Here are some of the refernces i consulted during this learnig journey:
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/facts_old_singapore/353/singapore8217s_tamil_pioneer_mr_p_govindasamy.php
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_262_2005-01-13.html
http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/getting_around/tours_in_singapore/walking_tours/little_india.html
http://www.nhb.gov.sg/PE/microsites/littleindia/sites/origins_govindasamy.html
http://www.slideshare.net/theracie/the-immigrants-of-singapore
And all the other resources that colud not be listed. Many thanks in advance.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Reflections
This project really benefitted me alot.
I now realized that there are still a lot of facts and interesting details out in the world that i do not know. I was able to understand the suffering and torture that these pioneers of Singapore experienced before achieving their individual success.
Through this enriching journey, i had learned some of the religons and symbols of hindu and i learnt that fame and fortune does not come easy at all. It is through hard work and sheer determination that enabled that to materialise.
This project had given me a deeper understanding on the early days of Singapore and the foundation the pioneers gave us that made us able to build Singapore into a world it was today.
I now realized that there are still a lot of facts and interesting details out in the world that i do not know. I was able to understand the suffering and torture that these pioneers of Singapore experienced before achieving their individual success.
Through this enriching journey, i had learned some of the religons and symbols of hindu and i learnt that fame and fortune does not come easy at all. It is through hard work and sheer determination that enabled that to materialise.
This project had given me a deeper understanding on the early days of Singapore and the foundation the pioneers gave us that made us able to build Singapore into a world it was today.
The monument
This is the drawing of the monument.
I know that my drawing is not very good, but at least it is the basic sketch for the monument.
This monument consists of several features. The most important of them is the statue of Govindasamy Pillai. The statue is the basic and important part of the monument to make it meaningful. Then, there is the Om symbol behind the statue. The Om is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined, make the sound Aum or Om. It is the most important symbol in Hinduism, and occurs in every prayer and invocation to most deities begins with it. Then, there is the red swastika symbol which symbolises fortune and prosperity.
I believe that all of you had already gone through my previous posts on the sufferings and life of Govindasamy Pillai. I have also included the generous contributions of Govindasamy Pillai, the early Indian pioneer who devoted himself in charitable acts and donated money to lots of schools and institutions.
All of you had known that Govindasamy Pillai was a very generous philanthropist and he gave so much for Singapore. That is the very reason why i am going to erect a monument of him in little India, which is the centre of the Indian community.
All of you had known that Govindasamy Pillai was a very generous philanthropist and he gave so much for Singapore. That is the very reason why i am going to erect a monument of him in little India, which is the centre of the Indian community.
Finally, let me tell you the location of the monument. This monument, in my opinion, should be erected at the entrance of Sri Permural Temple. The reason is simple. He donated a large sum to the Sri Perumal Temple to build a an entrance way to the Temple and the first Indian wedding hall which bears his name -- Govindasamy Pillai Kalyanamandabam. The first wedding to be solemnised here was his granddaughter's to his son Ramakrishnan. This shows that his children are also respectable for this temple. It also shows that his bond with the temple is quite strong.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Contributions of the indian immigrant- Govindasamy Pillai
Hi everyone. Today i will be talking about the contributions of this successful indian immigrant- Govindasamy Pillai. I believe that all of you have read my previous post on the biography of Pillai. Now it will be easier to explain as you all already had a brief understanding of Pillai.
He was a philanthropist, the biggest donor to Perumal Temple, founder-member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce set up in 1937, founder of the Ramakrishna Mission and a Justice of the Peace in 1939. He is remembered for his generosity and charity. He donated a large sum to the Sri Perumal Temple to build a an entranceway to the Temple and the first Indian wedding hall which bears his name -- Govindasamy Pillai Kalyanamandabam. The first wedding to be solemnised here was his granddaughter's to his son Ramakrishnan. He also donated to many other institutions including Gandhi Memorial Hall.
He also invested in properties in Serangoon Road, Race Course Road and Buffalo Road. Pillai was one of the few successful South Indian businessmen and managed to build two houses in Campbell Lane and later in Race Course Road. During the Japanese occupation, Pillai and his family were unharmed for they were in India but his property and goods were confiscated. He returned to Singapore in 1945 and started all over again. He did not give up but expanded his business across the Causeway and opened PGP stores in Malacca and Johor.He retired in 1963, handing over the family business to his children. Sadly, his stores ran into huge debts and closed down.
Govindasamy Pillai was a frugal man and donated many money to build schools and shops etc.
In many ways he was regarded as a a patriarch of the Indian community who was well-known for his charitable works.
Okay, enough with the contributions of Govindasamy. Now i will talk about the categories that each contribtuions fall under. Maybe this will make you all understand better.
There are alot of categories of the contributions:
Political impact
economic impact
social impact
socio-economic impact
and many more......
As for Govindasamy Pillai, by donating to schools, institutions and shops, that is a form of social impact as his charitable acts results in helping the society and improving the lives of the society.
He was a philanthropist, the biggest donor to Perumal Temple, founder-member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce set up in 1937, founder of the Ramakrishna Mission and a Justice of the Peace in 1939. He is remembered for his generosity and charity. He donated a large sum to the Sri Perumal Temple to build a an entranceway to the Temple and the first Indian wedding hall which bears his name -- Govindasamy Pillai Kalyanamandabam. The first wedding to be solemnised here was his granddaughter's to his son Ramakrishnan. He also donated to many other institutions including Gandhi Memorial Hall.
He also invested in properties in Serangoon Road, Race Course Road and Buffalo Road. Pillai was one of the few successful South Indian businessmen and managed to build two houses in Campbell Lane and later in Race Course Road. During the Japanese occupation, Pillai and his family were unharmed for they were in India but his property and goods were confiscated. He returned to Singapore in 1945 and started all over again. He did not give up but expanded his business across the Causeway and opened PGP stores in Malacca and Johor.He retired in 1963, handing over the family business to his children. Sadly, his stores ran into huge debts and closed down.
Govindasamy Pillai was a frugal man and donated many money to build schools and shops etc.
In many ways he was regarded as a a patriarch of the Indian community who was well-known for his charitable works.
Okay, enough with the contributions of Govindasamy. Now i will talk about the categories that each contribtuions fall under. Maybe this will make you all understand better.
There are alot of categories of the contributions:
Political impact
economic impact
social impact
socio-economic impact
and many more......
As for Govindasamy Pillai, by donating to schools, institutions and shops, that is a form of social impact as his charitable acts results in helping the society and improving the lives of the society.
Biography of an indian immigrant- Govindasamy Pillai
P. Govindasamy Pillai (b. 1887, Mayavaram, Tamil Nadu, India - d. 1980), was a well-known and successful South Indian businessman who established the string of PGP stores.
Govindasamy Pillai grew up in an indian village of Koorainadu, Mayavaram, Tanjore District, Tamil Nadu. He ran away from home to Singapore when he was a teenager, landing at Tanjong Pagar in 1905. He gained employment at a provision store at 50 Serangoon Road after many attempts to look for jobs. It was a hard and tiring job and he was given no wages, only food and accommodation.
In 1929, he went back to India and got married. Returning to Singapore, he found that the provision store was put up for sale on the owner's demise. Pillai decided to buy the shop by borrowing S$2,000 from the chettiars and started a business selling spices, oils and grains etc. At first, he named the store Dhanalakshmi Stores, after his eldest daughter, and later changed it to P. Govindasamy Pillai or PGP Stores. Being thrifty, he managed to save enough to invest in properties and to start other businesses PGP saree shops were popular and his sons later continued this business. The Little India Arcade currently occupies the place where P. Govindasamy Pillai saree shop once stood. During the Japanese occupation, Pillai and his family were unharmed for they were in India but his property and goods were confiscated. He returned to Singapore in 1945 and his goods disappeared due to the Japanese Occupation and started all over again. He did not give up and succeeded. He retired in 1963, handing over the family business to his children. Sadly, his stores ran into huge debts and closed down.
Pillai died of heart attack in 1980 at the age of 93.
Govindasamy Pillai grew up in an indian village of Koorainadu, Mayavaram, Tanjore District, Tamil Nadu. He ran away from home to Singapore when he was a teenager, landing at Tanjong Pagar in 1905. He gained employment at a provision store at 50 Serangoon Road after many attempts to look for jobs. It was a hard and tiring job and he was given no wages, only food and accommodation.
In 1929, he went back to India and got married. Returning to Singapore, he found that the provision store was put up for sale on the owner's demise. Pillai decided to buy the shop by borrowing S$2,000 from the chettiars and started a business selling spices, oils and grains etc. At first, he named the store Dhanalakshmi Stores, after his eldest daughter, and later changed it to P. Govindasamy Pillai or PGP Stores. Being thrifty, he managed to save enough to invest in properties and to start other businesses PGP saree shops were popular and his sons later continued this business. The Little India Arcade currently occupies the place where P. Govindasamy Pillai saree shop once stood. During the Japanese occupation, Pillai and his family were unharmed for they were in India but his property and goods were confiscated. He returned to Singapore in 1945 and his goods disappeared due to the Japanese Occupation and started all over again. He did not give up and succeeded. He retired in 1963, handing over the family business to his children. Sadly, his stores ran into huge debts and closed down.
Pillai died of heart attack in 1980 at the age of 93.
Introduction
Hi everyone! I am Aolunese and i will be posting my history assignments and homeworks here in the future. I hope you will provide me with your continuous support and give me advice in blogging! Many thanks in advance.
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