A Trail of Two Cities - Part 2

Sitting on the 70th floor of Hotel Swissotel, sipping a glass of Champaigne ( at 18 dollars, otherwise one cant get entry here even during happy hours) one can see sprawled below the Colonial district of Singapore, with its glistening towers, unending traffic, well laidout and well lit streets which look like yellow ribbons and cars looking like ants marching in formation. At night, the whole city buzzes with activity along its river front, quays, malls, hundreds of pubs and karaoke joints, food courts with cuisine from every country in the world. One can get public transport upto midnght and taxis (Mercedes, BMWs Toyotas) thru the night. The city like its American counterpart, never sleeps.



Come morning, and one can find immaculately dressed Singaporeans driving down to their offices, coming out in droves from the MRT stations, sprinting determinedly to the multistoreyed office complexes. U can hardly find anyone loitering, idling, begging, throwing trash on the street etc. Every road,every building complex, every park, even foodcourt are spick and span. Shining and polished trash bins can be seen prominently placed. Warning signs tell u that you are under observation and vandals will be punished.



Singapore is a young city. Legend has it that a thousand years ago an Indian King named Tribhuvan who was ruling Sumatra went on a hunting expedition across the sea to a lush island and on the way the sea became turbulent and he had to throw his crown into the sea to calm it down. When he r eached the shore he found a lion in the dense tropical forest. He named the place Singapore (lion citiy which has since adopted the Merlion as its emblem). Sir Stafford Raffles of the East India Company came to Singapore in a ship withabout 200 people in the 1820's and it was he who developed this small island into the world's second largest port that it is today. Four hundred ships pass through this port every day. It is the financial hub of Asia,perhaps second only to tokyo.



What is it that makes Singapore tick? A highly efficient administration, thoroughly disciplined population and flourishing tourism including medical tourism. The Chinese who form 75 percent of the population are highly enterprising. So are the Indians who came and settled here along with Stafford Rafflls and the present day Expatriates who are software engineers and bankers or businessmen. Tamil is one of the official languages and a tamilian ( Mr. Nathan) is the president of Singapore. The Goverfnment officials are extremely well paid so there is hardly any corruption. Recently the salaries of bureaucrats were raised to the level of about Rs 3 crores per year to bring them on par with MNCs. Minsters get 4 to 6 crores an year. There was a public outcry and the Prime Minster donated the increase which he got, to charities to mollify the public.



Singapore is a shopper's paradise. Mustafas ( owned by a tamil muslim) is a 24 hours 365 days in an year open mall where u can aet anything from a pin to an elephant. The variety of fruits and vegetables and packaged foods is mind boggling. Electronic goods are cheap.



What is amazing is the trtaffic discipline. Wide roads,no potholes, no dug up footpaths or drains
no litter no cigarette stubs, implicit obedience to traffic signals and a surcharge on all vehicles which enter the office district during peak hours, a flat 2.50 dollars per vehicle.



It rains in Singapore throughout the year but the rainwater drains off fast. There are no puddles or overflowing drains . It is a pleasure to travel in the double decker buses fully airconditioned and with TV. No conductors. One just swipes an electronic card when one enters or gets down. The MRT network is a treat to travel in. There are glass doors on the platforms which open only when the train is in position and then the doors of the compartment open up as you enter. No possibility of any accident. Compare this with our local trains in Mumbai and one feels crestfallen. We have miles to go before we can come anywhere near the infrastructure here.



Sentosa Island is a tourist paradise with its Underwater World, Dolphin show, beaches with imported sand, Merlion, and free transort within the island. In the evening there is a laser light show of a princess imprisoned by an Ogre who awakens to the music from her lover; song and drama with fireworks by the seaside which is a treat for the eye.



Other attractions not to be missed are the Night Safari,the science Centre ( with the Tesla coil creating asrtificial lightning with a million watt discharge ) and sections on optical illusions, IT, Nanotechnology, biology, water games, etc.



Dont return from Singapore without tasting its national dish the Hainanese Chicken rice. The Dorian shaped Oera House on the Esplanade is anoher attracation not to be missed.



The most disappointing spot was the Memorial to INA where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is supposed to have given the call Chalo Delhi. It took half an hour for me to locate this in an obscure corner. Netaji formed the INA in 1944 when Singapore was under Japanese occupation. When the war ended the British downplayed the INA movement and it is just an apology of a monument with a vague and unflattering inscrption. Time the Govt.of India took it up with the Singapore Government to build a more fitting memorial at this spot on the Esplanade where statues of British Generals and Governors dominate the landscape.

Here ends the trail of two cities, Bangkok with its more humble and religious overtones sprinkled with poverty reminding us of apna Bharat and on the other side the glittering affluent
disciplined commercial hub of Singapore. A study in contrast. But both worth visiting to savour their sights and sounds and soothe your palate with their appetising cuisines.