POSTCARD FROM SINGAPORE
River reinvented
|
The Singapore river reflects the changes the city-State is going through.
|
PHOTO: MAYA JAYAPAL
CHANGING COURSE: Emblematic of the new aspirations.
ONCE it was a scene of bustling activity, with river craft of every description plying its waters, all making for a "veritable Charing Cross of shipping" as described by Charlotte Cameron in 1924. They carried commodities like gambier, pepper, rattans, tin, sago, tapioca — replacing the huge cases, casks and bales of British manufacture.
It was close to the mouth of this river that Sir Stamford Raffles anchored. And thus was founded modern Singapore which was a fishing settlement originally inhabited by sea gypsies who lived in boats eking out an existence by making palm frond mats and boat sails.
Raffles used the layout of the river for his plan of Singapore, designating specific areas for vocations and ethnic categories. And while the order remains, the topography has changed considerably and dramatically. One is forced to admire the founders of present-day Singapore, for, the river now is dramatically modern, with steel and glass towers, and while much remains, much is gone. Lee Kwan Yew had, while recognising the importance of the river, sworn to clean it up, and that he did. As I walked its length recently, after almost 13 years, I couldn't help but remember coolies loading and unloading bales, even as recently as 1970, when I first set foot there. I marvelled at its reinvention.
Still a hub
It is still the hub of commercialism. Raffles Square, with its statue of Raffles, looks down on mercantile banks, but the sweaty dockhands have been replaced by suave, suited bankers. It is also a hub of tourism and the good life now.
The old shop houses, once used for trading and storing goods, with their bustling five-foot paths in front forming an almost continuous corridor, have not been torn down — full marks for conservation there. They have been converted into upscale pubs and restaurants in front of which a few sampans ferry tourists for an "original experience down the river". Some shop houses are Victorian pubs, some sample Asian gourmet food and some advertise Bollywood dancers.
The dramatic sweep of Boat Quay has been preserved, presenting a soft front for the cosmopolitan banking and financials sectors. Clarke Quay, further down the river, is the present Happening Place, with five blocks of prettily coloured restored shop houses with antique shops, and Sunday flea markets. The G-Max Reverse bungy is here, Singapore's first extreme ride. The shop houses in both Boat and Clarke Quays display European and Chinese architectural styles.
Huge administrative buildings remain but they have been converted into museums in Singapore's relentless search for a soul and culture. The imposing colonial buildings have become too small and too restrictive for its burgeoning bureaucracy and so now there is a new Parliament building which is impressive but the new High Court is a travesty of what it should symbolise, its facade like that of a shopping mall. It has none of the gravitas that a building which dispenses justice should possess. The Fullerton Building, which was the General Post Office, is now a hotel with an imposing Palladian arcade.
The jewel of the Marina is the Esplanade theatre. Officially opened in October 2002, it comprises a 1,600-seat concert hall, a 200-seat theatre, outdoor performing spaces and a three-level Esplanade Mall. In keeping with the present trend, there has been a superficial relaxing of boundaries in free expression. What amuses one is the information that the twin, odd, shrouded looking domes have evoked much controversy, the domes being compared to "Chinese dumplings, copulating aardvarks and durians." Even at 7 a.m. there are men cleaning the sidewalks and the walkways with polishers and cleaning machines. Where else but in Singapore, I ask, can you see this commitment to efficiency, discipline and duty?
Symbol of Singapore
And in front of the Esplanade, a little distance away from the Fullerton, is the Merlion, half fish, half lion, symbol of Singapore.
And how do Singaporeans feel about these changes in their lifetime? Some admire it and feel elated at the "Best" tag for everything: the best airport, the best transportation, the cleanest city etc. But some are confused and feel rootless. The physical changes bring a mental rootlessness, an identity loss, a fear of the future. I watched the throngs at the Raffles city MRT station. Everyone walking with grim purpose etched on the faces. My companion, who is a loyal Singaporean said: "See how they do not even look at each other. Everyone is busy, getting to work, no joy, only a desire to get better and better and better. Where will it end? When will we have time to stand and smile?"
A difficult question and a troubling one. But for now, the river flows smoothly, its pristine waters and its banks representing the distance it has come from its original garb of a fishing settlement. A world class player with an enviable record, a city where the common man can go to work without fear of being mobbed, robbed or bombed, where everyone has a roof over his head and food in his belly, where every child has a right to education.
MAYA JAYAPAL
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Magazine
