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Before there was Little India, It was just a road. A road that locals
knew to be Serangoon Road.
 The
early Indian migrants to Singapore in the 19th century settled along the
banks of the Rochore Canal. The area eventually became the center for
breeding and raising cattle and various facets of trading. This
background may in fact be seen reflected in the names of some of the
streets in the area like Buffalo Road, Kerbau (meaning “buffalo”) Road,
and Racecourse Road, where horse races were held in those times.
Over time, with more Indian arrivals in Singapore, Serangoon Road became
“Little India,” the religious, cultural and economic center for settlers
and the local Indian community.
Today foreign Indian workers add to the local population congregating
there, to the point of dominating the ethnic groups who also hang around
Serangoon.
 Serangoon
Road, the heart of Little India, is one of the oldest roads in
Singapore. At meal times, the cafes and restaurants in the area are
packed with mainly male Indians who normally use their fingers to eat
hot curries and chappatis from the banana leaves that are used as plates
in lieu of the more conventional ceramic plates.
The more famous of these restaurants are the Komala Villas Restaurant
which serve up mainly vegetarian fare, and Muthu’s Curry which features
the fish head curry as their specialty. Tourists who find themselves
around the vicinity of Serangoon are very much encouraged to try the
sumptuous and varied culinary offerings at Komala and Muthu’s.
Serangoon Road is also a favorite venue for walking tours and day trips
among tourists and locals for its Hindu temples, shops that sell exotic
Indian spices, and colorful, intricate jewelry. There are also plenty of
textile shops, restaurants, small hotels, fortune-tellers and swing-door
bars for those who are interested in them.
For a more quirky scene, you can have a parrots tell your fortune or buy
from and mingle among the street peddlers parked in front of the ornate
store fronts of shop houses, which retain and exhibit the traditional
plasterwork technique in design.
Visitors may be surprised to find many mirrors hung above the doors of
many shops on Serangoon Road and its side streets. These mirrors are
hung with the believed that they ward off evil spirits and influences.
Behind the ornate temple doors, age-old prayer rituals are being
practiced with strange yet moving chants accompanied by the lighting of
sultry incenses.
 One’s
senses also cannot help but be overwhelmed by the scent of heady spices,
which are very much an integral part of Indian cuisine. They may also be
amused by the predominant pink and green paint used at fresh flower
shops. It is believed that the color pink symbolizes and invites good
luck, while green is used to symbolize spring which brings with it life
and vitality. It will probably interest most tourists to know that
flowers play a very important role in the daily lives of Indian. Lovely
blooms are used as offerings to deities, as garlands worn on auspicious
occasions, and a adornments for hair and clothes.
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