New Place, Old Ways

by Anthony R. Walker

Indian residents of the island republic of Singapore constitute a mere seven percent of the nation's population. But they are a very visible minority. Ornate Hindu temples and shrines, colourful public displays of Indian religiosity, diverse Indian culinary traditions, busy Indian shopkeepers, astute Indian politicians ...all these make Singapore culturally, socially, economically and politically the richer. Taken together, the five essays in this book offer an overview and a series of emotive vignettes of Indian life in Singapore. From them we may learn how peoples who are heirs to one of humankind's oldest surviving civilizations are able both to preserve and to adapt their Indian heritage within a new, mostly non-Indian, social environment. Thus we may come to appreciate something of the strength and adaptability of Indian culture, as well as the contributions it can make to the enrichment of a new, Southeast Asian, nation state.