Jan–Mar 2013

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Director's Column

Singapore: A City of Campaigns
From work productivity, speaking Mandarin, tree planting to family planning, numerous campaigns have been implemented by the government since independence to instill what it deemed as desirable attitudes and behaviours. Little wonder, then, that campaigns have become a way of life for Singaporeans. (PDF)

Edwin Thumboo – Time-Travelling: A Poetry Exhibition
“Edwin Thumboo – Time-Travelling: A Poetry Exhibition” and two accompanying publications, Edwin Thumboo: Time-Travelling – A Select Annotated Bibliography and Singapore Word Maps: A Chapbook of Edwin Thumboo’s New and Selected Place Poems were officially launched on 29 September by Mr S. Dhanabalan, Chairman, Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd. (PDF)

Life in Death: The Case of Keramats in Singapore
Keramats (shrines) have endured the fast-paced changes characteristic of Singapore’s urban progress and development. Over the centuries, keramats have obtained a symbolic significance that transcends the vibrant social fabric of multiple religions and cultures. (PDF)

Grave Matters: The Burial Registers in Singapore
A little-known historical resource, burial registers provide a glimpse into the lives and conditions in early Singapore. (PDF)

Digging Bidadari's Past: From Palace to First Muslim State Cemetery
Home today to a slate of new public housing clusters, Bidadari used to be the site of a cemetery – in particular, Singapore's first Muslim state cemetery and first multireligious cemetery. (PDF)

Sago Lane: “Street of the Dead”
The older generation of Singaporeans who lived, grew up or worked in Chinatown during the 1930s to 1960s would remember the “death houses” of Sago Lane, scattered intermittently among residential dwellings. (PDF)

Some Thoughts on the Theme of Death
Family and friends have long had to bear with my vocal thoughts on endless scenes of wasted death on the news. My emotive views come from what I assumed were my limitless powers of empathy. As I have read and watched the news from the comfort of a warm home in a peaceful Singapore, I thought I fully understood the pain of a husband weeping over a wife killed by crossfire or a grieving mother whose child lay limp due to famine caused by man’s disregard for fellowman. My self-delusion ended only recently. (PDF)

Overseas Chinese Nationalism and Relief Efforts for China in the 1930s
Dr Jason Lim reviews the content of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry 80th Anniversary Souvenir, found in the National Library's rare books collection.(PDF)