Bukit Brown: World Monuments Watch 2014

The Hindu Day of Remembrance

by Sugen Ramiah

 1 November 2013

Like the Chinese who observe the annual “qing ming” or tomb sweeping festival in April, the Indians also honour their ancestors with a visit to their ancestors tombs on the Hindu day of remembrance. It takes place the Sunday before Deepavali, the festival of lights which falls on  2^nd of November, Saturday.

On Sunday 27^th November, I visited the Hindu cemetery located in Lim Chu Kang to pay respects and place offerings on my ancestors’ tombs.

My grandparents to date have a total of 125 descendants but sadly only 4 turned up, two cousins, my brother and myself.

The trip usually lasts for about two hours, as we’ll clean up five tombs, four in the Hindu Cluster and one in the Catholic cluster. Simple offerings including fruits and sweetmeats were placed on a banana leaf. With the lighting of an oil lamp and incense, the Indians remember their dearly departed.

In the evening at home, the entire family would gather. A feast that consists of eight dishes – chicken, mutton, eggs, fish, prawns, squid, crabs and vegetable, together with fruits, sweetmeats and Indian Peranakan delicacies such as the “kueh wajek”, will be laid before portraits of the ancestors. New cloths would be placed beneath the portrait, incense lit and finally the family members would eat the food that were offered.

Traditionally our forefathers from India were cremated , so there was never a need for tomb stones  like the Chinese, Muslims and the Christians. The deceased were usually cremated within the day of death.  But if they were wealthy, they would be given a burial. In the Hindu custom, the dead is also remembered on their death anniversary, known as a “theethi’”where a “mocham”  lamp (light of liberation) is lit as a sign of remembrance.

Hindus have more than one festival to remember and honour their ancestors. On the full moon of the sixth lunar month of ‘Puratasi’ which falls in September/October, there is the ‘Mahalaya Amavasay’ also known as the fortnight of the ancestors. Hindus pay homage to their ancestors and offer prayers for the repose of their dearly departed at temples.

Some Hindus commemorate the dead during the Matu Pongal, on the second day of the “Pongol” Harvest Festival. The Indian Peranakans, known as the Chitty, celebrate the eve of Pongal with Bhogi Parachu – the ancestral worship festival. Since there were a few festivals to remember the dead, the local community here and in Malaysia decided that the Sunday before Deepavali will be the  day of remembrance.

My grandfather, a wealthy merchant born in 1884, came to Singapore and contributed greatly to the Indian community of Singapore in the 1900s. He started the first dairy business here and contributed to the  Sri Mariaman Temple in South Bridge Road He married my grandmother who was a Chitty-  Indian Peranakan – from Melaka(Malacca) and she was the matriarch of the family. The honorary title is currently held by my aunt who is 85 this year.

As a Brownie, I have been moved by the descendants who return every year to Bukit Brown during “qing ming” to clean the tombs and pay their respects. I am also sadden by the tombs that lay neglected, which have been forgotten, and I hope more descendants will come forward and reconnect with their ancestors.

I am blessed and grateful to the friends/volunteers of Bukit Brown, who have kindly showed me how to appreciate and understand my own heritage and to be proud of who I am. This was the first time, my brother marked the remembrance day for our grandparents and it was for him an eye opening and  moving experience.

Dawn at the Lim Chu Kang Hindu Cemetery (photo Sugen Ramiah)

A view of the Hindu tomb stones against the morning sky (photo Sugen Ramiah)

A Shrine dedicated to the Guardian of the Cemetery – Goddess Kali (photo Sugen Ramiah)

A Shrine dedicated to the Guardian of the Cemetery – Muneeswarar (photo Sugen Ramiah)

A pathway leading to the graves (photo Sugen Ramiah)

Grandfather’s tombstone at the Hindu Cemetery, simple offerings of fruits, sweetmeats and roti prata were offered on top of a banana leaf (photo Sugen Ramiah)

Grandmother’s tombstone at the Hindu Cemetery (photo Sugen Ramiah)

The uniform design of Hindu tombstones (photo Sugen Ramiah)

The uniform design of Hindu tombstones (photo Sugen Ramiah)

Sugen Ramiah is a teacher by training and his interest includes   observing and documenting Chinese festivals and rituals conducted by temples.

Read his blog posts on Salvation for Lost Souls here and  here

31 October 2013

Bukit Brown is home to some 90 species of resident and migrant birds. These photos by Goh Yew Lin, capture  some of the birds feeding in the early morning. The “wild fruits” are the ripe figs of Ficus benjamina (Waringin, Weeping Fig). This strangling Ficus species is one of keystone tree species in Bukit Brown. Whenever these trees are figging, the birds go gaga over the fruit feast.

The Pigeons

Green pigeon feeding (photot Goh Yew Lin)

Green pigeon amidst a feast of wild fruit (photo Goh Yew Lin)

Pigeon in flight (photo Goh Yew Lin)

Pigeon hiding amidst the fruits (photo Goh Yew Lin)

Pink-necked green pigeon (female) (photo Goh Yew Lin)

Pink-necked green pigeon (male) (photo Goh Yew Lin)

Pink-necked green pigeon feeding (photo Goh Yew Lin)

The Kingfisher

“This kingfisher was not perturbed by my presence, striking poses for a good five minutes” Goh Yew Lin

White-throated kingfisher, partly camouflaged (photo Goh Yew Lin)

The Oriole

Golden Oriole (photo Goh Yew Lin)

The Starling

Morning Vistas

31  October 2013

At Bukit Brown, it is not uncommon to find ceramic photos of the deceased on their tombstones.  They have withstood the test of time and weathered the elements of sun and rain. This one was spotted in pristine condition during the guided walk on tiles and tomb carvings on Sunday 27 October.

Ceramic photo of Tay Koh Bok who died in 1927 (photo by Peter Pak)’

Mrs Tay Koh Bok (Madam Wee Geok Kiew )

The technology for ceramic photos date back to 1854, originating from France. How are they made?

“A porcelain (or ceramic) portrait is produced by firing an image onto a porcelain plaque at very high temperatures in a kiln for several hours, creating a permanent bond. The result is a vivid portrait that resists fading and the elements for 100 years or more.” source

“….transferring photo images to ceramic was a multi-step, laborious, time-consuming & potentially hazardous process, involving photographic glass plates & several types of light-sensitive emulsion salts (some of which are highly toxic). The emulsified ceramic piece (ie. now affixed with the photo) was then repeatedly fired at high temperature for many hours to obtain an impervious vitrified surface, which was then coated with a protective sealant.” source

Another view of Mrs Tay Koh Bok  (photo Joyce Le Musurier)

From the mid 1930s onwards, the technology for ceramic photos became  available in Singapore   Before that, ceramic photos were mostly made in China, Holland, Germany & America. So the photo of Tay (1929) could  conceivably have been ordered from China.

Nah Guan Seng of Scientific Photo Studio appeared to be the 1st person to offer photo ceramic services here. His photo studio was located at Bras Brasah Road, while the photo lab was at Paya Lebar.

New Singapore Industry: Ceramic Portraits (ST – 15 Sep 1935):
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx…

EXCERPT: “The advantages of ceramic portraiture over ordinary photography are many. It never fades, whether exposed to sun or rain, and for use [on] a grave, it has no rival.Kiangsi porcelain is said to be the best in the world for this purpose and is largely used. The work of burning, the most difficult part of the job, is done at the Studio’s laboratory at Paya Lebar. Expert knowledge of the art and great care are necessary in regulating the heat. ”

More on ceramic photos here

Ceramic photos (photo Joyce Le Mesurier)

The most spectacular portraits of the deceased are the A4 size photos on the Tok tombs, although it is unclear whether the ceramic photo technology was used. The photo of Onn Cheng Tuan shows her in traditional nonya wear and accompanying  jewelry which also speaks to the material culture of those times.

The Tok tombs (photo Joyce Le Mesurier)

Editors note: Research by Pat Sg of Heritage Singapore Bukit Brown Cemetery

Just how large is the area of the  Greater Bukit Brown complex consisting of Bukit Brown Cemetery, Seh Ong, Lao Sua and Kopi Sua? Mapping expert Mok Ly Yng has done the number crunching in this map

The Geography of Greater Bukit Brown (source Mok Ly Yng)

At nearly 400 acres, the Bukit Brown complex  has over 200,000 tombs, which makes it the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China.

Bi-lingual map of Greater Bukit Brown (source Mok Ly Yng)

Nov 2nd, Saturday.  Time: 8.30am – 11.30am Meeting place: Under the ‘ole, beautiful and endangered rain tree, on your left just as you enter the gates

Sunday 3rd November 2013 :  9 am to 12 pm.  Meeting Point: Bukit Brown Under the Rain tree at the roundabout.

Bukit Brown is now a threatened heritage site under the Worlds Monuments Watch  2014

Take a walk  with Raymond Goh, aka “tomb whisperer” who has been exploring Bukit Brown since 2006 and has helped more than 100 families find their ancestors.

Discover for yourself a hidden heritage jewel nestled in a tranquil oasis that you never knew existed in urban Singapore. Walk back into time as we uncover the pioneers who helped shaped Singapore, from the coolies to the names that landmark our streets.

Registration: Our weekend public tours are FREE …
Optimally the group size is 30 participants (15 individuals/guide).Please click ‘Join’ on the FB event page to let us know you are coming, how many pax are turning up. Or just meet us at the starting point at 9am.

Bukit Brown. More than a cemetery. More than a Chinese cemetery.
Come discover our heritage, history and habitat.

LTA has released news on exhumation and tender for road building. Take this opportunity to experience Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery as it is now.

How to get there and handy tips here: http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=1347

By agreeing to take this walking tour of Bukit brown cemetery I understand and accept that I must be physically fit and able to do so. To the extent permissible by law, I agree to assume any and all risk of injury or bodily harm to myself and persons in my care (including child or ward)

Registration: Our weekend public tours are FREE …
Optimally the group size is 30 participants (15 individuals/guide).

Brownie Code: We guide rain or shine.

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The tour:

Bukit Brown Heritage Park is about 173 acres in extent, bordered by Lornie Road, Thomson Road and the Pan-Island Expressway. It lies just to the south of the Central Catchment Forest, being separated from it by Lornie Road and includes Singapore’s only Chinese Municipal Cemetery. With more than 100,000 graves, Bukit Brown is also one of the largest Chinese cemeteries outside of China.

Don’t forget to bask in the peaceful surrounds, and also chat with your guides and make friends with other participants. We are amateurs and volunteers, but we are passionate and serious about what we do at Bukit Brown, and we encourage sharing of knowledge.

Here is a map of the grounds:
http://bukitbrown.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/API.BBC_.Map_.ver3_4.jpg
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Please take note:
1. We will be walking through the undergrowth so dress appropriately, especially your footwear.
2. Wear light breathable clothing. Long pants and long sleeves if you are prone to insect bites or sunburn. Bring sunblock and natural insect repellent.
3. Wear comfortable non-slip shoes as safety is important. Walking sticks are recommended.
4. Do read up on Bukit Brown before going so you have a better understanding of the place (e.g. BukitBrown.com)
5. Do bring water, light snacks, poncho/umbrella, sunhat and waterproof your electronics.
6. Please go to the toilet before coming. There are NO facilities anywhere there or nearby.
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How to get there by MRT / Bus:

Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.

From North: Go to Marymount MRT and walk to bus-stop #53019 along Upper Thomson Road. Take Buses 52, 74, 165, 852, 855
Alight 6 stops later at bus-stop, #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Walk towards Sime Road in the direction of Kheam Hock Road until you see Lorong Halwa.

From South: Go to Farrer Road MRT and walk to bus-stop #11111 at Farrer Road, in front of Blocks 2 & 3. Take Buses 93, 165, 852, 855. Alight 5 stops later at bus-stop, #41141, just before Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Cross the bridge, walk towards Sime Road, follow the road until you see Lorong Halwa.

By car:
Turn in from Lornie Road, to Sime Road. Then, turn left into Lorong Halwa.
Parking space available at the largish paved area near the cemetery gates.

All Things Bukit Brown organised a media session to meet the volunteers aka Brownies to share their hopes and aspirations for Bukit Brown, following  the World Monuments Watch listing. We are grateful to  Jasmine Ng for videographing the session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j-BTwQlWos&feature=youtu.be

Part II of the recording with interviews to the media  by Claire Leow and Fabian Tee (in Mandarin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVjFZ4UuIeY&feature=youtu.be

The summary of media coverage here

Dateline 22 October 2013

Spotted at Bukit Brown by Raymond Goh while bush bashing, a grave with 4 statues, each carrying a child.

(photo Raymond Goh)

The tomb with the 4 statues belong to a Mdm Fong (photo Raymond Goh)

(photo Raymond Goh

Pat SG  from the facebook group Heritage Singapore Bukit Brown cemetery has identified them as  Baby Buddha in Old Monk’s Arms, symbolising:

Infinity ∞ : Beginning ⇔ End ]

1) BIRTH/ EXISTENCE
Baby Buddha statue (Japan):
http://www.travelwithval.com/…/2012/01/Baby-Buddha.jpg

2) CONSCIOUSNESS
Baby has the sign of the snake (Naga) on his scalp. (Baby appears to be dozing, but how do you know he isn’t meditating & contemplating ?)

Note that the mediating adult Buddha is typically depicted as being surrounded by snakes, or with the Naga sheltering & protecting him from the elements.

* Buddha Statue (Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya):
http://cdn2.biharprabha.com/…/uploads/2011/07/muchlind.jpg

3) CRADLE OF BEGINNING OF CYCLE
Old (& hopefully wiser) monk is the custodian of enlightenment & wisdom-in-waiting. This is akin to how the new moon is cradled in the old moon’s arms during the the start of every lunar cycle (a process that repeats itself continuously).

* New moon in old moon’s arms: http://astrobob.areavoices.com/…

4) CYCLE OF EXISTENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/…
* Saṃsāra = cyclic existence, “continual repetitive cycle of birth and death [arising] from ordinary beings’ grasping and fixating on a self and [on] experiences”

5) CYCLE OF BUDDHAS
http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=28_Buddhas
“The Buddha was not the first Buddha, nor the last.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/…
“The 28 Buddhas described in the Buddhavamsa are not the only Buddhas believed to have existed. Indeed, Gautama Buddha taught that innumerable Buddhas have lived in past kalpas.”
)

Dateline 19 October 2013

The Story of the Rickshaw Pullers Strike and a Man called Low Nong Nong

(compiled with research by Raymond Goh and a Pat Sg, a member of the Facebook Group -Heritage Singapore Bukit Brown Cemetery)

Today, Raymond Goh located the tomb of rickshaw puller Low Nong Nong who died during a confrontation between striking rickshaw pullers and the police. In the clash which occurred on 17th October 1938, Nong Nong lost his life, and there were no witnesses to his death.

The rickshaw pullers were striking for lower rents of their rickshaws from the owners.

“EXCERPT: {{{ Low Nong Nong was found dying from a fractured skull, face down on the side of the street emptied of his comrades. His death sent reverberations through the rickshaw districts, making pullers more determined than ever to force the owners to come to an agreement on their terms.”

“His funeral the same day was an unnerving, demonstrable display of strength and solidarity. Three thousand men solemnly followed the lorry bearing his coffin to BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY to a pauper’s grave, and, as the police anxiously stood by and watched, one of the longest funeral processions in Singapore’s recent history, stretching from Wajang Satu to Newton Circus, passed.”  (Source: Rickshaw Coolie: A People’s History of Singapore, 1880-1940)

The community of rickshaw pullers saw Low Nong Nong as a martyr to their cause. On his tomb his epithet reads:

He died for the public, his death is as heavy as Taishan, tomb erected by his fellow rickshaw pullers

Tomb of Low Nong Nong, Rickshaw Puller (photo Raymond Goh)

“Taishan” in this case is 泰山, Mt Tai, one of the sacred mountains of China. (from Jason Kuo)

Unnamed  rickshaw puller (National Archives of Singapore)

Background to the rickshaw pullers strike : The Lot of the Coolie

Many rickshaw pullers had been on prolonged strike during that period (04 Oct – 15 Nov 1938), & thus had no earnings. Low Nong Nong himself died on 17 Oct 1938 — penniless & w/o any kin in Singapore.

The community of rickshaw pullers had been periodically unemployed from 1928 onwards & throughout the post-Depression 1930s. During this period, the colonial govt had been reducing the no. of rickshaw licenses so as to encourage the use of the motorcar.

In response, profit-seeking rickshaw fleet owners (the “siong thau”) took the opportunity to hike up the rental fees. Fleet owners also made rickshaw pullers contribute part of their earnings to the mandatory “China Relief Fund”, which purportedly assisted countrymen who were suffering “deep water and scorching fire” back in China.

Low Nong Nong was probably described as a martyr by his rickshaw brethren, because:-

Despite being hungry & desperately in need of money, he dutifully observed the rickshaw strike, as previously agreed upon amongst the pullers at the 小坡 (xiǎo pō, “Small Town”) area of town.

He lost his life while participating in a rescue group that had attempted to free a Hockchew rickshaw puller, who was arrested by the police during an earlier confrontation at around 11am on 17 Oct 1938.

Background on the incident : The Betrayal 

The morning altercation had occurred because Low Ah Law, a Henghua puller, had unilaterally disregarded the rickshaw strike, & blatantly plied his rickshaw on the streets of 小坡 (“Small Town”) — ie. the side of Sg River where most of the rickshaw pullers were supportive of the ongoing rickshaw strike.

Subsequently, the Henghua puller was confronted & restrained by a “Hockchew crowd” of fellow rickshaw pullers at Victoria Street. The police intervened & one of the Hockchew pullers was consequently arrested.

The “rescue” clash between the Hockchew rickshaw pullers & the police occurred during the afternoon of the same day at the junction of Arab & Victoria Streets. Police reinforcements were deployed & “strong-arm measures” were used to subdue the angry “rescuers”.

It was in this clash that Low Nong Nong was found lying face-down & dying from a broken skull on a street that had been cleared out by the police.

In a sense, Low Nong Nong — who was already famished & simply getting by his day — died alone on a street at 小坡 (“Small Town”), because a fellow 小坡 & Foochow prefecture rickshaw puller had betrayed his brethren by not observing the strike.

Meanwhile, the 大坡 (“Big Town”) rickshaw pullers (including the majority Hokkiens) — who had refused to support the strike — merely looked the other way.

* Account of Low Nong Nong’s death on the afternoon of 17 Oct 1938 from ‘Rickshaw Coolie: A People’s History of Singapore, 1880-1940’ (James Francis Warren): http://goo.gl/E7PEif

EXCERPT: {{{ Unemployed, hungry, and desperately in need of money, [Hockchew puller Low Nong Nong] had visited Seah Toon Tan, a Hockchew friend, that morning. He borrowed a dollar from him and left his house in Geylang at about 9 am, without ever having discussed the strike.

The trouble leading up to his death began when a crowd attempted to restrain a Hengwah, Low Ah Law, who had ventured along Arab Street with his rickshaw. At the junction of Victoria Street he was assaulted by a Hockchew crowd.

Police had barely arrived in time to rescue Low Ah Law and arrest one of the assailants. At once, a new crowd of around 400 began to take shape to rescue the captured puller.

Some were armed with fighting sticks, rickshaw shafts, bottles and bricks, and among them was Low Nong Nong. A clash ensued with the police. Shouts of “pah, mata, pah” (“strike, police, strike”) rent the air, as the crowd of pullers slowly closed in, injuring several constables with wooden clogs, poles and stones they hurled at them.

The situation was desperate with police injured and rickshaws wrecked all over the adjacent streets, until reinforcements arrived. Strong-arm measures were used to control and eventually disperse the crowd. Low Nong Nong was found dying from a fractured skull, face down on the side of the street emptied of his comrades. }}}

Rickshaw Coolie

books.google.com.sg

Newspaper reports: on the clash and the riskshaw pullers who were shipped back to China.

Low Nong Nong can be found in blk 3, Div 7, no. 120A @ the pauper’s section (on a hillock about 200 meters from the tombkeepers shed at the foot of Ong Sam Leong family cluster)

s

Dateline” 21 October 2013

The carvings on the tombs at Bukit Brown are commonly drawn from the 4 Chinese classics. Brownie Yik Han spotted one particular carving on an altar table which intrigued him.

The Tableau of Virtues (photo Ang Yik Han)

His observations  of the characters depicted in the tableau taken from the Romance of Three Kingdoms and what they represent:

Instead of the usual set of suspects this tableau has a rather unique combination of figures which I have yet to come across in other tombs.

The one in the middle seems to be Zhuge Liang from his garb and feather fan. On the right is almost certainly Shun and the white elephant which helped him till his fields. And I guess the one on the left of  Zhuge Liang is Liu Bei as he looks rather regal. Now, each of these characters exemplify a certain virtue: Zhuge Liang – loyalty (忠), Liu Bei – benevolence (仁),Shun – filial piety (孝), so there we have part of the traditional set of virtues 忠孝仁义, the last being righteousness which is as close to the meaning in chinese as we can get in a word.

If the martial figure to the right of Zhuge Liang represents 义, the question is who can this be as it certainly is not Guan Yu, the usual poster boy for that virtue. Of course, this interpretation assumes the two figures at the extreme left are calefaire.

Editors note: If you would like to weigh in on the mysterious characters which have not been clearly  identified, please add your comments on this post.

Your can read more about other tomb carvings by Yik Han on The Wayang in the Tombs , Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  

The Four Professions, 

The Four Loves, 

The Four Appointments, 

.