Go Singapore

East is East and West is West and the twain shall never meet — was an adage that echoed in my post colonial upbringing. It was affirmed...

East is East and West is West and the twain shall never meet — was an adage that echoed in my post colonial upbringing. It was affirmed in themes of colonial literature. But today, as one moves eastwards from India, the scenario showcases an antithesis of this common wisdom. The East has outscored the West in many respects.

Singapore, in particular, is utopian in its infrastructure, amenities, cultural coexistence and disciplined citizens. They have imbibed the best of the western systems, and amalgamated it into their lives without abandoning their cultural mores. The manner in which the three major communities live harmoniously goes to their credit as well as of their leaders.

On the one hand, each community, be it the Tamils, the Chinese or the Malays, has kept its languages alive. However, they also acknowledge the role of English as an indelible global link. Similarly, each community has retained its cultural continuum in a microcosm while being part of the westernised whole. India contributes large numbers of Indian immigrants, expatriates and perennial tourists to Singapore. In fact, Singapore owes its name to an Indian king of the Vijaynagar empire. He saw a lion so he named it ‘Singa Pura’ or Lion City. This dates back to the 14th century, when Indian civilisation disseminated to the Far East.

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Vestiges of Indian culture are evident everywhere — in the language, temples, the diaspora. For instance, the world ‘budi’ in the Malay language is a derivative of the Sanskrit ‘buddhi’; it means wisdom. However, once this word was accepted as part of the Malay vocabulary, it was extended to cover ethics as well as intellect and reason in order to assimilate the culture and thinking of the Malays.

While the cultural ethos is primarily eastern, Singapore has imported its systems from the west, be it the underground trains or shopping malls. The western technology has been honed to perfection. The London underground pales in comparison to the Mass Rapid Transport System of Singapore.

Recently Singaporeans have engendered a Kindness Movement to inculcate a sense of politeness and grace. No one throws litter or cigarette butts, or spits in public. Indians in Singapore or people of Indian origin subscribe to the stipulated rules and regulations. I wonder what makes this lot so different on Indian soil.

Indian tourists come back from Singapore with bag loads of consumer goods but I wonder if they care to absorb the spectacular values and discipline on display. As India wrestles with the dilemma of whether or not to go completely westwards, it might be wise if we emulated the Far East.