Creatives
The first time the word ‘vayanasala’ rolled over my tongue, I was seated at the Malabar Muslim Mosque and someone was telling me about the community library in his village in Singapore. It was fitting that I would encounter the word at the oldest reference point for Malayalee migration in
Books
Growing up in the 80s meant endless get-togethers, sports events, variety shows such as Onam Night and watching Malayalam plays staged by local artists. In an era where the number of Malayalees fluctuated between 12,451 in 1980 to 16, 329 in 1990, one hardly met a fellow Malayalee
Arts & Culture
I met Sheela Westre soon after the book, From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community, was released on Amazon in June. She must have been one of our earliest readers from the USA to write to me about the book. “I loved the book. I read every
Books
‘Veettu perru entha?’ asked a lady whom I had met at an Onam gathering. I was a teenager then, and, although I knew enough Malayalam to understand that she was asking me for the name of my home, I was totally clueless about the cultural connotations in her question. She
Books
With the recent influx of Malayalee migrants, there are now more Malayalee organizations across Singapore and they collectively organize several events every year. These Malayalees come together because of their desire to hear Malayalam spoken and used in as many platforms as possible. The love for the language is something