In August 2019, I went to a workshop on Placing Islands in Sustainable Urban Development: Heritage, Histories, Tourism, and Identity hosted by the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I was excited about the workshop for two reasons: first, it was an interdisciplinary workshop, which meant it brought together an eclectic mix of researchers who might otherwise not cross paths; and secondly, the workshop discussed offshore islands across Southeast Asia, an exciting prospect for a student such as myself who is based out of a landlocked city.
The workshop was part of a larger project (run by ARI’s Asian Urbanisms Research Cluster) called Mapping the Southern Islands’ Heritage Landscapes: Integrating Culture and Nature in Heritage Conservation. This project documented the history of three of Singapore’s southern islands: St John’s Island (Pulau Sekijang Bendera/Besar), Lazarus Island (Pulau Sekijang Pelepah/Kechil) and Seringat (or Rengit) Island. Until this trip, I didn’t know Singapore is comprised of 63 islands!1
On day one, the ten selected participants gave 20-minute presentations based on the 8,000-word papers we had shared earlier. On day two we learned more about the project, visited its museum exhibit, and toured the three islands (which have been connected by a causeway to become one “island”).
Photo by Henry Kwan.
The first day of the workshop took place at a Seminar Room on the fourth floor of AS 8 building on Kent Ridge Crescent in Singapore. As you can see in the program, we had nine presentations in three panels during the first day, which resonated with the project’s three themes — stories, sites, and subsequence.
Photo by Henry Kwan.
In the first panel, we learned a great deal about St. John’s Island (which we were visiting the next day), Pulau Jerejak, and Singapore’s Pulau Ubin. It was thrilling for me to find connections with my own research on the the history and present-day issues of heritage conservation facing the Nicobar Islands.
We broke for a delicious lunch down the hall, with a view of the Pasir Panjang Terminal beyond the West Coast Park. It was a reminder of Singapore’s status as the world’s top transshipment port and second busiest port.
View from the workshop venue (photo by the author).
The second panel situated islands in the context of urban development. Through the presentations, we traveled through the complications brought about by urbanization in Malaysia’s Pulau Carey, Indonesia’s Madura Islands, Vietnam’s Lý Sơn.
The lunch and afternoon tea break were as much for conversation as they were for fuel! The Nicobar Islands that I study have a long history of trade and cultural exchange with Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from Indonesian and Malaysian scholars about regional similarities in language, foodways, customs, and architecture; and swap tales from the field.
In the last panel of the day, we learned about Mindoro Island — and here again I felt a sense of déjà vu. (I spoke to the presenter afterwards to share an example from tribes in India that she might find interesting; this is a big upside to smaller academic conferences and workshops, in that there is a congenial space which is conducive to such informal interactions.) The next two speakers relayed an interesting female fisherfolk tradition where wives accompany their husbands to fish in boats at night.
Then I shakily took the stage. I discussed the Nicobar Islands through the history of the coconut, which has facilitated contact and trade in the archipelago since the 7th century C.E., as it was bartered with visiting ships. The coconut was also a key item in Nicobarese culture, figuring in food, rituals during festive times and times of mourning, livestock feed for pigs and poultry, and the alcoholic beverage known as the toddy. Coconuts came to be a unit of currency by the early 19th century and were an important economic commodity by the end of that century.
We ended the day with a conference dinner for the presenters at an Indonesian restaurant called Rumah Makan Minang, near Masjid Sultan.
Photo by Aluisius Hery Pratono.
We were fortunate to have an expert on Singapore’s urban heritage, who was cajoled into giving us an impromptu history of the Sultan’s mosque and the Kampong Glam neighbourhood around us. He brought the streets and buildings to life, and I could visualize what might have happened in the very places we were standing. That’s a pro tip: always try to coax stories from a historian or subject expert in your group!
Masjid Sultan (photo by the author).
On day two, our excitement was palpable! Everyone was visibly relaxed after their presentations, and dressed for a day to be spent outdoors. We had some inkling about the research project from the previous day, and the roundtable from members of the research team primed us for the afternoon trip to the islands.
Photo by Henry Kwan.
After the roundtable discussion, we saw the project’s exhibit at the NUS Museum and had lunch. A few of us quickly looked about the NUS Museum before rushing to the bus to the pier for the ferry to the Southern Islands.
Photo by Henry Kwan.
The NUS Museum itself was a place you could spend a long day in, with very friendly staff who were happy to share the stories behind the exhibits.
Photo by the author.
We boarded a chartered ferry from the Marina South Pier, with our hosts from NUS pointing out landmarks and islands we’d been hearing about over the past day and a half.
Photo by Aluisius Hery Pratono.
While I had joked that I was innately prepared for the weather having traveled from Delhi’s heatwave, it slipped my mind how much closer to the equator we were in Singapore!
Walking across to Lazarus Island (photo by the author).
St. John’s Island was at one point the largest quarantine station in the British empire. Presently, there are a few buildings and offices on the island, including the St. John’s Island National Marine Laboratory managed by NUS.
Most of the residents were relocated to the mainland about 40 years ago, and based on interviews with ex-residents and a lot of time spent in archives, our hosts were able to share the history of the islands since their time as a quarantine station, and especially the stories behind the physical structures that remain today.
Some places were off-limits! (Photo by the author.)
Our return to the main island was much quieter, with everyone processing the afternoon’s trip and soaking in what we learned.
Singapore skyline from the southern sea (photo by the author).
As a PhD student, cost of international travel and accommodation can be a big consideration before attending a conference. I was fortunate that the workshop organizers reimbursed my airfare and provided hotel accommodation for attending the workshop, and there was no registration fee!2
I stayed in Singapore for the weekend after the workshop. As a researcher, I’m particularly adept at sightseeing on a budget! I even prepared a list of the gardens within Singapore’s Changi airport (by terminal and level):
T1: Arrival L1, Discovery L2, Piazza L2, Waterlily L2 & Cacti L3
T2: Enchanted L2, Orchid L2 & Sunflower L3
T3: Crystal L2 & Butterfly L2&3
Sunflower garden, Changi Airport (photo by the author).
While my first day in Singapore was obviously spent in my room rehearsing my presentation, I did head out for dinner to the Newton Food Square (which was featured in the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians). It was an interesting walk back to the hotel, passing by buildings that were very orderly decorated with the Singapore flag, in honor of Singapore’s National Day the previous weekend.
Singaporeans neatly celebrating National Day (photo by the author).
Serendipitously, my co-passenger on the flight from New Delhi to Singapore studied at NUS! She had recommended a visit to Clarke Quay, which was abuzz with throngs of revelers enjoying live music on Saturday night.
Clarke Quay (photos by the author).
I enjoyed the culinary range between Singapore’s “hawker centers” or food courts, and restaurants at Clarke Quay. The hotel’s buffet breakfast had me covered till midday, after which I could get by between INR 1,000 to 3,000 for a filling seafood lunch or dinner.
My last evening was spent ambling in the expansive Gardens by the Bay, which feature a mesmerizing (and free!) sound and light show. The Supertrees are simply stunning at night, and the entire garden is a horticultural marvel.3
Gardens by the Bay (photo by the author).
The illuminated Supertrees (photos by the author).
- This number can vary thanks to land reclamation efforts that have merged multiple islands. If you’re curious about the many names for these southern islands, check out this post on their toponyms.
- The round-trip flight from New Delhi cost me a little under 24,000 INR, and my hotel cost 165 SGD per night.
- Free gardens include Supertree Grove, Serene Garden, Sun Pavillion, Heritage Gardens, World of Plants, Dragonfly & Kingfisher Lakes, Canyon, and Bay East Garden. Ticketed gardens include the Cloud Forest Conservatory, Flower Dome Conservatory, Floral Fantasy, and OCBC Skywalk.