We ♥ Little India

Our Neighbourhoods

Urban Sketchers Singapore

ISBN: 978-981-077822-4
First Edition, October 2020
© 2020 Epigram Books

Cover design and map by Lydia Wong
Front cover illustration by Teoh Yi Chie
Back cover illustration by Favian Ee
Edited by Aditi Shivaramakrishnan
Sketchwalk organised by Urban Sketchers Singapore

Published in Singapore by Epigram
www.epigrambooks.sg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Table of Contents

Little Gem of an Enclave

Map

Credit : Sketch by LISA HUANG LI SHAN

Credit : Sketch by IGNATIUS YEO

Little Gem of an Enclave

Little India, as it is, is such an interesting and original area and has not garnered nearly the attention it deserves. There are hardly any nice hotels or restaurants in the area and it is mostly overlooked by visitors to Singapore. The many restaurants serving authentic Indian cuisine are a hit with our guests —Sri Komala Vilas in particular. The Ayurvedic massage salon just down the street from our hotel at Upper Dickson Road? Amazing. Naturally, Mustafa Centre is absolutely raved about. Tourists have never seen a place anywhere in the world that has everything to offer 24/7. Guests love that even for a short weekend stay, they have many options to explore just within the immediate area. The things to see, do and eat are endless!

Many of our Singaporean guests who are over for weekend staycations tell us that even they are made to feel like tourists all over again in Little India. It is with a great sense of pride that we have managed to evoke this at Wanderlust Hotel. We like to have conversations with our guests and invite them to explore the neighbourhood and see some local life. We’ve tried to capture the essence of Little India and, as much as possible, have incorporated it into the hotel space.

You can never quite recreate the sense of time and age built into these old buildings and neighbourhood. I always try to imagine the stories they have to tell and the lives they have seen and touched. The Urban Sketchers Singapore’s images and sketches in this book capture this essence of life in Little India beautifully.

Loh Lik Peng Founder, Wanderlust Hotel IGNATIUS

The nondescript Ellison Building, on the corner of Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road, was built in 1924 by Isaac and Flora Ellison for their children. A Star of David sign on the building’s central pediment reflects the couple’s Jewish background. In colonial times, the building’s roof afforded governors a good vantage point from which they could view Sunday races on Race Course Road. Credit : Sketch by TILEN TI

This 63-year-old Art Deco building along MacKenzie Road has previously housed a skating rink, church and nightclub. Currently, it houses Rex Cinemas, which screens Indian-language movies. In January 2014, the cinema made the news after a crowd of more than 100 patrons refused to vacate the premises after a cancelled movie premiere. Credit : Sketch by TAN HOCK CHOON

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