KALYANI MEHTA AND KIRAN SHAH

6. THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF GUJARATI ELDERS IN SINGAPORE

ABSTRACT The chapter aims to capture the lived experiences of Gujarati elders in Singapore who have migrated from India many years ago. A mixed method was used in the research project comprising a survey, focus groups and indepth case studies. The findings reported in this chapter are part of a larger study of the Gujarati community in Singapore. The case studies of twelve Gujarati seniors generated a wealth of data that captured the historical experiences of the first generation of Gujaratis, and the changes that these pioneers had witnessed. The voices contained in the quotes of first hand interviews with the elders lend authenticity to the discussion of the dynamic and multi-faceted process of adjustment faced by transnationals.

INTRODUCTION Historical Background of the Gujarati Community During the first wave of migration which is estimated to be in the 1890’s from Gujarat, which is a state in North West India, the Gujaratis were mainly traders, imbued with the business affinity (Gregory, 1992) and the dream of returning to their homeland, India after they had made their fortune. It has been documented in Kotecha’s book (1994) that Gujaratis were a seafaring ethnic group, as their state had a very long coastline. She writes that Indians from Gujarat had traded with the states in East Africa for many centuries, but they normally returned home after several months of trading. It was in the early 1880s that they started to stay permanently, and co-incidentally the earliest records found in Singapore trace that there were about 28 Gujarati households in Singapore in 1902. Poverty, diseases such as plague, and famine could have been the ‘push’ factors explaining the expansion of emigration around this time (Vyas, 1998). Ved (New Straits Times, 12/1/07) suggests that “the land back home did not produce enough and/or had fighting chieftains who would not allow peaceful economic pursuits” were reasons that could have inspired Gujaratis to embark on journeys overseas in search of a better life. In the late nineteenth century the seeds of a Gujarati community in Singapore were sown. Geographically, the Gujaratis were living in ethnic enclaves in Singapore such as Market Street, Chulia Street, Geylang and Katong. “Within the

Kalyani Mehta and Amarjit Singh (eds.), Indian Diaspora: Voices of the Diasporic Elders in Five Countries, 107–121. © 2008 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. MEHTA AND SHAH commercial sector, North Indians occupied a prominent position. The majority of North Indian commercial migrants in the 19th century were Parsis, Gujaratis, Marwaris and Bengalis” (Lal, 2006: 179). Most families lived in ‘shophouses’ - the business /shop would conduct its business on the ground level and the family would reside on the first and second levels. There were many single male immigrants who came at the invitation of their relatives, and worked long hours in order to send remittances back to their parents and siblings in their homeland. In this sense, the Gujaratis in the early part of the 20th century could be classified as a transitional community (Mehta, 2006). Although the cost of living was low, people then had to be thrifty to survive. Even to buy a bus ticket to travel to the workplace was a luxury, even though it cost only 10 or 15 cents. Many walked three or four miles to and from work in order to save the money. Salaries were relatively low. For example, one interviewee who was above eighty years old said that his starting salary was 30 dollars a month! However, the value of money was high so even one cent had some value.

The inflow of families The inflow of families from India and Pakistan stabilized the community in Singapore from the mid-20th century. Most Gujaratis traveled by ships in those days. The journey from India would take about 15 days (or more with stopovers) until more efficient cruise liners were introduced: they took about 5-6 days. Initially, the older males had the notion of retiring in their homelands. This gradually changed in the mid- 20th century as the Gujaratis became a settled community casting their future with Singapore’s dynamic and visionary state leadership when Singapore became an independent nation. According to the memories of the older generation whom we interviewed, the Hindu Paropkari Fund (or Hindu Benevolent Fund) which was founded in the early 1920’s was probably the earliest Gujarati organization in Singapore. It had a welfare function in looking after needy and impoverished Gujaratis in Singapore. It also provided free accommodation to Gujarati sojourners in transit to Australia and Fiji (Asmita, 1997). The first Gujarati building was located at 79 Waterloo Street since 1912. It housed the Hindu Paropkari Fund as well as the Gujarati School which was established in 1947. The School later shifted to No. 23, 25, 27 Race Course Lane and then to Goodman Road which is central to most Gujaratis. In 2007, the premises in Goodman Road were sold and a new site was purchased in Joo Chiat Road. With the community taking on more stable characteristics, issues related to language and culture preservation became major concerns. A core group of Gujarati volunteers have dedicated themselves to keeping the mother tongue of Guajatis alive in Singapore.

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