapore’s A National Design Institute The Singapore Commercial Art Society of a torch with an open flame, an open book rapid industrialisation programme. BVI was Prior to the establishment of the BVI, one (now defunct), which represented artists iand a lion – all emblazoned on a shield with part of a network of vocational training typically entered such creative trades via working in the advertising industry, pio- a motto below it. institutes established by the government an internship with companies or appren- neered a two-year commercial art course But Wee Chwee Beng, a pioneer after Independence as part of a national ticeship with artisans and practitioners. taught by members in 1970. Unfortunately, teacher of Baharuddin Vocational Institute industrialisation drive spearheaded by Studying art and design in prestigious over- the take-up rate was low and there was a (BVI), ditched these hallmarks of Western then Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee. seas institutions was a privilege that only hiatus of six years before the next run of heraldry when he designed a crest for the At the time, the newly minted nation a select few enjoyed, who either paid the the course began in 1976.5 new institute in 1968. Instead of an illustra- faced a raft of economic woes: the hefty school fees out of their own pockets The government’s foray into applied tive approach, Wee abstracted the initials unemployment rate was high and many or were awarded full scholarships. Although arts training started in the 1960s with “BVI” into two right-angled arrows. Each people were living in slums and squatter various private organisations in Singapore short-term courses offered by the Adult was assembled by combining the letters settlements. These vocational institutes2 offered formal training in such fields, none Education Board. Sometime around 1964, “V” and “I”, while one was enclosed to form were started with the objective of training seemed to be particularly successful. the Ministry of Education began planning a triangle-like “B”. The arrows were con- a skilled workforce who could work in the The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for a dedicated institute.6 In 1965, Laurence structed into a larger right-angled triangle new multinational companies and factories – Singapore’s only art school then – had Koh Boon Piang, a Specialist Inspector that was inversely mirrored to form a square that the government was trying to attract an Applied Arts Department since its (Arts and Crafts), was appointed to plan, crest, which looked identical regardless of to invest in Singapore. founding in 1938, offering courses in lead and run the proposed “Queenstown which side it was viewed from. The diverse curriculum from vocational This design was too radical, even for institutes ranged from courses in mechanical his colleagues at Baharuddin. They found engineering to building construction. BVI, the abstract logo too modern for their liking. however, specialised in the manual and BECOMING “I felt strongly at that point in time that we applied arts, which included advertising art, should break away from the norm or what handicrafts, fashion, furniture design and is expected because I am designing for the printing. Its graduates were expected to play future, not for the present, not for the past,” a vital role in creating made-in-Singapore Wee explained. “At a time when others were products, said then Minister of State for MODERN drawing tigers and lions [on school crests], Education Lee Chiaw Meng at BVI’s first people were a bit shocked. I kept on trying graduation ceremony on 7 November 1970: by to tell them it will be acceptable even 30 to 40 years on. I was saying this [design] would “This institute was established with the realisation that the development of industries in Singapore requires DESIGN Justin Zhuang is a writer and researcher who sees a greater focus on design, product The now-defunct Baharuddin Vocational Institute the world through design. He has written about the was Singapore’s first formal school for design. presentation, packaging, advertising development of the design industry in Singapore, and display and a growing printing The campus of Baharuddin Vocational Institute on Stirling Road, which opened in 1971. Image reproduced including Independence: The History of Graphic Justin Zhuang looks at how the institute laid the industry. Furthermore, the expanding from Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call no.: RCLOS Design in Singapore Since the 1960s and Fifty Years 372.95957 BVI). foundation for the design industry here. of Singapore Design. tourist trade planned for Singapore 54 55 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

Vocational Institute” (BVI’s original name), Japan, where he received an education Advertising for BVI competitions – even beating professionals overseen by the ministry’s Technical Edu- in ceramics engineering, also under the BVI began taking in its first batch of stu- in the field. Companies and organisations cation Department. He was supported same scholarship. By the time BVI officially dents in 1968, even before the completion used such competitions to select and by a team of art teachers, many of whom opened in 1971, nearly 40 percent of its of its campus on Stirling Road. Over the commission the winning designs as their were sent overseas for applied arts train- teaching staff had been trained abroad.8 next two years, the institute ran courses logo. Some examples include the logos for ing sponsored by various countries and Besides sponsoring the training of out of borrowed classrooms at Kim Keat Keppel Shipyard (1968) by Sim Bee Ong and organisations, including the Colombo Plan. staff, several countries also funded the Vocational School, Singapore Vocational the Singapore Metrication Board (1971) by Wee was one of those sent abroad. physical set-up of the institute. The British Institute, Tanglin Vocational School and Lee Chee Kang. The institute also took on He went to Montreal, where he studied government allocated some $2.25 million even at the printing demonstration room work for the government, including the under a Canadian team that was construct- from its Special Aid Scheme to construct a of the East Asiatic Co.12 1974 branding for the Singapore Sports ing displays for the 1967 International new building for the BVI on Stirling Road It cannot be ascertained why the Council as well as designing displays for the and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67, the and furnish it with $850,000 worth of equip- institute was renamed from Queenstown temporary maritime museum on historic world fair where nations come ment and furniture.9 The Federal Republic of to Baharuddin, but it is most likely in that same year. together to showcase their achievements. Germany donated some $3.5 million worth memory of former People’s Action Party Another Baharuddin teacher, Iskan- of machinery and equipment, provided assemblyman Baharuddin bin Mohamed Preparing for the Industry dar Jalil (who later became an eminent training fellowships and even sent a team Ariff, who passed away in 1961. In 1965, Ensuring that BVI’s students were well ceramist and winner of the Cultural of eight experts here to set up and run a the government had named the new Baha- equipped to serve the industry was the Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988),7 was department at BVI to teach students how ruddin Vocational School in Queensway focus of its curriculum. In the advertising sent to Maharashtra, India, in 1966 under to work in a commercial press.10 after him.13 But after the school’s merger course, students were taught a variety of a Colombo Plan Scholarship to learn tex- At BVI’s official opening on 8 October with New Town Secondary School in 1969, techniques to manually construct visuals at tile design. In 1972, he headed to Tajimi, 1971, then Minister for Home Affairs Wong the name “Baharuddin” was dropped.14 a time when computers had yet to become Lin Ken acknowledged the international Subsequently, Queenstown Vocational part of graphic design production. Besides efforts in realising what was ultimately a Institute was renamed Baharuddin Voca- classes in fundamental skills such as drawing nationalistic endeavour. “The Baharuddin tional Institute. in various media, students were also given Logos designed by staff and students of Baharuddin Vocational Institute. The abstract designs that distilled Vocational Institute is also unique in that it By the time BVI settled into its new letters into shapes were part of a popular international trend known as the modernist graphic design style. hands-on training in modern techniques is a multi-national effort,” he said. “In this campus on Stirling Road in 1971, some 300 Clockwise from top left: Logos for Keppel Shipyard (1968), Singapore Metrication Board (1971), the Vocational like photography using a 4X5" large-format way, our Republic will some day be able people had already graduated from the Industrial and Training Board (1979) and the Singapore Sports Council (1974). camera, typography, layout and packaging to depend entirely on our own designers institute. In addition, around 800 students design. Such training was supplemented by and craftsmen in the field of advertising, were enrolled in 23 fulltime courses, each classes in English, science and mathematics, handicraft souvenir, fashion, woodworking typically lasting two years.15 The largest Not everyone was successful on their results but also a student’s aptitude for which were tailored to teach students the and printing trades.”11 intake of over 200 students was in the first attempt at applying to join at BVI. creative work. theory behind design work. Handicrafts Department, which offered Nancy Wee, who spent 36 years teaching Despite the popularity of some of As a result of their specialised and training in courses ranging from ceramic design – first at BVI and then at Temasek BVI’s courses, the general public often comprehensive training, BVI students were arts to fabric design and even classes on Polytechnic’s School of Design – had applied saw the institute’s students as “dropouts” able to find employment quickly upon (Left) Master potter Iskandar Jalil using his single- hand technique to create an artwork, 2007. shellcraft and dollmaking. for the Industrial Technician Certificate because of its vocational roots. As most graduation, often as in-house designers The Cultural Medallion winner taught at the However, BVI became best known in Commercial Art in 1974. “It was really Singaporeans aspired for white-collar jobs, in advertising agencies and publishing Baharuddin Vocational Institute and later at Temasek for its Applied Arts Department, specifi- tough. We all had to go for interviews and opting for vocational institutes was popu- companies. By 1979, BVI’s advertising art Polytechnic’s School of Design until his retirement cally its course in advertising art, now I didn’t get in on my first try. There were larly thought of as a last resort for those course had trained some 371 graduates and in 1999. Courtesy of Iskandar Jalil. known as graphic design. The two-year many applicants who were much better who struggled academically. “[BVI] wasn’t these made up a quarter of the advertising (Below) The 1975 cohort of the advertising art class. programme provided training in the than me,” she said. However, she was considered prestigious. Back then, the art personnel in the industry.23 Many BVI Seated second from the right is pioneer teacher design of advertisements and other forms determined to join BVI. She waited for a thinking was that if you went to a vocational graduates performed well in their jobs and Wee Chwee Beng, who designed the crest for the of visual communication. In 1977, it was year and then re-applied, using the extra school, it was because you were not good quickly rose through the ranks. Typically, one institute in 1968. The principal, Rashid Durai, is reported that the course drew about 200 time to attend art classes in the hope of at studying. There was this perception that started out in an advertising agency as a seated fourth from the right. Courtesy of Collin Choo. applicants annually for its 40 vacancies, boosting her chances. She nailed it on her vocational institutes were for dropouts,” finished artist whose job was to realise the with interior design coming in a close second attempt. She recalled: “When I went said Nancy Wee.20 concepts of visualisers and art directors. BVI second.16 Its popularity reflected pent- for the interview, I met the same lecturer Such sentiments were reinforced by graduates, however, often leapfrogged this up demand for the institute’s heavily who had assessed me the first time, so I then Minister for Education Tay Eng Soon career progression to become art directors. subsidised courses, with citizens pay- said, ‘I’m here again!’ He must have felt that in 1984 when he expressed concern that “The people that advertising agencies ing a nominal monthly fee of just $6. To this girl was really interested.”19 bright students who struggled with English could employ before were not trained in apply for the course, candidates had to Having given up a place in pre- were opting for vocational training and the design,” said Ronnie Tan who graduated complete at least Secondary 4, be over 15 university for BVI, Cheah was surprised by polytechnics. However, he did single out in 1973 and started his own graphic design years old, pass entrance tests in English, the diversity of his fellow classmates. “Sit- BVI as an exception because it catered to practice soon after.24 “If you come in know- mathematics and science, and sit for an ting next to me was a Hokkien-speaking a specialised interest.21 Nonetheless, par- ing how to do typography, drawing images interview to demonstrate their interest fellow. I spoke English, and he only spoke ents often contacted Wee Chwee Beng to that look good in flat tones… you become an in art and design.17 Hokkien. But his art was good.” According express concerns for their children’s future. American Idol, one in a million,” he quipped. “I knew the [advertising art] course to Wee Chwee Beng, the early batches “I even had mothers who [came] to me and Tan believed that the success of BVI was very competitive by looking at the of advertising art students ranged from [said], ‘I don’t understand why my son wants graduates was due to a shortage of design- crowd [that turned up],” recalled former working professionals to those eligible to study in this vocational institute when he ers rather than its curriculum. Comparing student Patrick Cheah.18 He successfully for pre-university as well as academi- can go to junior college’,” he said.22 what he had been taught with his brother’s convinced the assessors with the artwork cally weaker students. It reflected the Fortunately, he could point to the experience in an advertising agency, he and posters he had designed in St Joseph’s flexibility of BVI’s enrolment criteria, early success of BVI’s students, who were felt that BVI’s teachers, the majority of Institution, and enrolled in 1972. which not only considered academic frequent winners of logo and poster design whom had never worked in the industry, 56 57 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE Ahead of Its Time Dressmaking students of Baharuddin Vocational were not attuned to what employers were men who can fill supervisory and junior Institute showcasing their designs in the institute’s looking for. Neither did they keep abreast BVI was aware of its shortcomings and management grades,” he added 1971 commemorative magazine.Image reproduced of the latest design trends. continually reviewed its offerings to ensure In 1977, ITB formalised the ad hoc from Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Theresa Yong, the top trainee of the it remained relevant and could produce practice of seeking advice from industry Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call 1977 cohort, felt that the curriculum was employable graduates. In its early years, professionals and appointed a Trade no.: RCLOS 372.95957 BVI). too technical-focused. The training at BVI BVI even worked with companies to spon- Advisory Committee for each institute. was good enough that Yong could skip a sor training which was not included in its BVI’s Applied Arts Trade Advisory Com- set up their own practices – DPC Design, year when she went to study at the Art curriculum, such as jewellery and rosewood mittee was made up of 17 external mem- Design Objectives and Immortal Design Center College of Design in California in furniture design.27 bers from a variety of fields, including respectively – and were part of the first the United States. However, her overseas To better meet the needs of the advertising, photography, interior design, wave of homegrown graphic design firms experience taught her to push the limits industry, BVI and other vocational institutes architecture, handicrafts and sculpture. in Singapore. Lim Chong Jin rose to become of creative design compared to the more became part of a newly established Indus- Reflecting the institute’s most popular a creative director at local advertising technically driven training she received in trial Training Board (ITB) in 1973. It led to offering, the committee was headed agency TNC Worldwide, before returning Singapore. “The design course [in the US] courses being organised into three levels by Chan Yen Park, who was then the to his alma mater in 1992. Today, he is the was challenging in a way that it forced me of certification – Industrial Technician, accounts director of a leading advertising Director of Temasek Polytechnic’s School to open up my mind. It was a different way Trade, and Artisan – to cater for a variety firm as well as President of the Associa- of Design. of training from Singapore,” she said. “The of educational qualifications. tion of Accredited Advertising Agencies.29 BVI’s graduates have also made their courses themselves were not very different In 1974, BVI’s courses were stream- The committee conducted a survey mark outside Singapore. Fashion stalwart from what we had [at BVI]… it’s how the lined and those with poor employment of manpower and training needs in the Esther Tay started the fashion label Esta, teachers taught them.”25 prospects – such as shellcraft and doll applied arts industry and found an urgent which grew into a household name in the Lim Chong Jin of the 1978 cohort, and flower making – were phased out. need for more professional designers. In 1980s and even retailed in Japan. Today, agreed. “The ‘V’ of BVI stood for ‘voca- Popular courses were also offered at 1980, BVI upgraded its advertising art she is better known for designing uniforms tional’. The training was completely skewed the Industrial Technician Certificate and interior design courses as three-year for corporations such as DBS, Singtel and towards skill-based competencies. We had level and graduates with this certificate diplomas, becoming the first institute NTUC Income. Product design graduates like to use a 0.2 nib technical pen to draw per- were deemed as being on par with the in Singapore to offer such a level of Low Cheah Hwei currently heads the design fect lines with faultlessly precise spacing,” technician-certified students of the training in these fields.30 It helped raise team for Philips in Asia, while Nathan Yong recalled Lim, who went on to study in the polytechnics.28 These courses included BVI’s profile among the growing num- has made a name designing furniture for College of Art and Design in advertising art, fashion arts, furniture ber of institutes offering formal design The design school continued oper- The Cradle of Design international labels such as Design Within Canada (NSCAD).26 design and production, interior design training. In 1988, a new milestone was ating out of BVI’s premises on Stirling Today, the only physical trace of BVI is a Reach and Ligne Roset. In Canada, Lim found he had to write and three-dimensional design. reached when BVI launched the Diploma Road until its campus officially opened heritage marker outside its former campus By making design education accessible essays, participate in critical discussions “[The students] will be learning more in Applied Arts (Product Design) course in Tampines in 1995. At the same time, on Stirling Road, which was repurposed in to the man in , BVI was instrumen- and read art history. “To me, it was more than studio skills. We want them to know to support the government’s push for BVI’s other applied art offerings were 2004 to house the Management Develop- tal in laying the foundation for Singapore’s difficult to pursue the course than to get something about costing, production local manufacturers to produce higher- absorbed into a new Institute of Tech- ment Institute of Singapore.32 design industry. The establishment of a in[to] the school,” he said. “I probably had planning, quality control and communi- value exports. nical Education, thereby marking the Its more enduring legacy is the gen- state-sponsored institute to groom and a strong visual portfolio that supported my cations,” explained BVI principal Rashid Besides responding directly to indus- end of an era for an institute that had, eration of practitioners who helped pioneer supply a design workforce showed the com- acceptance to NSCAD, but the contextual Durai, who took over from Laurence Koh try needs, BVI’s Trade Advisory Commit- for more than two decades, nurtured Singapore’s design industry. Advertising mitment of the government in developing studies and other theoretical aspects were Boon Piang in 1974. “The idea is to supply tee also tried to address other issues that and produced some of Singapore’s best art graduates such as Patrick Cheah, such services that ultimately spurred the evidently lacking.” the missing link – designers and crafts- were impacting the quality of design in design pioneers. Ronnie Tan and Theresa Yong eventually growth of the industry. Singapore. One of the ways suggested by Various book covers designed by former student Collin the committee was to raise the level of 8 Ministry of Culture. (1971, October 8). Speech by Prof 19 Chew, H.L. (2020). Better by design: Memory of Nancy Choo for his assignments. Courtesy of Collin Choo. creativity by getting the institute to look NOTES Wong Lin Ken, Minister for Home Affairs and M.P. Wee. Retrieved from Singapore Memory Project website. beyond technical education and include 1 Personal interview with Wee Chwee Beng, 16 March 2010. for Alexandra, at official opening of the Baharuddin 20 Chew, 2020, Memory of Nancy Wee. 2 The first vocational institute to specialise in craft and art in its curriculum, which was what Vocational Institute on Friday, 8th October 1971, at 21 Alfred, H. (1984, April 8). ‘Brain drain’ to poly. The Straits trade subjects was the Singapore Vocational Institute 7.15 p.m. [Speech]. Retrieved from National Archives of Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. overseas institutes were doing. set up in 1963 in Balestier. In 1965, the government Singapore website. 22 Personal interview with Wee Chwee Beng, 16 March 2010. Committee members Khor Ean Ghee announced two new institutes, one specialising in 9 Kwee, M. (1971, October 1). From doll making to 23 Ministry of Culture. (1979, November 27). Address by engineering in Boon Lay and another for the applied ads display with 70 experts. The Straits Times, p. 1. Dr Ahmad Mattar, acting Minister for Social Affairs and and Brother Joseph McNally proposed the arts in Queenstown. The latter became the Baharuddin Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Ministry of Culture, 8 Chairman, Vocational and Industrial Training Board, at establishment of a Singapore Institute Vocational Institute. Oct 1971. the inaugural meeting of the second term of office of the of Art and Design. “Good design should 3 Ministry of Culture. (1970, November 7). Text of speech 10 Baharuddin Vocational Institute Printing School. (1971, applied arts trade advisory committee at the VITB Board by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Lee Chiaw October). Singapore: Baharuddin Vocational Institute. room [Speech]. Retrieved from National Archives of be art training, art is a foundation,” said Meng, at the first graduation exercise and open house (Not available in NLB holdings) Singapore website. Khor. “If art [is] not good, other design of Baharuddin Vocational Institute, Stirling Road, on 11 Ministry of Culture, 8 Oct 1971. 24 Personal interview with Ronnie Tan, 1 September 2011. Saturday November 7, at 5 p.m. cannot be very good.”31 Unfortunately, [Speech]. Retrieved 12 Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (1971). Singapore: 25 Personal interview with Theresa Yong, 1 October 2010. from National Archives of Singapore website. Baharuddin Vocational Institute. (Call no.: RCLOS 26 Email interview with Lim Chong Jin, 8 November 2010. the idea was not taken up by the govern- 4 Ong, Z.M. (2006). A history of the Nanyang Academy of 372.95957 BVI) 27 Tan, W.J. (1974, June 2). Baharuddin students’ works ment as it regarded design education to Fine Arts (1938–1990) [Unpublished thesis]. Singapore: 13 Lee warns: Be ready for a long dispute with Soek. on sale at exhibition. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved National University of Singapore. (Not available in be a domain of industrial training. (1965, June 21). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from from NewspaperSG. NLB’s holdings) NewspaperSG. 28 The Straits Times, 2 Jun 1974, p. 10. In 1990, when Singapore’s educa- 5 The Singapore Commercial Art Society. (1977). 14 New Town Secondary School. (2018). School history. 29 Singapore. Industrial Training Board. (1977, October). tion system was restructured, technical National commercial art exhibition souvenir catalogue. Retrieved from New Town Secondary School website. ITB appoints its ninth TAC. ITB News, 3. (Call no.: RSING Singapore: Singapore Commercial Art Society. (Call no.: education was streamlined and the Nor- 15 The Straits Times, 1 Oct 1971, p. 1; Baharuddin 331.79407105957 ITBSIT) RSING 741.6 NAT) Vocational Institute, 1971. 30 Ministry of Culture, 27 Nov 1979. mal (Technical) stream was introduced 6 Ministry of Education. (1964–1969). Proposed 16 Holmberg, J. (1977, July 14). Creativity. New Nation, p. 9. 31 He, S. (2008, September 4). Oral history interview for technically inclined students. BVI’s Queenstown Vocational Institute for manual and applied Retrieved from NewspaperSG. with Khor Ean Ghee [许延义] [MP3 recording no. arts – training. Retrieved from National Archives of diploma courses were then transferred 17 Notices: Technical Education Department. (1971, 003343/12/08]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website. March 8). The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved from Singapore website. to the design school of a new polytechnic 7 Creamer, R. (2016). Iskandar Jalil. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 32 Management Development Institute of Singapore. (2020). – Temasek Polytechnic. Singapore Infopedia, National Library, Singapore. 18 Personal interview with Patrick Cheah, 1 February 2012. MDIS Heritage 2000. Retrieved from MDIS website. 58 59 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

uniform. It was certainly unlikely that such for Defence Goh Keng Swee, specifically to Drilling from Young youths would be prepared to “stand up build a rugged society. These initiatives all Lee was of the view that a rugged society and fight and die” for Singapore. sought to forge ruggedness and solidarity would be reflected in a credible defence among students through formative experi- force – and this effort would need to begin The Rugged Society in School ences beyond the classroom. in the schools, well before youths enlisted One way of creating this rugged society for military service. would be to have outdoor activities A Rugged Society Ready to Since a rugged society ultimately emphasised in schools through what were Defend Itself served the purpose of national defence, then called extra-curricular activities (ECAs) The urgency of a building a “rugged soci- much of its rhetoric and initiatives were such as uniformed groups like the scouts ety” would only mount with time. On 17 militaristic in tone. Drill and parades were and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). ECAs July 1967, Britain announced the imminent very much part of the movement. In July were cited by one Straits Times journalist withdrawal of British troops from Singapore 1967, four months after the National as “the word that put new life in schools by 1971. This would be a major economic Service (Amendment) Bill was passed, the in Singapore”.3 blow to Singapore as the British military inaugural Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) To stress the importance of ECAs presence generated 20 percent of Singa- was held. The festival saw 4,390 students among students and their (presumably pore’s Gross National Product. It was also participating in ceremonial military drills, exam-conscious) parents, from 1967 estimated that around 25,000 base workers athletic displays and cultural performances onwards, ECA participation became inte- would lose their jobs by 1970.6 The rapid over two weeks. By 1970, this figure had grated into national assessment metrics withdrawal of British forces threatened to risen to 9,000.8 At SYF 1968, Lee refused with the award of marks or grades. These bring Singapore into a recession. an umbrella and joined cadets and school- would be taken into account for admission The same day the withdrawal was children who were getting soaked in a to pre-university classes, and applications announced, then Prime Minister Lee tropical downpour.9 for bursaries and Public Service Commis- addressed the first batch of Officer Cadets However, there was no guarantee sion scholarships.4 commissioned from the SAF Training Insti- that marching under the sun (and rain) The rugged society did not stop at tute (SAFTI) at the Istana. In his speech, Lee could attract the enthusiasm and partici- ECAs though. In 1967, a predecessor of identified the qualities of “discipline, grit pation of Singapore’s youths. Indeed, as today’s National Physical Fitness Award and stamina” in its citizen army as crucial some recalled, all the “drill, left right left, (NAPFA) was introduced, requiring all to Singapore’s national survival. Against the marching and everything else” simply students aged 10 and above to undergo the backdrop of mass conscription, Lee seemed quite pointless.10 a five-station physical test twice a year.5 exhorted the freshly commissioned officers Despite the foot drills, uniformed That same year, Singapore’s branch to train incoming young Singaporean men groups became popular in schools. One of the global Outward Bound School (OBS) well so that “what we lack in numbers we reason for the enthusiasm may have been was opened on by then Minister will make up for in quality”.7 the opportunities these groups accorded The call to create a “rugged society” in Singapore has resonated through the (Facing page) Youths crossing a rope structure over a river during an obstacle course at the Outward Bound School on Pulau Ubin, 1967. The school was opened decades. Shaun Seah looks at how the policy shaped young people in the 1960s. in 1967 to forge ruggedness and solidarity among students through experiences outside the classroom. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. (Below) The National Service (Amendment) Bill passed in Parliament on 14 March 1967 made National Service compulsory for all 18-year-old male Singapore citizens and permanent residents. The registration exercise for the first batch of recruits was held from 28 March to 18 April that year. In this photo taken on the first day of registration, a recruit is given a health check to ensure that he is medically fit for rigorous military training.Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, In the immediate post-independence “It is the young that will determine prepared to stand up and fight and die” courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 2 years, Singapore faced a number of chal- what happens to this society… It for Singapore. (Below right) Then Prime Minster Lee Kuan Yew inspecting the guard of honour at the 1968 Singapore Youth Festival held at Stadium. Lee later lenges: it was a small city-state with few depends on the education we give Lee felt that a “soft” society would refused an umbrella offered to him during a heavy downpour midway through the march-past. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of inatural resources, its access to the larger them; the training they receive; not be up to the task of taking on the National Archives of Singapore. market of Malaysia was circumscribed the values that they are taught… manifold challenges that newly inde- because of political wrangling, and it had whether you should have a soft pendent Singapore would face. What a limited ability to defend itself. society, fun-loving, pleasure-loving, was needed instead was a “tough, Singapore’s future would lie in the weak, effete or whether you should rugged society”. hands of its young people and the politi- have a rugged, robust, disciplined, The need for a generation prepared cal leadership of the time felt that this effective society, a hard society, a to “fight and die” was literal, not just group needed to be better prepared for tough, rugged society…”1 metaphorical. In March 1967, Parliament the challenges ahead. At a Queenstown passed the landmark National Service Community Centre National Day celebra- Recalling his years in Raffles Institu- (Amendment) Bill, which made it man- tion held on 10 August 1966, then Prime tion, Lee decried his privileged colonial datory for all able male Singaporeans to Minister Lee Kuan Yew noted: education as having reared a “whole serve in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) generation of softies… weak from want for two years. of enough exercise, enough sunshine, With universal conscription, it was Shaun Seah is doing his Masters in East Asian Stud- and with not enough guts in them”. also necessary to ensure that those called ies at Columbia University. He has a BA (History) He believed that the education system up to do their National Service would from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. overemphasised examinations and paper be relatively prepared. A generation of Educated at Maris Stella High School and ACS (Inde- pendent), he was a Cadet Lieutenant in the National qualifications. His government instead recruits who were “weak from want of Cadet Corps and a Venture Scout. sought to produce “a whole generation… enough exercise,” would not do well in 60 61 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE young Singaporeans who had less-than- camping on Singapore’s Mount Faber, and served the navy with distinction and was NOTES ideal living conditions at home. In 1970, an expedition to the 2,817-metre-high eventually appointed Chief Clerk in the 1 Ministry of Culture. (1966, August 10). Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, at Queenstown over 38.5 percent of families lived in Gunung Tahan, the highest point in the Naval Diving Unit. Community Centre, August, 10, 1966 [Speech]. Retrieved squatter colonies with limited access to Malay Peninsula, a trip which he remem- Dunearn Secondary NCC cadet Sham- from National Archives of Singapore website. sanitation, water and healthcare, while bered fondly as a simply “crazy” idea.14 sia Muslim was proud that she completed a 2 Ministry of Culture, 10 Aug 1966. 3 Lee, C.K. (1969, June 23). Extra-curricula: The word that 13.3 percent resided in often overcrowded On 9 August 1968, The Straits Times day-long navigation test in the countryside put new life in schools in Singapore. The Straits Times, shophouses.11 A total of 25 percent of wrote about a rafting expedition by eight – the “toughest of all training tests in the p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 12 4 Ministry of Culture. (1979, November 16). Speech by Dr Singaporeans lived in poverty. cadets from Sang Nila Utama Secondary NCC”. Shamsia resolutely refused offers Tony Tan Keng Yam, Senior Minister of State for Education, Former scout Jackie Yap used to School and New Town Integrated School of help from passing lorries when she got at the National Police Cadet Corps 20th anniversary live in Bukit Ho Swee, “a very notorious to West Malaysia that spanned more than lost in rural and expressed dinner held at the Silver Star Theatre Restaurant on Friday, 15 16 November 1979 at 7.30pm [Speech]. Retrieved from area” rife with gangsters, and studied 110 km over four days. wonderment at the world beyond her National Archives of Singapore website. in Bukit Ho Swee Secondary School in From 1975, the NCC (Sea) began its neighbourhood to discover plantations 5 Horton, P.A. (2002). Shacking the lion: Sport and modern the late 1960s. Despite participating in annual Round Island Canoeing Expedition. and “hospitable rural dwellers”.18 Singapore. International Journal of the History of Sport, 19 (2–2), 243–274, pp. 254–255. Retrieved from Taylor & his school’s National Police Cadet Corps The expedition typically saw 80 cadets in 40 All these activities left a mark on Francis Online. (NPCC) activities on Saturday mornings, double-seater canoes doing a full circum- young, impressionable minds. Former 6 Murfett, M.H., et al. (2011). Between two oceans: Yap’s appetite for adventure beckoned and navigation of the Singapore coast, starting 1960s Rafflesian scout Zainul Abidin bin A military history of Singapore from 1275 to 1971 (p. 329). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. (Call no.: RSING he also joined the local Sea Scout group from the west bank of the Causeway. Over Mohamed Rasheed (later Senior Minister 355.0095957 BET); Lee begins talks to avert total British on Sunday afternoons. four days, cadets completed a journey of of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) pull-out by 1975. (1967, June 27). The Straits Times, p. 18. Scouting gave Yap the opportunity to some 200 km with only overnight stops “the sense of service to others” and Retrieved from NewspaperSG. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) girls’ contingent marching through the streets during the 1972 National 7 Ministry of Culture. (1967, July 18). Speech by the leave behind claustrophobic afternoons at SAFTI Boat Station in the west, and the learned “the true meaning of life-long Day Parade at the Padang. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, at the commissioning 19 at home – crammed into a one-room flat NCC sea training centres in friends”. Another fellow scout, Kwek of Singapore. ceremony of officer cadets into the Armed Forces at shared with nine other family members. and Changi.16 Siew Jin (who later became Rear-Admiral Istana on Tuesday, July, 18, 1967 [Speech]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website. With the scouts, Yap was able to venture The rugged society was not and Chief of Navy) believed that scouting 8 The children’s hour of enchantment. (1968, July 22). The outdoors and indulge in his “passion for the restricted to boys. Young girls, too, were “was the best thing that happened” to the great outdoors and to understand because “we dare to strive for excellence. Straits Times, p. 11; Mammoth parade is festival highlight. 21 (1970, July 15). The Straits Times, p. 20. Retrieved from sea”, once even rowing around Singapore enthusiastic participants. Chung Cheng him in his formative years, resulting in themselves and nature better. We have to be fit and rugged to meet NewspaperSG. [Note: By 1975, the Singapore Youth 20 in a wooden sampan. Yap said that many High School alumnus Rina Sim, an NCC character-building and moral growth. competition to achieve excellence. I Festival would be shortened from a two-week affair to a of his fellow underprivileged peers enjoyed cadet, relished the air of authority her Jackie Yap of Bukit Ho Swee Second- Whither the Rugged Society? therefore throw you this challenge – get one-day event.] 9 Lee reviews parade in the rain. (1968, July 21). The Straits their time with the Sea Scouts because cadet uniform carried during her daily ary School felt that his time in the Sea While the rugged society rhetoric even- Singaporeans to return to the rugged Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 24 “they could [finally] enjoy space and some commute to school from Kampong Chai Scouts and NPCC taught “a lot of very tually petered out, such was the appeal society”. Government anxiety over 10 Personal interview with Wang Lee Hoon, 10 July 2019. form of novel recreation for free”.13 Chee, happily correcting villagers who good survival skills, life skills which [are] of the concept that the call would be mounting obesity among youths would 11 Singapore Department of Statistics. (1970). Table 12.3: Percentage Distribution of Population in Private Households Taylor Eng lived in an overcrowded mistook her for a za bor mata (Hokkien today, so important”. Yap later went on resurrected every now and then over the see the introduction of fitness initiatives in Urban, Suburban and Rural Census Areas by Type of shophouse along Havelock Road and for “policewoman”). Her experience in to join the Singapore Army as a regular ensuing decades. In 1974, a year of high like the Trim and Fit programme in 1992 Census House, 1970. In Report on the census of population attended Raffles Institution in the late the NCC sparked a lifelong passion for the in the Commandos, where he completed inflation and economic uncertainty, Haji and the All Children Exercise Simultane- 1970 Singapore (Vol. I; p. 233). Singapore: Government Printing Office. (Call no.: RSING 312.095957 SIN) 1960s. He enjoyed scouting as it provided military, and against parental objections, the SAF Ranger Course before leaving Sha’ari Tadin, then Member of Parliament ously Day in 1993. 12 Thum, P.J. (2014). The old normal is the new normal. In D. him an escape from familiar, urban set- she joined the Republic of Singapore service in the late 1980s. Today, he works for Kampong Chai Chee, recalled the “old In 2015, the term “rugged society” Low & S. Vadaketh (Eds.), Hard choices: Challenging the tings. Memorable escapades for him Navy in 1978 even before receiving her with corporate clients as a team-building rallying call” of the rugged society as he made another brief reappearance. Dur- Singapore consensus (p. 143). Singapore: NUS Press. (Call 17 no.: RSING 320.95957 LOW) included an overnight hike followed by bookkeeping examination results. She consultant, helping participants to enjoy called on Singaporeans to “roll up their ing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s 13 Personal interview with Jackie Yap, 25 September 2019. sleeves and work even harder” after National Day Rally, he noted that the 14 Personal interview with Taylor Eng, 17 September 2019. several years of stellar economic growth.22 rugged society was one of three factors 15 16 to attempt raft trip by river to East-Coast. (1968, (Below) Youths clambering over the A-frame during an obstacle course at the Outward Bound School on Pulau Ubin, 1967. Ministry of Information and the Arts August 9). The Straits Times, p. 13. Retrieved from Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. In 1980, a New Nation editorial crucial to Singapore’s success. Prime NewspaperSG. bemoaned the pampered lives of younger Minister Lee said that although the term 16 Ministry of Culture. (1976, February 2). NCC (Sea) (Below right) Sea Scouts undergoing training, 1956. Scouting was officially inaugurated in Singapore in 1910, with sea scouting introduced in 1938.Ministry of generations, believing Singaporeans to “rugged society” is not used so often second round canoeing expedition Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. [Press release]. Retrieved from the National Archives of have come “a long way and perhaps wrong anymore, “our people must still be robust Singapore website. way away from the rugged society” of the and tough and able to take hard knocks, 17 Personal interview with Rina Sim, 8 July 2019. 18 Shamsia Muslim. (1979). An unforgettable experience. 1960s. The editorial lamented that people always striving to be better…. If we are In 1969–1979: 10th anniversary souvenir magazine: no longer woke up at 6.30 am for national soft and flabby, we are going to be eaten Dunearn Secondary School (pp. 110–111). Singapore: The fitness exercises but were instead “snoring up. We have to be rugged, we have to School. (Available via PublicationSG) 25 19 Singapore Scouts Association. (2010). 100 years of away on their expensive deluxe beauty have that steel in us”. adventure, 1910–2010 (p. 58). Singapore: Singapore rest bed” in an air-conditioned room, Public discourse reflects the central- Scouts Association. (Call no.: RSING 369.43095957 ONE) before travelling in an air-conditioned ity of this rugged ideal – take for instance 20 Singapore Scouts Association, 2010, p. 80. 21 Personal interview with Jackie Yap, 25 September 2019. vehicle to an air-conditioned office and, the labelling of “millennials” born between 22 Old rallying call of a rugged society in these hard times. after work, relaxing in air-conditioned 1980 and 2000 as the “strawberry genera- (1974, May 5). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from squash courts, bowling alleys and shop- tion”, incapable of enduring hardship or NewspaperSG. 23 23 Still the rugged society? (1980, May 31). New Nation, p. 8. ping malls. adverse conditions. Since 2017, a Straits Retrieved from NewspaperSG. In a 1990 speech at the opening Times feature series has sought to counter 24 Goh, C.T. (1990, March 10). Speech by Mr Goh Chok Tong, of the College for Physical Education, this stereotype through stories of perse- first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, at the official opening of the College of Physical Education then First Deputy Prime Minister Goh verance among youths in fighting debilita- new facilities at 21 Evans Road, on Saturday, 10 March Chok Tong noted a “disconcerting and tive diseases, mental health struggles and 1990 at 1800hrs [Speech]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website. unhealthy” trend of rising obesity among personal failures in life. The “Generation 25 Siau, M.E. (2015, August 24). The three factors behind youths, and called for a renewed empha- Grit” series suggests a reframing of the Singapore’s success. Today, p. 8. Retrieved from sis on physical fitness to eliminate obe- concept of ruggedness to qualities beyond NewspaperSG. 26 26 Tan, T. (2017, December 7). Millennials, redefined: Meet sity. Singapore has succeeded, he said, just fitness and physical prowess. Generation Grit. The Straits Times, p. 27. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 62 63 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

5 Irene Lim, who turns 94 years old this June, began Once in a while, a man would come amah” sisterhood, she did not cut her hair. documenting her life stories in 1989. Her daughter, around the neighbourhood with a very She always wore it in a single thick, long plait University of Michigan professor Linda Lim, col- distinctive loud call that I could never make hanging down her back. On festive days, she lected these and compiled them into a recently pub- out, something that sounded like “way would go to a hairdresser to have it combed lished book, 90 Years in Singapore. jerapan”. Ah Sam would dash out to buy into a “bun”, with a hairnet and some pins. bullfrogs from him to skin and then boil with Ah Sam and her “sisters” wore the same herbs. The meat was white, like chicken, light-coloured Chinese cotton blouse (hip- and of course Cheryl never found out what length with a mandarin collar, diagonal Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1927, Irene Lim, it really was. That was to cool her skin to front “frog” button closure, three-quarter née Ooi, has lived in Singapore all of her get rid of the eczema. Ah Sam also bought sleeves and side slits at the hem) paired with life except for the three years she spent in small river turtles to steam for soup, saying loose black silk trousers daily. They wore the Penang during the Japanese Occupation. it was good for the skin. She wanted to buy same outfit during festive occasions, only in She attended Raffles Girls’ School in the crocodile meat which was reported to be a more elaborate and expensive material. 1930s and early 1940s. In 1948, she mar- the best cure. I refused but now find that They also wore gold and jade jewellery ried Lim Hee Seng, an accountant, raised it is sold in NTUC FairPrice supermarkets! (earrings, bangles, chains and lockets) they three daughters between the 1950s and I remember being told by another had purchased with their wages. early 1970s, and led an active, social life. cook that asthma (or was it tuberculosis?) Ah Sam belonged to the genera- patients were cured by swallowing live, tion of Chinese women whose breasts Irene’s memoir, 90 Years in Singapore,1 newborn mice whose eyes were not yet were bound from puberty so that they presents fascinating accounts of her opened. It makes me sick to think of these would be flat-chested. This required the childhood, growing-up years, marriage, tiny creatures wriggling inside the unfortu- donning of a white chest undergarment and family life. The family’s routines and nate patient’s throat down to the stomach. with strings tied to flatten the breasts. I responses to daily and community hap- Ah Sam (meaning “aunt” in Cantonese), wonder if this contributed to her devel- penings provide an intimate window into whose given name was Lee Yuet Kiew (her oping breast cancer later in life. life as experienced by middle-class women friends called her Ah Kiew), came to work On her days off, Ah Sam visited her at the time. for us in 1954. Much later, she told us that sisterhood’s premises in Chinatown, where she had left her home village in Guangdong some retired elderly amahs lived. There In this extract from her book, Irene recalls her province to come to Singapore because a were also young girls they had “adopted” to family’s domestic helpers preparing herbal fortune-teller warned her that if she had a care for them in their old age, in exchange remedies for ailments such as asthma and husband, she would not have a son and vice for training in their service profession. eczema, and cooking delicious Cantonese versa, i.e., one of them would die. Like her sisters, Ah Sam also belonged and Peranakan dishes for the family. She Irene Lim recalls herbal remedies, So Ah Sam decided not to marry and to a funeral association. In exchange for also describes in vivid detail household like other members of her “black and white monthly or annual dues, the association home-cooked meals and domestic habits and cultural practices, the various servants in this extract from her the family ate, and their relationship memoir, 90 Years in Singapore. with the women who worked as servants (Facing page) From the top: An amah with a close-up of her bun secured with a hairnet and pin. Amahs in the household in the 1950s and 1960s. took vows of celibacy, pledging to remain unmarried for life. Kouo Shang-Wei Collection, PictureSG, National Library, Singapore; Irene Lim with a flying fox that her father caught on a hunting trip to Johor, 1934. Courtesy of Irene Lim; One of the Peranakan dishes that Ah Sam cooked for the family was nonya chap chye cooked with preserved brown soya bean paste. Photo from Shutterstock. What I disliked about our neighbourhood (Below) Irene with her husband Hee Seng, elder daughter Laurette and younger daughter Linda, 1950. was the sawmill at the corner of our road Courtesy of Irene Lim. not far from our home,2 at the other wend from the Chinese school. When the sawmill burned wood scraps, I feared that was a health hazard, and wondered if it worsened Cheryl’s3 asthma. To treat it, Ah Sam went to Chinatown to buy flying foxes to cook with herbs, which were supposed to “warm” a patient’s lungs; she told Cheryl it was mutton soup. Cheryl also suffered very badly from eczema, for which mother-in-law4 took her to a sinseh at Upper Cross Street. He used herbs resembling dried twigs and leaves, which were boiled and then cooled until comfortably warm, for Cheryl to steep her affected hands in. Then she was bandaged with a thick white ointment which the locals insisted was made of frogs. They called it frog ointment. It took a long time but it did get rid of the eczema, which Western medicine could not. 64 65 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021 VOL. 16 ISSUE 04 FEATURE

minced pork and . Another Can- the garden waving the lighted lanterns. visits, she would mail them parcels as well During this time, we also had a string tonese dish Ah Sam cooked was steamed The we ate then were filled as send letters dictated to a letter-writer of other servants to take care of various rice flavoured with Chinese sausages, liver with black, red or brown bean paste (tau in Chinatown. household chores besides cooking. The sausages and a liver roll, which was liver sah), sometimes with a salted egg yolk It was from these visits in the 1950s two who stayed the longest were Ah Moy encasing a thick piece of lard that had been embedded. The children preferred these and 1960s that we heard about how poor and Gek Lan (Ah Lan). Ah Moy came when preserved in sugar. Cheryl’s favourite was a to the more elaborate mooncakes filled people were in China, how little food they she was 13 to help look after Cheryl and dish of mixed vegetables and meat, chopped with different seeds and nuts that were had to eat during the Great Leap Forward,9 do odd jobs around the house. Ah Moy small and well seasoned, folded in a lettuce sticky and hard to chew, but I liked the and how oppressive the Communist gov- became Ah Sam’s servant, but Ah Sam leaf and popped into the mouth, like the type with nuts better. ernment was. Ah Sam and her “sisters” did buy things for the girls who worked Vietnamese do. When it was the Fifth Moon (Dragon were all relieved that they had emigrated, for us because they helped her to comb Ah Sam had learnt to cook duck and Boat) Festival, I would order special and they regularly sent money home to her hair or massage her. salted vegetable soup, and chap chye the nonya choong (dumplings). These were their families. Ah Moy was a farmer’s daughter Peranakan way (with preserved brown soya different from the Cantonese dumplings During the Cultural Revolution,10 and was filthy when I first saw her. Her bean paste, instead of preserved soya bean which used fatty pork and a large piece when I told Ah Sam the government had feet were so caked with mud that we cubes as the Cantonese do). I also taught of mushroom in each, covered in soaked forbidden people from drinking tea, she told her to use a brush to clean them. We her another duck recipe: duck stuffed with but uncooked glutinous rice and then replied that in her village they had been taught her how to bathe properly. She had chopped mushrooms, , minced pork immersed in boiling water for four to four- too poor to drink tea, which they grew only only used well water before so she was and rice, seasoned and deep fried before and-a-half hours. We preferred the nonya for export. Her family were farmers, and fascinated with the taps and played with (Above) Cheryl’s fourth birthday party at Sommerville being steamed. She also served preserved dumplings that had minced streaky pork, in Singapore, a male relative of hers used them, especially the hot taps. Her mother Road, 1959. Standing behind Cheryl (seated in front duck, either steamed or fried. Other speci- pieces of minced, sugared wintermelon to collect “slops” from our kitchen to feed took all her money and never bothered to of the cake) is Irene. Laurette is standing third from alities she made were steamed , spiced with ground , white pep- the pigs on his pig farm. leave food for her even when she knew the left and Linda is standing at the extreme right looking down. Courtesy of Irene Lim. steamed pigs’ brains to make the girls percorns and chekur (aromatic ginger), Ah Sam was our most loyal servant. Ah Moy would be returning home for a “brainy”, and steamboat served at home. plus , , sugar, , light She just knew “her” children – Laurette,11 visit with her pay. I saved some money for (Left) Irene looking resplendent in the 1950s. On special occasions, one or more and dark soya sauce, cooked together Linda12 and Cheryl – were the cleverest Ah Moy and it did come in handy when Courtesy of Irene Lim. of Ah Sam’s “sisters” would come over in lard. The meat filling was wrapped in ones around! But she was also difficult, she got married. to help prepare special dishes like meat a cone or pyramid of steamed glutinous insisting that she had to have full control Ah Moy told us she could never settle Ah Sam was extremely intelligent. dumplings, or minced pork and crab meat rice, then placed inside bamboo leaves of everything, including the other general back into her old home after living with us Although illiterate – she could not even balls cooked with bean threads in clear tied with hemp string and steamed for household servants and the gardener, and for some years, and had proper food and recognise numbers and had to ask us to soup ( kepiting). There were also 35 minutes, never boiled. Both types of that caused quite a bit of trouble. She left a clean bed with a mattress and sheets. write down phone numbers for her – she baked crabs, whose shells were stuffed with dumplings were very filling. me once and came back again because I When she was 16, her parents arranged had a remarkable memory. She could minced pork, crab meat, diced mushrooms, Two or three times when Ah Sam could not get any other servant to stay. for her to meet prospective bridegrooms easily add and multiply, a skill which she large onions and water chestnuts, all well was working for us, which was about She would ring these new hires to tell them and we were horrified that it became was very proud of. She also took pride in seasoned – with egg white added – before once in four or five years, she returned she was such a good cook and that they quite frequent. Each time Ah Moy was working her whole life to support herself. being placed in the oven. The crabs were to China via Hong Kong to visit her family, would be no match for her. The last one to put “on show”, she was given a red packet She planned our meals and did most of bought live, trussed and hung up in strings often accompanied by one or more of her leave simply told me she wished to come of $12 if she was not deemed suitable by the marketing at a wet market in Upper in the kitchen until it was time to cook “sisters”. She would ask for our old things back, but that no one else would work for the bridegroom, and her parents happily Serangoon or another one at Sennett them; occasionally one would fall off and – clothes, shoes, toys – to take back with me with Ah Sam around. In total, Ah Sam pocketed the money. She was most upset Estate, going back and forth by bus and scurry about the kitchen floor. her for the children in the village. Between worked for me for 14 years. and ashamed. would prepare and provide for the funer- taxi. Ah Sam liked to go to the market Ah Sam also made traditional foods to als of its members. Being single and far every day to ensure we had fresh food, or be eaten on special days, such as the pink- (Below) Glutinous rice and pork being scooped into bamboo leaves before being steamed. Nonya-style dumplings in the Lim household were stuffed with a from home, these women would not have perhaps to catch up on gossip. She went to and-white rice flour dumplings in a syrupy mixture of minced pork cooked with candied wintermelon, ground coriander, white peppercorns and shallots, among other ingredients. Courtesy of National descendants to conduct funerary rites. Chinatown if special ingredients like dried clear sweet sauce for the winter solstice. She Archives of Singapore. Professional mourners were very common mushrooms or herbs were needed for also boiled dong guai,8 a bitter but expensive (Below right) Ah Sam with Cheryl at Sommerville Road, 1957. Courtesy of Irene Lim. then and could be hired for any funeral. particular dishes. On her return, she would Chinese herb, in a pork-bone soup that the They wore sack cloth, chanted and banged recite to me, by memory, the weight, girls hated having to drink once a month cymbals and gongs while accompanying price per unit weight, and total price of after they began menstruating. elaborately decorated hearses carried each of the 20-odd items purchased on During the , Ah on the back of lorries. Family mourners a typical visit to the market, so I could do Sam would gather the children in the walked or sat in cars behind the procession. the accounts. front verandah, where she fired off Roman I think some of the professional mourners Our meals always included a soup candles stuck at the end of one of the long belonged to martial arts associations. (either abalone, lotus root, winter melon, bamboo poles we used for drying clothes. When Ah Sam arrived as a sinkeh6 etc.), fried or steamed fish (usually kurau, Since our house was on a hill slope, the from China at the age of 18 (by Chinese sek pan or pomfret, the last sometimes in a candles had a nice, safe trajectory. Before reckoning), she found employment as a milk sauce), a meat dish and vegetables – all fireworks were banned, the kampong personal maid to one of Eu Tong Sen’s served on the rotating “lazy susan” atop our across the narrow road would be noisy teenage sons at Eu Villa on Mount Sophia,7 round dining table. Our girls got so spoilt with them. next to the Methodist Girls’ School. She was that they protested if they had to eat the During the Eighth Moon (Mid-Autumn) very ambitious and, in her free moments, same dish too often. They also complained Festival, we bought the children lanterns would steal off to the kitchen to watch if they were fed “peasant dishes” that they from Chinatown, made of coloured cello- the cooks prepare food. This was how she didn’t like, Cantonese village classics like phane paper and wire bent in the shapes learned the art of fine Cantonese cooking brown steamed rice with chicken and black of various birds and animals, with a small even though she was from a peasant family. mushrooms, and steamed egg- with candle inside. They would parade around 66 67 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2021

Irene Lim’s memoir, 90 Years in Sin- gapore, is available for reference at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and for loan at selected public librar- ies (Call nos.: RSING 307.7609595 LIM and SING 307.7609595 LIM). It also retails at major bookshops in Singapore and online at www.shop. hoprinting.com.sg.

NOTES 1 Lim, I. (2020). 90 years in Singapore. Singapore: Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd. (Call no.: RSING 307.7609595 LIM) Irene at home in a photograph taken in early 2020 when she was 92 years old. Courtesy of Irene Lim. 2 Irene’s home was on Sommerville Road, off Upper Serangoon Road. 3 Cheryl is Irene’s youngest daughter, born in 1955. She attended Methodist Girls’ School, has a PhD in Sociology When Ah Moy got married, Ah Sam cried and said that her elder sister objected of Technology and lives in the United Kingdom. presented her with a bedspread and pil- to her working for us. The sister belonged 4 Irene’s mother-in-law, Lee Yew Teck, was born in lowcases, and we bought blankets from the to some group which at weekends met Singapore in 1891 to China-born Christian parents. She attended Methodist Girls’ School and raised money I had helped her save. I gave her a with “boys and girls in the same room”. four children. gold bracelet and bought a gold chain and They could have been left-wing Chinese 5 These black-and-white amahs, or majie, hailed from pendant from the rest of the money, and school students, who were politically active the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong province in China. In Singapore, they formed a tight-knit group even had some left over to buy makeup, at the time. Later, we realised that Ah Lan and established clan associations in Chinatown. These the cheapest I could get. Her mother did was stealing Laurette’s and Linda’s socks hardworking and independent women took vows of nothing. On Ah Moy’s wedding day, I had and panties, as well as Ah Sam’s cash, and celibacy and remained unmarried for life. 6 Sinkeh means “new arrival” in Hokkien. to trudge to the farm to put her makeup even packets of Tide soap powder, perhaps 7 Eu Tong Sen was a prominent businessman and on. We hoped she would find happiness, instigated by her mother or sister, so we community leader. He is best remembered as the man behind traditional Chinese medicine company but a year or so later, Ah Moy turned up let her go. Eu Yan Sang, which still exists today. Eu Villa, his saying she was most miserable and that Ah Peng was one servant with whom lavish mansion on Mount Sophia, was designed by she did not have a good husband. But she Ah Sam got on well. She was a big, fat jolly architectural firm Swan & Maclaren. 8 Dong guai (Chinese angelica), also known as “female later had a son, so perhaps things improved. girl whom mother had found working as ginseng”, is a herb used in traditional Chinese Ah Lan came next. Unlike Ah Moy a hairdresser’s assistant. She had been medicine to treat menstrual cramps and other who was illiterate, Ah Lan had left school paid $10 a month for three years and had menopausal symptoms. 9 The Great Leap Forward (1958–60) was a campaign at around 13 or 14 when she came to work not been given the training she had been mounted by the Chinese Communist Party to for us. Her mother was a poor farmer’s wife promised. Instead, she swept the floors, transform the country through forced agricultural who wished for a son but had a daughter and washed the towels and dishes. Ah collectivisation and rural industrialisation. 10 The Cultural Revolution (1966–76) was launched every year until she had a round dozen, Peng was under the charge of the Social by Mao Zedong in 1966 to reassert his control over none of whom she loved. She would go Welfare Department as her mother worked the country. The masses were mobilised to purge all to the market and let her children stand in a gambling den at night and her father traces of capitalist and traditional elements in Chinese Communist society. around while she had a bowl of noodles was in the mental hospital suffering from 11 Laurette is Irene’s eldest daughter, born in 1949. She or some other titbit and not let them syphilis. Ah Peng did not know how to man- attended Methodist Girls’ School. She graduated from have a bite. age money and we tried to teach her not the University of Singapore and lives in Singapore. 12 Linda is Irene’s second daughter, born in 1950. Ah Lan’s entire pay was also given to blow all her pay at one go and also not She attended Methodist Girls’ School, has a PhD to her mother so I had to save money for to pick up taxi drivers as she liked to. One in Economics and lives in the United States. She is Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and her to buy clothes. She was small and thin. day, she told us she was getting married International Business at the Stephen M. Ross School Once, after her monthly visit home, Ah Lan so we gave her presents and she left. of Business, University of Michigan. 68 HUMAN

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