Bukit Brown, Our Singapore Story

On 7 Dec 2013 at 9am, a group of 40 tour participants joined TEDX speakers Claire Leow and Ish Singh to listen to how Bukit Brown inspired their search into Singapore’s historical past and deepened their understanding of their own cultural identity. Ish shared his insights on the Sikh guards in Bukit Brown and the history of the Sikhs in Singapore, while Claire shared about Singapore’s WWII stories and connections to some of the pioneers who played a role in this. The next day would be the anniversary of the Dec 8, 1941  Japanese bombing campaign in Singapore, marking the day war arrived at our shores.

There was also a special poetry reading by Claire at the 1830s graves cluster – a remnant from the Qing dynasty, and therefore the earliest immigrants to Singapore when Sir Stamford Raffles settled here and developed the colony.

Descendants Kim Wee and Cecilia Chong shared the stories of their ancestors  buried at Bukit Brown as well. Below are a few photos of the event and useful information at the bottom of the page.

Ish Singh with one of Sikh guards [photo: Bianca Polak]

The 1830s graves cluster with a poetry reading by Claire Leow [photo: Bianca Polak]

 The poem is here.

Ish with Sikh guard and retired Indian army veteran at Ong Sam Leong’s grave [photo: Bianca Polak]

Claire sharing the story of the Tok family [photo: Bianca Polak]

group photo at Chew Geok Leong’s grave with the colourful Sikh guards [photo: Bianca Polak]

Related posts:

A primer on Sikh history: http://amardeepphotography.com/reputation_follows_to_grave/

Claire’s TEDx speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYRiHjq_2uA

Ish’s blog report: A Shared Heritage

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Join us for guided tours here. Our weekend public tours are FREE …
Optimally the group size is 30 participants (15 individuals/guide). We guide rain or shine.

Information on How to get there and handy tips

Bukit Brown is on the World Monuments Watch list 2014 .

Sikh guards (Photo: Ang Hock Chuan)