A look at the vibrant Malayali life in 1930s Singapore

In the early 20th century, cities like Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore were seen as a kind of El Dorado for Malayalis with a basic English education. They fulfilled the colonial demand for clerks, receiving a degree of preference from recruiters. One particular place that had a strong Malayali presence was Singapore’s naval base.

In 1917, the multi-religious Malayali community in Singapore formed the Singapore Malayalee Association, which has survived the test of time and continues to thrive in the city-state. Among its listed objectives were “integrating Malayalis in Singapore into a cohesive community,” “promoting the interests and development” of the community, and "preserving and propagating” the community’s culture and heritage.

Old newspaper reports from Singapore suggest that the association was at the forefront of progressive thought and behaviour. In November 1936, the association held a programme, Mercantile Institute, to mark the Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation, which ended the ban on people from members of marginalised castes from entering temples in the princely state. The meeting was held to “congratulate H.H. the Maharaja of Travancore” for his decision, according to the Malaya Tribune.

The names of the association's office bearers in the 1930s suggest that the association was living up to its principles: Yusoff, Pillay, Marar, Fernandes, Victor, Menon, and Daniel. The association took sports very seriously and even had a sports secretary. Its annual badminton competition also made it to the newspapers.

The community also took an active interest in football and had its own team. These reports of athletic white-collar Malayalis in 1930s Singapore stand in deep contrast to their counterparts in the 21st century, who don’t exactly have a reputation for being fit.

The association conducted a host of cultural programmes that went well and beyond the usual Vishu and Onam celebrations. A May 1928 report in the Malaya Tribune mentions a program at the Victoria Theatre where a Malayalam play was staged, complete with song and dance:

“Mr K.P.A. Menon as Kulathu Ayer acted prominently in the farce while Mrs K. P. Nair as the wife of the ‘westernised’ lawyer provided plenty of humour. The story dealt with a young Malayali lawyer falling in love with an uneducated country girl from an orthodox Brahmin family. The marriage failed, for the lawyer’s friend eloped with the wife, who had soon acquired Western habits.”

While the Malayali community seemed to have unity that trumped any differences in religion or caste, it did have its share of internal politics. In 1929, one “K. K. Warior” and “Neutral” both wrote letters to the press criticising the association and its latest meetings. The Malaya Tribune chose to stay away from the quarrel, which it said “should be settled by members among themselves, as an entirely domestic affair.”

The paper also received complaint letters from Malayalis, who were not a part of the association, decrying its very existence. A person calling himself (or herself) “Widi” sent hate mail to the paper. “I believe that everyone now realises that the Malayalis here form not an unimportant section of the community,” Widi wrote. “Though containing many prominent men and numbering about three thousand, it is deplorable that they still want a movement to represent them.”

Other letters deplored the association's office bearers, prompting the newspaper's editor to say that he would not entertain further correspondence on the matter.

During the 1930s many other smaller Malayali associations sprung up in Singapore, and some members of the community were happy to join a number of them, such as the Malayali Athletic Club and the Malayali Hindu Samajam. Kerala Christians and Muslims in Singapore also took an active interest in their own small associations, while being a part of the main ones that represented all Malayalis.

Aside from the regular political squabbles and power struggles within the associations, the community in Singapore was united and took up issues such as the rights of the working class in estates in Malaya. They also strongly backed the independence movement back home, often contributing financially.

After India attained independence in 1947, the Malayali community in Singapore continued to strengthen its links with Kerala, inviting cultural troupes, sports teams and artists to the city.