Chapter 1/X:
நல்வரவு (Welcome)
A Conversation with Kalpana Shivaramakrishnan by Aditi Shivaramakrishnan
One of my favourite writers, Durga Chew-Bose, has said: ‘The one way of identifying myself that always has felt the truest is as a daughter.’ When I read this, I realised that indeed, I’d always felt this way. In her essay collection Too Much and Not the Mood, she also describes her experience as a child of immigrants as being ‘from here but also … from there too’.
My parents grew up in Mumbai, India, and married in October 1987. I was born there in March 1989. My father got a job in Singapore as an IT professional in a multinational corporation and started making trips here from October 1989 before moving here permanently in April 1990. My mother and I arrived soon after, on 1 May 1990. My sister was born in 1992.
As the child of economic migrants – by choice – to Singapore, who has benefited from systems here, my preoccupation is not so much with the impact of my parents’ decision on my life, but theirs.
In this conversation held in a mix of English and Tamil, my mother Kalpana Shivaramakrishnan and I discuss her migration to, early experiences of, and current feelings about Singapore.
Aditi: When you and Appa got married, had you already discussed moving to Singapore?
Kalpana: There was absolutely no intention of us coming to Singapore. I had no clue I would even travel outside the country. I’d never travelled abroad. It was always within India—specifically to South India.
When I got engaged, I knew we would be moving to Kolkata. Nobody from our family had ever been there before. My father asked if I was ready [to go], and I said, OK. After our engagement, he sent ahead all my cooking vessels; they had to go by train. If you asked me now, I would’ve thought twice about it but at age 21…
Aditi: How was your time in Kolkata?
Kalpana: Mumbai is so happening. Kolkata was a total contrast. It was a very sleepy city then, though not anymore. People said it would grow on you.
[But] I wasn’t used to winter. It would be dark by 4.30pm. In Mumbai, life only starts at 4.30pm. That’s when you go for walks, eat bhel puri at 7pm, and come back gossiping with your friends.
I wasn’t working either. So I was like, what have I signed myself up for? But I had heard that Kolkata is safe for women. Kolkata was one of the first cities in India to have an underground metro, which was very clean, and with Rabindra Sangeet playing, which was beautiful. I missed home, but luckily my in-laws [often] visited and eased me into life there.
Aditi: So did you fly to Kolkata?
Kalpana: No, we took a train.
Aditi: Was your first flight ever to Singapore then?
Kalpana: No, we went to Goa with a gift voucher we received. I was pregnant with you then. So that was my first flight ever. But the first international flight I took was to Singapore.
Aditi: When did the topic of moving to Singapore first come up?
Kalpana: In mid-1989 Appa said there might be a chance to move to Singapore for work. But you were very young then. Moving to a new city with a baby didn’t make sense, so Appa went ahead. I stayed on in India with you.
Aditi: What were your initial reactions?
Kalpana: I liked the idea. We had heard so much about Singapore…
Aditi: That was going to be my next question. Did you already know anything about Singapore?
Kalpana: The cleanliness.
Aditi: From whom did you hear this?
Kalpana: Singapore’s cleanliness is well-known all over the world. If you litter, you will be fined.
Aditi: I mean, back then, what were the sources to hear this?
Kalpana: Through friends. I didn’t know about Singapore’s safety then. It was initially a three-year stint [for Appa]. So I always thought I’d go back [to India]. Everyone asked how I’d manage with a small baby; it’d be so difficult in a foreign country. I don’t know. Something made me say yes.
Aditi: You were adventurous.
Kalpana: Yes, very adventurous.
Aditi: So when you knew you’d move to Singapore, did you do any further research?
Kalpana: No, we didn’t have any resources for research. I always feel [that] the less you know, the better.
Aditi: That’s the difference between then and now.
Kalpana: Yes, now even if your mind says don’t Google, you Google.
Aditi: Since Appa came here first, did he provide you [with] any further information? Over the phone, via photos, etc.
Kalpana: Yes, he always used to send lovely photos by mail, showing the greenery of the city. The cleanliness, the escalators…even escalators were a novelty to me. The first time I climbed on one with you, I thought it was so cool. The amount of places to visit, as well, and the ease with which one could travel from place to place, like via the air-conditioned MRT. In Mumbai, train travel is not easy during peak hours.
Aditi: How was your flight to Singapore?
Kalpana: There was another person from Mumbai who had relocated to Singapore for a job at the same company as Appa. His wife and their son came with us on the flight. We flew on Swissair. That was such a great experience, very novel.
Aditi: After you landed, what was your first impression of Singapore?
Kalpana: I was totally zapped by the airport. I’d never seen a place like this in my life. It was so beautiful. The best part was Tamil being a language [used] here. I was taken aback to see Tamil writing, like நல்வரவு (Welcome). And the air-conditioned cabs. The moment we got out of the airport, we zipped off in an air-conditioned cab.
Aditi: Do you remember what you first saw, felt, heard, tasted…?
Kalpana: In our first three months here, we stayed in a very centrally located serviced apartment provided by the company [Appa worked for]. Appa had a lot of work to do so he gave me some money and said ‘enjoy’. I was totally taken aback by The Centrepoint [a shopping centre]. I went to Mothercare for the first time.
Subscribe to continue reading.
We need the best crew on our journey around the Indian Ocean.
Subscribe to Portside Review to read the full story.
Kalpana Shivaramakrishnan grew up in Mumbai, India, and has lived in Singapore since 1990.
Aditi Shivaramakrishnan works as an editor, writer, arts manager, and speech-to-text interpreter in Singapore.