History
"Little India"
Himanshu Bhatt on a hive of
activity
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History
"Little India"
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A rare model OF THE MANY COMMUNAL ENCLAVES in modern cities and metropolitan areas across the world, few can today boast of having cultures that are historic yet living, sustaining lifestyles which are unchanged for generations. The "Little India" area of George Town on our famously charismatic island of Penang is a rare model of such a fascinating and exceptional locale. Bubbling in a hive of commercial activities and traditional habits inherited over generations of Indian settlements in the once bustling port city, the area teems with a living, breathing antiquity that - while seeming to have practically congealed in time - struggles to stay relevant in the culture and economy of the 21st century. Spice merchants, peddlers, astrologers, goldsmiths, millers, craftsmen, sweets sellers and traditional textile traders ply in the richly concentrated inner city area as their predecessors did more than a century ago, in rows of ageing terrace shophouses designed and built years before. The sheer colour, vestige and energy make the community stand in romantic defiance against the waves of industrialisation and development that have swept through most parts of Penang over the years. The area has now become a magnet for heritage enthusiasts, international conservationists and tourists. "Little India", with its remarkable inner city surroundings that comprise a copious collection of historic attractions of the colonial era such as a 19th century fort, courthouse, church, mosques, Hindu temples and Chinese clan enclaves, entices a great deal of fascination and interest. "Little India's" unique heritage dates back to the early 19th century when, spurred by British colonialists, traders and labourers from south India arrived in large numbers to work in Penang. Many settled near the island's port in an area built over the years into a network of streets that was to be the cradle of the inner city. This meticulously regimented network was among the earliest parts of George Town planned under the administration of Sir Francis Light, the English founder of Penang. The area is hence now referred to as the "Francis Light Grid", a rectangular network bordered by Leith Street, Beach Street, Chulia Street and Pitt Street (now Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling). Streets within the grid were pertinently named to reflect the period during which they were built. Names such as Market Street, King Street, Queen Street and Penang Street - all now form the heart of "Little India" - are still used today. |
| Sailors and
stevedores Heritage researcher and author Khoo Salma Nasution notes that Muslim sailors and stevedores from south India lived along parts of King Street which the Tamils call Padavukara Tharuva or "the Street of Boatmen". Many were workers from India who operated at the waterfront, carrying and transporting cargo from the boats and tongkangs to the pier. The workers, who had been brought as labourers by the British were needed to help haul loose cargo brought by sea vessels at the Penang Port. Most of these workers however lost their jobs when containers were introduced with modernisation of the ports, especially after the Japanese occupation. Market Street, which now forms the heart of the Indian enclave, was called Kadai Teru or "Street of Shops". The British called it "Chola Place" or "Little Madras". Several other Indian communities, mainly merchants and traders, also arrived in large numbers over the years. These included the Gujaratis, Punjabis, Malayalees and Telugus. Many of these were traders who set up their businesses within the grid, contributing to the area's throbbing cultural milieu. It was in fact very common until only a few years ago, for folks to live on the top floor of their shophouses while operating their businesses on the ground floor. According to Khoo, George Town was also a popular stop for Indians on their way to work in Kuala Lumpur and the rubber plantations in other parts of the peninsula. It is interesting to note that it was common for the Indians workers and businessmen who arrived here to have initially intended to stay for only a short period of time - a year of two - and to return home after accumulating some wealth. Many however lived on in Penang, contributing to the gradual establishment of a large Indian community here. The early part of this century saw two major Indian village settlements sprouting up at Chulia Street, across the King Street junction. Veteran Tamil writer Anthony Muthu, 70, remembers the childhood days he spent at the two neighbouring villages of Kampung Yelai or "Village of Leaves" and Kampung Poyelai or "Village of Tobacco". "During the 30s, Tamil stage dramas were regularly performed at an open area next to the villages, attracting large crowds," says Muthu, who also fondly remembers electric trams and passenger rickshaws, more popularly then known as the jin-rickshaw, towed by Chinese runners with towels on their shoulders. |
| A cultural
museum The largest influx of Indians and their myriad trades occurred during the early part of the twentieth century. The area then briefly underwent a slight change during the Japanese occupation of the Second World War, when economic activities lulled a bit. The Japanese presence was very much felt in "Little India". A few Japanese-owned shops were set up in China Street and King Street. The shops were novelties then. Elderly residents today still remember Japanese shopkeepers displaying dozens of small boxes filled with toys that were sold for between a quarter cent and one cent. A gradual incursion of modern trades, albeit run by Indians, slowly seeped into the area during the next few decades, but many of the traditional enterprises remained. Spice and onion traders also featured prominently during the 40s and 50s. The streets used to be lined with rows and rows of betelnuts and spices laid out to dry in the sun. As development set in on the island, many traders moved on to deal in other commodities while their offsprings turned to other professions. But perhaps the most pivotal sign - in true Penang style - that the area needed to reckon with the country's rapid development came sometime in the late 70s - the narrow streets of "Little India" were all turned one-way. "Little India" is today a living, pulsating cultural museum. Peddlers sell betel leaves traditionally enjoyed for leisurely chewing, next to fully lit music shops booming the latest Hindi and Tamil pop songs. Restaurants serve traditional cuisine - chutney, curry, pickles et al - on standard fresh green banana leaves, while hawkers offer sweets, coconuts, fruits, garlands and flowers amid robust scents of camphor and incense. One of the most imposing landmarks in the area is the 167-year old Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Queen Street, probably better known for the scores of fluttering pigeons that flock its entrance than for the fact that it is Penang island's first Hindu temple. Tucked away at a quiet corner of "Little India", the temple's ornate sculptures depicting Hindu gods and mythology, and its peculiar solitude lend it an instant, poignant air of solace. The magnificent temple is probably one of the more classic icons of "Little India", having stood its charm for generations, receiving a steady stream of devotees and visitors now just as it did in the past. In fact, a curious sense of belonging pervades the modest network of streets and the people who live and regularly ply the area. Sights of people gesturing to each other from across the streets with breezy, pleasant waves of the hand are common. The casual yet charming intimacy probably stems from the concentrated nature of the businesses and homes within the small area of inner George Town. |
| Innocent simplicity Not many visitors and tourists to George Town's famous "Little India" enclave know that the area's name was adopted by the local authorities only a decade ago. But whatever it is named, visitors hardly fail to sense the remarkable nostalgic charm and almost innocent simplicity, in spite of the blunt modern commercialism that is now increasingly influencing the area. Little India breathes a rich living history that spans over two centuries. In many corners, the culture here can throb with antiquity and tradition. To the hundreds of residents and workers who ply here, the area bears a simple unspoken homeliness. For the people of "Little India", the charming area has always been very much a part of their lives. The dynamism of the different trades renders a fascinating cornucopia of living activity depicting a rich, unique Malaysian culture. Seventy-year old Jaswantlal Chhotalal has lived in "Little India" ever since the early thirties when he was brought to Penang as a toddler by his father, from the city of Surat in Gujarat. Nothing much has changed about the place, he now vouches, except the traffic and the prices of things. "The buildings are still the same as they were when I was a child. The traffic has grown though.... Before, there were more bicycles and jin-rickshaws, like the ones you see in Anna and the King." The jinrickshaw was a spectacular human-towed carriage taxi introduced by the Chinese and was widely used until the Second World War. The rickshaw pullers were mostly Chinese, many of whom wore improvised footwear made of rubber tyres. Unlike the jinrickshaw which sprinted itself to extinction in Penang, many local features have remained and become integral elements of "Little India". One intriguing item in the area is the roadside otthu kadai , which literally translated from Tamil means "small shop". There are several of these roadside convenience stalls, each of which is a veritable miniature open-air supermarket selling an exhaustive range of items in an incredibly confined space. Bananas, baby nipples, international journals, transistor radios, hair shampoo, coconut oil, chewing gum and betel leaves are just a few of the items in the amazing inventory crammed into each stall. Syed Mohammad Bohari, a veteran otthu kadai operator for more than 40 years, explains that the stall concept was derived from the petti kadai (literally, "box shop") trade in Tamil Nadu, India. The petti kadai was so called because the small portable wooden stall, which was principally meant to sell betel leaves on the roadside, looked exactly like a box and could be folded up and removed at the end of the day's trade. Decades after the Indians first brought the petti kadai to Penang in the nineteenth century, the stall gradually evolved. Aspirins and water pistols were added to a bizarre, growing list of items that were sold along with betel leaves. Syed Mohammad learned and inherited the trade from his father. His own son, however, educated in a modern school and exposed to the technological world, can hardly be expected to take serious interest in such an occupation. "My son is not interested in this trade," Syed Mohamad says as he draws down a light wooden screen over his stall, echoing the sentiments of many other veteran traders in the area. |
| Pressures As the new millennium settles over George Town in the wake of the breakneck nineties, the pressures of the modern world have become increasingly visible to local communities such as that of "Little India". In the heart of Market Street, for instance, the area's oldest flour mill continues to operate its heavy and ageing iron grinders amid giant puffs of flour in an impressive 19th century shophouse. The mill displays above its doorway a huge old rusty signboard that reads "V. Kalee Spari Grinding Mills - The Pioneer Grinders and Suppliers". The mill still uses the very same equipment it ordered from China and Europe way back in the thirties, and still grinds the very same items - wheat, chilli, coconut, rice, lentils and spices - it did those same years. In startling contrast, a modern signboard-advertising agency recently moved in right next door into a newly refurbished and gaudy shophouse unit - complete with air-conditioning - in the same ageing building. With its nostalgic charm and almost innocent simplicity, Penang's "Little India" will continue to be very special in the hearts of many - locals and visitors alike. Interest in preservation has in particular become urgent now following the recent highly publicised repeal of the Rent Control Act throughout Malaysia. In fact, the UNESCO is currently actively assessing the option of designating George Town's entire inner city area, including "Little India", as a World Heritage Site. The area is not just important for heritage. It contains a special living community that should not be displaced. What we have here is an existing historic community. The authorities need to adopt special incentives to encourage the traditional trades to stay on, or Penang risks having a special part of its culture and history disappearing. Prior to the repeal of the Rent Control Act on New Year's day of 2000, many felt that "Little India" would experience a critical turning point. Many worried that the rentals in the shophouses would skyrocket, leading to an exodus of tenants from the area. Both local traders and heritage conservationists were urgently addressing the issue. The repeal seemed to threaten to disperse more than just the local economy - fears were raised that it may escalate the weakening of an entire tradition. However, more than two years after the repeal, "Little India" appears to show signs of increasing business activity. The cultural and commercial draw of the area has proven too robust for many locals to risk moving away elsewhere. "Little India" remains an attractive place to invest in. There is almost always a ready and lucrative market here. |
| New challenges But the business activities that appear to be booming are more community-based ones that cater for the modern Indian market, rather than of the strictly traditional kinds. "Little India" has over the past two years seen a plethora of new shops whose activities would have been alien to the area fifty years ago. Emporiums, restaurants, fashion stores and entertainment outlets stacked with movie videos and compact discs are swelling in Little India, overshadowing the old occupations and activities that accentuate the area's historical significance. Certain traditional trades have shown signs of being affected. The grocery and sundry shop business, an age-old pioneer occupation in the historic precinct, is facing nervous new challenges; many traditional customers who had previously lived in the inner city have now moved to suburban areas in Penang. There are other similar traditional businesses that need to be closely watched over the next few years. The barbers, tailors and goldsmiths are some examples of old professions being overshadowed by giant modern businesses cropping up in the area. In effect, the evolution of "Little India" may well be moving in the direction of being a more ethnic-based enclave, engulfing an abundance of modern-day Indian market demands, from that of a traditional and historical quarter of Penang. In fact, some senior citizens, such as 75-year old Harbans Singh Kalra, are apprehensive about the ability of" Little India's" current crop of young traders to maintain the rigorous business standards set by earlier generations. Kalra migrated here with his father in the 40s as a spirited 25-year old from Bangkok. They operated a business, importing and exporting betelnuts, at an office in Beach Street for many years. "In those days, people were willing to work hard and long for good business. But times have changed. Youngsters today are different. They want instant rewards and are less willing to work hard." Traditional herbal medicine dealer P.P. Govindan, who has operated in the area since 1962, also has a word of caution for "Little India's" new generation. "Youngsters today indulge in excessive drinking and smoking. Such activities are harmful not only to the body, but also to mind and spirit," he says. Govindan offers "Ayurvedic" medicine for various ailments from his small ground-floor shophouse premise in China Street. Many people come to him, he says, because they find modern western medicinal treatment ineffective. "Foreign tourists and locals, including the Chinese, come for cures on ailments such as asthma, cough, hear failure, sinus, migraine and eye problems." Govindan is proud to make available an ancient science of healing to modern islanders from his old shop crammed with shelves of bottled medicines. "Ayurvedic medicines have been used by our people for thousands of years. They contain no chemicals and do not cause side-effects," he stresses, forefinger lifted in an arresting pose of elderly wisdom. Few of Little India's myriad personalities over the ages can match the striking character of the late Jivatram Binwani, a traditional palmist more affectionately known in the locality as "Kakaji" till his passing away last year. Enchantingly eccentric, Kakaji used to sit in an office stacked with scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, old magazines and astrology books, on the first floor of a creaky wooden shophouse in Penang Street. His clients, who included businessmen, housewives, lawyers and lottery seekers, were usually caught rooted to their chairs as he delivered advice in forceful, robust spurts. "If the government is serious about preserving "Little India"," he once said. "It should allow more Indian stalls and hawkers along the streets. The area must have a carnival mood at all times." "We should have more dance and music schools, fortune tellers and Ayurvedic centres. These are riches we have inherited from our forefathers. "So long as we do not forget our culture, our roots, Little India will always be very, very special in our hearts." But the key to the area's continued legacy may well lie with its strongest and most cardinal substance - its people. So long as its people do not forget their culture and roots, "Little India" will always continue to be a thriving community that is a unique piece of the Malaysian mosaic. # from "The Little India of George Town" the paper read by Himanshu Bhatt at The Penang Story conference Email himanshubhatt@yahoo.com |
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