My visit to Singapore

K Nabachandra Singh *

A view of Singapore :: Pix - Martin Haobam

It was on Sunday, the 19th July 2015 that I left Imphal Airport at 11 am for Guwahati for onward journey to Singapore. My son-in-law Dr. Rakhesh Kshetrimayum and his daughter, Gloria came to Gopinath Bordoloi Airport, Guwahati to receive me. We drove to their Quarter inside IIT campus. After one night's stay there, I along with Rakhesh, my daughter Geeta and their two children, Ronald and Gloria left Guwahati Airport at about 5 pm. for Singapore via Delhi.

Rakhesh had to attend an International Conference at Singapore University on 23rd July. I seized the opportunity to go to Singapore along with them. We left Delhi Airport at 11:30 pm on 20th July 2015 and touched down Changi Airport, Singapore by 5 am (7:30 am by Singapore time) of 21st July 2015. We completed all the formalities in the Immigration Counter at the Airport . Changi Airport wears modern look and is attractive; everything is arranged, displayed very systematically. It is rated as one of the best International airports in the world.

From there, we proceeded by train up to Farrer Park, the last stoppage very near to Claremont Hotel in Little India Complex run by Indians. It was about 11:30 am when we reached Claremont hotel. After having lunch in a nearby hotel, and taking rest, we started out to see Raffles Place, in the Southern part of Singapore which was developed by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company for the first time in 1819. The numerous high-rise buildings of 40-50 stories stood graciously waiting for visitors from around the globe.Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the least corrupted countries in the world along with Scandinavia & New Zealand. It has a population of about 5.5 million (2014) with over 15 million tourists visiting this city-state per annum.

On the first day itself, I felt that we Indians have to learn many self normalization systems prevalent in Singapore. Honesty, respect for rule of law and maximum utilization of technologies. No traffic police on the road, the light signals automatically control. No one violates the traffic rule. Peddlers cross the road only through zebra crossing. No crack on the road surface, not to speak of pot-holes. No smoky vehicles, no dust ; clean air.

No heavy rush in the railway stations. Railway stations and railway compartments are all air-conditioned. The system controls the huge number of commuters. Pre-paid tickets for travel by train in the city area are purchased and we can travel by train until the money is exhausted. Travellers will be made to pass through 4/5 passages only by swapping the tickets. No policeman/security personal. This automatically regulates the flow of the crowd.

Again the train services are very efficient and the train compartments are so neatly maintained. No one is seen chewing pan or spitting in public places. One has to wait 2-3 minutes only for the next train to arrive. When the train arrives the platform, the glass doors of the train automatically open as is done in our metros. But the difference is that, against each door, there is a zone marked on the platform beyond which persons waiting for entry into train have to stand until the passengers inside the train come out first. Then, the people in the waiting get into instantly. This system avoids the chaos and the frenzy. All these speak volume of the sincerity, honesty, maturity and high spirit of nationalism of the general public and people in the helm of affairs.

The Singapore River affords the tourists the facility of boating. The riverside is well embanked; there are raised platforms for the visitors to sit on; hotels doing catering service.

On the 22ndJuly 2015, Rakhesh left in the morning for his registration to the University of Singapore in connection with International Conference to be held on the next day. On his return, we had lunch at Mustaffa Mall, did a little bit of shopping. In the evening, we moved to Marina Bay Sands. No trip to Singapore is said to be complete without a visit to Marina Bay Sands. Next we saw the Gardens by the Bay where multicoloured flowering plants creep up along the iron framework which form giant structure of plants. At night, multicoloured lighting system makes the garden a place to be admired.

On 23rd July, Rakhesh went for attending the Conference in the morning at the University of Singapore. He came back by about 2 pm after taking chair of the conference. On his arrival, we went for lunch at City Square mall and thereafter spent sometime in shopping. We had dinner at the same place at night too. At the hotel, I had a chatting with my grand children. Little Gloria was witty, intelligent and persuasive. She talks English, Hindi and broken Manipuri. Seeing her nature, I predicted that she could become an able administrator, like IAS officer. To which she replied in the negative. She said that, she would become a Scientist.

For what purpose?, I said. She said that, she would like to make a Time-Machine with which she would like to go back to the past and see the childhood of her dear mummy. I was startled to hear the novel idea of Time-machine, from a tender girl child of 7 years. A science fiction, The Time Machine, was first published by M.G., Wells in 1895. Since then some publications, on Time-Machine have been made, films on Science fiction have been screened. It has steered the mind of many scholars in the world.

In the evening, we proceeded to Farrer Park to catch train to see Merlion, the National Symbol of Singaporeans, having the head of a lion and the body with tail of a fish. From the statue of Merlion, continuous streams of water come out from the mouth of the grand statue about 20 ft high. The statue stands by the side of a pond and water is made to circulate in an endless manner. We could see another very big statue of Merlion nearby. There is a shopping Centre near the Merlion statue. We made some purchases from there.

The 24th July was a very hectic day for us as we have to leave Singapore by the next day. We had breakfast at 9:30 am at Claremont Hotel where we stay. We started by train for Sentosa Island. The SEA Aquatics there has numerous aquariums of different dimensions. Different varieties of sea fishes with natural habitats are seen all along. The environment is naturalised by putting stones with mosses, corals, sandstones, rocks, sea plants etc.

One has to spend hours to see all these expositions. The giant structure of aquarium,(measuring about 150'x100'x40') where different sea fishes whirl around, some very big, some very small, some moderate, is one of the main attractions of visitors. We then hurriedly moved towards the open auditorium where science and technology mesmerized the visitors.Therewe watched the laser show for only 2-3 minutes as we came a little late. The laser beams of various hues spread out in straight lines into space in alternating mode, in different directions; the dancing wavy pattern of colourful laser beams captivates the mind of the on-lookers.

We then proceeded for the sky drive. We have to inch our way in the long queue. After about one hour we reached the spot from where we have to collect the helmet for driving small toy cars. From there, almost another one hour in the queue to reach the spot wherefrom we have to board single seated toy car. Several hundred people line up in the queue for their turns to drive. Five or six people work so tirelessly and so efficiently to receive the used toy cars coming along a mini-train track and to instantly give them to batches of 5/6 boarders at a time. They work so hard and so promptly that they have no time for relaxation.

A few minutes' drive down the curly slope of the mini road brings us to the rope-way sky drive zone. By showing our tickets there, we could see our own pictures while we were on the drive in a computer screen. We placed order for the pictures of our choice and collected the same immediately.

We boarded in batches of 2 or 3 in the rope-way cabin and could see all around from a greater height. After about 5 minutes travel by rope-way, we touched down on a hilly spot. From there we returned to hotel by about 9 pm by train after 3/4 changes. We had dinner and rested for the next day's return journey. It was a pleasant experience and enjoyable trip abroad for me.

On 25th July we left Changi Airport, Singapore at 8:45 am by Air India and reached New Delhi by about 2:30 pm. We were received at the Airport by Amo h/o my grand-daughter Dolly accompanied by Jornally (Abbe) and little Kyara. Next day, by 1:30 pm we left New Delhi. I stayed one night at Guwahati IIT. On 27th morning, I had a pleasant morning walk for about 1½ hr along with Rakhesh within the IIT campus which is a hilly terrain to see the different blocks of departments, library, hostels, auditoriums etc. I left Guwahati Airport for Imphal at 12:30 pm. I reached Imphal by 1:15 pm with pleasant memories. But, alas! came the news of the passing away of a great soul, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, the missile man of India at IIM, Shillong due to massive heart attack while delivering lecture.