27 March 2008, Singapore

The first thing one notices upon landing in Singapore is how clean it is –the shining clean window fronts, the neatly manicured lawns and the evenly paved. For those just coming from Calcutta, the differences are that much more startling.

Even more so, however, is how green Singapore is. For a small island city-state country, with a burgeoning population, it is surprising how many trees and open spaces are there. As in India, the roads in Singapore are lined with huge trees. In Singapore, the roads have curbs and sidewalks and are wide enough for two or three lanes of traffic to flow smoothly along in both directions. The trees are a beautiful sight: their large branches reach upwards in a tangled chaos ending in a canopy of green leaves. It’s as if they are making an offering to the heavens above.

Then there are the people. Asian, Indian, European, Americans. Indeed, there are four national languages: Chinese, Malay, English, and Tamil. Most signs, especially in public places such as train stations or the airport, are written in all four. Malay uses the Roman Alphabet. Interestingly, the Malay messages are written only in capital letters. To this American, the words seem like a jumble of letters just thrown together – for example: TOLANG JANGAN DEKAT TUTUP PINTU means “Please stay away from the closing doors.”

Most people live in townships with names like Hougang or Yishun. Each is a community unto itself with dozens of (if not at least a hundred) apartment building with shopping complexes and schools within easy walking distance. Huge numbers identify the apartment buildings – the numbers are written on one of the top corners: Walk down the street and you can pass 524, 525, 526. Cross the street and you have 439, 440, 441…..
Looking upwards at the 10-15 storey buildings, one can often see poles of bamboo sticking outwards like flagpoles with clothes hanging downwards. One wonders what happens during a windstorm…..

And the food. There are open air restaurants and cafes everywhere – many open 24 hours. All serving some form of what seems like mostly Chinese influenced cuisine. The smell of food is almost everywhere – like one big open wok. And this writer was delighted to find that there was one Vegetarian Chinese restaurant serving all types of TVP fake beef, chicken, etc….without MSG, in the same complex where we are staying. Needless to say, we have visited it more than a few times….

There is so much more to see in Singapore. However, now that Amma is here and the programs have begun, the exploration changes from without to within – where indeed, Amma says we will find what we have always been seeking for…..

– Sri Pati