Glam Kampong Glam

Colonial-period literature laments the enervating effects of the tropics on those who linger there. These authors then go on to disparage those born in these sweltering latitudes, judging these natives to be too languid to be of any use. Much ink has since been spilled to dispel the myth of the lazy native, but the undeniably stultifying spell cast by a cloudless tropical afternoon spent outdoors can hardly be wished away.

It is the sole reason why ideally we wish to start our day trips early. But ideals make you feel good, and are seldom if ever made good - the key reason being the travails of waking up at half past six on an off-day. Missing the morning alarms usually means having to postpone and rework any plans, and substituting city for nature since the former typically promised more comfort.

That was how we ended up exploring the Kampong Glam vicinity, a late afternoon visit which was ultimately curtailed by humidity and hunger, summed up by another one of Mary's many utterances of destiny - I'm famished and if we don't find food soon I'll vanish.

In the three short hours we had there, we found more than enough pursuits to occupy an entire day. We share five.

1. Chase golden glimpses of Masjid Sultan

The history books taught that the Raffles Town Plan of 1822 laid out in the fledgling settlement of Singapore different areas for different social groups to live in. Thus was our subsequent development determined, early on, by imperial diktat, and the Kampong Glam area was set aside for the Muslims.

Below: a view of Kampong Glam which Crawford Lane residents can enjoy from the comfort of their homes.

The unmissable golden domes of Masjid Sultan (Sultan Mosque), the area's iconic landmark, form the backdrop to many a Kampong Glam vista. But the fingerprints of colonialism sit heavily on its facades. The mosque's initial construction in 1828, on Sultan Hussein's request, was sponsored by the British East Indian Company, the quasi-statal concern with which the Sultan struck that historic agreement heralding the birth of colonial Singapore. Even its present Indo-Saracenic guise, which it owed to a subsequent reconstruction in 1932, represented a British attempt to combine Mughal and Neo-classical architectural styles.

But Kampong Glam is also a window to another, non-European, West, through which one glimpses the history of the region before the Union Jack was raised on these shores. Before the trope of development was foisted on the non-Western world, and its narrative hijacked by Western voices. This was the West of the greater Indian Ocean world, which brought hither Islam, the Haj, Sufism, dhows-loads of farangs (scholars, merchants, mercenaries) and even biryani. It was a world where Hadhramis, Gujaratis, Malabaris, Minangs, Javanese and Bugis mingled freely. A world whose diversity was elided by the label Muslim, a term born of administrative convenience during colonial days.

Below: A slice of India in the Kampong, the elegant Masjid Malabar, known popularly as the Blue Mosque. Compared to Masjid Sultan, this is a relatively younger establishment, completed in 1963. The blue tiles were only added in 1995.

2. Visit the Jalan Kubor Cemetery

We often wondered what stories the tombstone-studded patches along Victoria Street hid. It was only at a recent symposium that I learnt the name of the place. Evidently I had paid no attention to the road sign - Jalan Kubor translates into Cemetery Road. Officially opened in 1848, the cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent Muslims, including the descendants of the said Sultan Hussein. The moss-covered gravestones witnessed their last burial in 1963, despite its official closure in 1875.

Development hangs like Damocles' sword over the cemetery grounds, which later we learnt sit outside the Kampong Glam Conservation Area. The fate of the former Bidadari cemetery, which we passed earlier and saw was boarded up and ready to make way for Singapore's latest New Town, augured ill for the Jalan Kubor plots. On the bus, we also read a Straits Times article which announced the closure of Tampines Bike Park, to make way for another new housing estate.

We wondered which was indeed gathering pace - urban renewal or simply generational nostalgia. For is not change the only constant?

3. Wall and peace: mural-hunting

What does urban restoration and revitalization involve? A fresh coat of paint, or several?

These murals have attracted both curiosity and controversy. Back in 2012, the Urban Redevelopment Authority stated that a small number of these murals "flouted conservation guidelines" and obscured "key architectural features". While it has clarified that murals are not prohibited, it added that permission will be granted on a "case-by-case basis".

What conclusions can we draw? Well, few things occur in this country without criticism. And then there are also those who believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Above: one of several artworks by the Lithuanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic, better known in these parts for his Penang murals which did so much to spruce up the aging facades in Georgetown.

4. Buy local at Haji Lane

Singapore's narrowest street, as its name suggests, once housed poor Muslim pilgrims. Today it continues to meet the needs of pilgrims, albeit a very different sort. These needs range from the standard to the spiritual - a watering hole, raiment to look like Granny or Pocahontas, the marking of a seasoned Maori warrior or even New Age nirvana. Haji Lane also houses a number of independent local boutiques, little shrines to local creativity.

Below: funky shop fronts on a funky street.

5. Work your Fictive Fingers

This took place the day after our half-day outing, near where we began our walk. Fictive Fingers at Crawford Lane, started by sisters Hani and Aisah, serves both art and cakes. A couple of weeks previously, Mary had signed us up for an Indian block printing class there. The textiles on which the British East Indian Company built their fortunes in the eighteenth century was produced using the same technique.

We were at once initiated into a forgotten world, where art gives life, and not just for a fancy few. Where art is not just lofty imagination, but earthy concentration, discipline and grit. Where art liberates, not because you are in a gallery soaked in silence, or because you have just let go of wads of cash, but because it is what you can call your own. Where art is not perfection, because it is human.

Above (from top to bottom): tracing and customizing our designs; carving it from the eraser block, once we had transferred the designs on to them. These were a lot easier to work with then the wood blocks used by more accomplished artisans; inking our blocks and printing them on fabric, which is easier than it looks. My joy at ensuring my lammergeier (it's really just a bird, actually) look passably decent was ruined by my inexperienced, and inconsistent, inking; posing proudly with our finished products.