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Journalism of Courage
Deepavali has become brighter this year for ethnic Indians Malaysia,as ‘Little India’,a main shopping street which sells Indian goods,has received an expensive makeover to greet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Colourful arches spaced by ornamental lampposts with bright bulbs have been erected along the road in the Brickfields area,inhabited by ethnic Indians for years now.
The enclave will be designated as ‘Little India’ on Wednesday when it is jointly launched by Singh and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.
A fountain has been constructed at the junction of the shopping street which is reportedly the tallest in the country. The fountain was a copy of a similar water body in Chennai,media reports said on Tuesday.
The government has spent thousands of dollars to revamp the area in its first phase of development. A huge mall,reported to be the largest in Asia,is under construction in the area.
Brickfields was the hub of brick kilns during the British rule of the then Malaya. Scores of ethnic Indians worked at the kiln and later settled in the area.
The street resembles any road in Chennai,selling Indian sweetmeats,groceries,music especially Tamil film songs and Indian clothes.
Huge film posters of the latest Tamil films usually dot the hoardings while a small shirdi sai baba temple is tucked away in one of the shop alleys.
Singh will visit the area tomorrow.
He will begin his day with meetings with his counterpart and other officials and later inaugurate the Malaysia-India CEO Forum, a proposal mooted by Najib in New Delhi. Both Prime Ministers are scheduled to speak at the event.
