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I think the most obvious Indian influences are in Singaporean cuisine. Dishes such as rojak, briyani, curries, roti prata etc. are all popular regardless of background. Culturally I think Singapore is increasingly becoming a melting pot, there's not much difference between the various ethnic groups, particularly amongst the younger generation and intermarriage between the Indians and Chinese is quite common now.
The Deepavali festival is marked as a national holiday in Singapore, and the Little India neighbourhoods as a large concentration of services and businesses targeted to the Indian community.
To be honest, Indians haven't really influenced Singapore in a good way, many Singaporean nationalists want to deport all Indian immigrants back to India even though many of them have been their decades.
'Little India' is considered one of the most dangerous parts of Singapore city, and most non-Indians avoid visiting that part of town.
non-Indian Singaporeans don't follow Indian culture, and inter-racial marriages between Indians and Chinese isn't as common as the commenter above would like to believe, the Indian community in Singapore is very tight knit and they prefer to mingle within their own community.
I think the most obvious Indian influences are in Singaporean cuisine. Dishes such as rojak, briyani, curries, roti prata etc. are all popular regardless of background. Culturally I think Singapore is increasingly becoming a melting pot, there's not much difference between the various ethnic groups, particularly amongst the younger generation and intermarriage between the Indians and Chinese is quite common now.
The Deepavali festival is marked as a national holiday in Singapore, and the Little India neighbourhoods as a large concentration of services and businesses targeted to the Indian community.
This. A lot of Indian influence in the cuisine of Singapore, some have become distinctly Singaporean (not sure you can find roti prata/canai in India, there's roti but it seems more bread-like. The version you find in Singapore-Malaysia is more doughy and pastry-like). Mee Rebus is a famous Mamak (Indian Muslim) speciality that Singaporeans enjoy. I think even Cendol (a dessert consisting of shaved ice with coconut milk, gula melaka, angelica/cendol jelly, red beans) was at least in large part an Indian Singaporean invention. You're right, although it does depend on things like religion. If the Indian and Chinese are both Christian or non-religious (not Hindu, Buddhist.etc), for example, they're more likely to intermarry. But I think for the most part each group marries within itself. Indians are well-educated, on par with Chinese Singaporeans, and now speak English at a rate greater than Chinese or Malays, although Chinese are similar. One might not get this impression though if one sees the many South Asian foreigner workers now in Singapore. Indeed the influx of migrant workers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan has sort of made the native Indian Singaporean community less visible. Like those from the PRC blending into the more Sino-Singaporean community, one is never sure who is native these days.
Deepavali (also known as Diwali) is indeed a holiday and a big event in Singapore. My mother recalls her Indian neighbours inviting her over for the celebrations. There are a lot of lights/celebrations during this time.
I had Singaporean and Malaysian Indian friends in high school, I think our common Singaporean heritage bound us. I notice a lot of Malaysians and Singaporeans of Chinese, Indian ancestry would often hang out together in school. I feel in Singapore the various ethnic groups are more integrated than in Malaysia.
Last edited by The Postman; 12-23-2013 at 08:00 AM..
To be honest, Indians haven't really influenced Singapore in a good way, many Singaporean nationalists want to deport all Indian immigrants back to India even though many of them have been their decades.
'Little India' is considered one of the most dangerous parts of Singapore city, and most non-Indians avoid visiting that part of town.
non-Indian Singaporeans don't follow Indian culture, and inter-racial marriages between Indians and Chinese isn't as common as the commenter above would like to believe, the Indian community in Singapore is very tight knit and they prefer to mingle within their own community.
You have to make a distinction between Indian Singaporeans who have been there for a long time and the new migrant labourers who are poorer and obviously not attuned to Singaporean norms and customs. There are similar complains of mainland Chinese, FWIW.
Eh, Little India isn't any more dangerous than anywhere else in Singapore, I've often been there and never had any problem. You may have referred to the recent riot, such events are rare, and the public wasn't effected much. Many Singaporeans go to Little India to enjoy the food, buy spices and Indian products, and buy jewellery. The area is a well known backpacker haunt and tourist attraction with cheap accommodation, bars, nightlife.etc. The Indian food there is excellent and not just South Indian either.
Chinese and Malay Singaporeans often eat Indian food, may participate in and be familiar with Indian culture/religion/festivities (although almost all Hindus are Indian). My mother and most of my relatives have been to India, as have many Singaporeans. In my mother's time especially but still now, many Indians speak Malay and the Chinese dialects (according to my mum). Yes, the Indian community might be somewhat tight-knit, but many Singaporeans see themselves as Singaporean first, especially the younger generation. There are no discriminatory policies like in Malaysia.
To be honest, Indians haven't really influenced Singapore in a good way, many Singaporean nationalists want to deport all Indian immigrants back to India even though many of them have been their decades.
'Little India' is considered one of the most dangerous parts of Singapore city, and most non-Indians avoid visiting that part of town.
non-Indian Singaporeans don't follow Indian culture, and inter-racial marriages between Indians and Chinese isn't as common as the commenter above would like to believe, the Indian community in Singapore is very tight knit and they prefer to mingle within their own community.
I stayed at a hostel in Little India during my last stay in Singapore a year ago. The area may be run down compared to the rest of the city-state but it didn't feel dangerous at all.
You have to make a distinction between Indian Singaporeans who have been there for a long time and the new migrant labourers who are poorer and obviously not attuned to Singaporean norms and customs. There are similar complains of mainland Chinese, FWIW.
These days, there certainly are a HUGE influx of new migrant labourers from India. Little India seems to be expanding out significantly, and only Little India itself you'll see the backpackers and non-Indians in restaurants. Walk out from that for even a good 15-20 minutes....towards the station that has the only currency exchange after midnight (can't remember its name), and it is very very very very Indian and predominately male...and very labourer-looking Indian males absolutely everywhere.
I wonder how Singapore handles that?
On the other hand, the Mainland Chinese have much of that similar UN-SIngaporean behaviors, which is why I've always well-understood and well-appreciated the Singaporean harshness for social order, to get those immigrants integrated with all the somewhat insane laws....must almost necessary laws, considering the types of immigrants it sometimes attract.
Anyway, I love Singapore, and I love the INdian influence there a lot. Particularly the very Singaporean version of it, with all the exotic, but all of the order, etc.
They are a minority in Singapore and always have been since the earliest days of the country's history. In some ways they are treated like Blacks used to be treated in the US during segregation. We had an Indian friend who married into a local Chinese family. The family was opposed but could not do anything about it. He is light skinned unlike some Singaporean Indians but went ahead and legally changed his last name because he felt he could avoid some of the discrimination some Chinese have for Indians.
You also see some degree of degree of anti Indian bias in the local housing estates. Some people object to the burning of incense sticks and praying in the hallways of HDB flats. Others have problems with the cooking and odors of Indian food.
Here in the US one of our senior vice presidents in the company I used to work for was a Sikh gentleman who immigrated here from Singapore. He had nothing at all good to say about Singapore and was quite vocal about what he perceived as being discriminated against in his home country.
The English name of Singapore is derived from the Malay word, Singapura, which was in turn derived from Sanskrit (Singa is "lion", Pura "city"; Sanskrit: सिंहपुर, IAST: Siṃhápura)
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