References

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.

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.

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.

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.