NURALYSYA BINTE ABDUL HAMID, SENIOR MF, RAINBOW CENTRE MARGARET DRIVE SCHOOL

My grandmother lived in a kampong house and had to fetch water from the well and river for washing, cleaning, bathing, drinking and cooking. It sounded fun because she got to make new friends that way.

Even though living in kampong houses seemed fun, there were many others who lived in slums. To maintain the strong social bonds between neighbours and encourage its citizens to move to high-rise flats, the government designed its flats to fit Singapore’s social needs. In every neighbourhood, the community spirit is fostered as people of various ethnic groups live next to each other and gather at communal places such as the schools, markets and recreational spaces. These shared spaces allow neighbours to get together and maintain the kampong spirit. Even though many kampong houses have been demolished to make way for modern high rise flats, Singapore still has its last surviving kampong. Located on mainland Singapore, Kampong Lorong Buangkok is still home to 26 families.

I love my neighbourhood because I have friendly neighbours of various races. We help each other and enjoy socialising especially during festive seasons. Even though I cannot meet my friends and neighbours now because of the COVID-19 crisis, I believe we can overcome this pandemic as a multi-racial nation because we have maintained our kampong spirit throughout these decades.

LEANNE LAM, FAIRFIELD METHODIST SCHOOL (PRIMARY)

My grandmother was born in the 1930s and her parents ran a tailor shop of which she would help out occasionally. The picture shows my grandmother and her siblings playing and having fun during their childhood days. These memories are memorable for my grandmother and in hearing these stories, I could feel her joy and fondness of the past. As I see my grandmother age, I reflected on life and know that our grandparents cannot be with us forever. Life is short. So, let us remember to treasure our loved ones and spend more quality time with them.

My vision for Singapore is to have a society that cares for one another; that fellow Singaporeans spend more time with their family, especially the elderly.  Unlike the carefree days of the past, Singaporeans are very busy at school and at work. Not only that, we are also pre-occupied in this digital age with gadgets and our social lives. Unlike the kampong days in the past which my grandma shared about, people these days are glued to their gadgets and communicate not by speaking, but by typing. With this, we may lose the human connection and the quality time to sit talk and speak.

I hope that we can take greater effort to set aside quality time and spend it with our family and loved ones, and I believe this starts with me. I pledge to take a greater conscious effort to chit-chat with my grandparents and share their interesting stories with my friends so that they too, will want to learn something about Singapore’s history!

My grandmother lived in Bugis when she was young. It was very different then, and many families lived in kampongs. She told me that when she was bored, she and her other siblings would go outside and climb trees for entertainment.  As her parents ran a tailor shop, she said that during those days, it is more common to have tailor-made clothes especially for occasions like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali.  This is because big shopping malls did not exist and choices for ready-to-wear clothes were limited.  It is also cheaper to tailor as the customers can bring their own yards of cloth to the shop!  This way of life is very different from today where it is more convenient and sometimes cheaper to purchase clothes from the shopping malls.

IMAN NASHITA, 4-2, ​YUSOF ISHAK SECONDARY SCHOOL

My artwork is inspired by the Masjid Sultan Mosque which is located at Muscat Street. This mosque is one of the tourist attractions in Singapore and visited by many tourists. It is of a great significance to me as a Malay Muslim and I am intrigued by the design of the mosque. My great-grandfather told me that in the past, he did not go to a big Mosque building to pray. He will go to a Surau with the Muslims in his community for his daily prayers. It is very fascinating now to see many mosques built for the religion and to have such a big building like Masjid Sultan Mosque to be as part of Singapore’s tourist attraction.

My grandfather always tells me that times will change, things will change, but our morals and family values will never change. No matter what happens, we must stand firm on our values and stay strong as a family to overcome whatever challenges that lay ahead of us.

I hope that we can continue to keep our racial harmony and live peacefully regardless of race, language or religion. I will help to uphold these values through my actions and lead by example.

LUA EN QI, CELINE, EUNOS PRIMARY SCHOOL, P5 RESILIENCE

In the past, many people in Singapore lived in kampongs instead of high-rise buildings. My senior stayed in a kampong house built from wood and attap leaves. Sometimes, the rain would seep through the roof and they had to collect the rainwater with a basin. It was not easy living there, and the surroundings were dirty too. When my senior was a young boy, he distributed newspapers to people to earn extra cash, and he would do so while riding a bicycle. Although it was a fond memory, it can be very tiring, especially when riding uphill. He also enjoyed occasional treats to the theatre. The movies were black and white then and the early cinemas had no air-conditioning. I cannot imagine how stuffy that would be.

When Cathay Cinema and Hotel opened in 1936, it was Singapore’s first skyscraper, and was the tallest building in Southeast Asia. They enjoyed their glory days with countless of fans until 1942, where the cinema was then closed for the building to be used as a Red Cross casualty station during World War II.

During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese controlled the broadcasting facilities and used it to broadcast propaganda in Japanese language. After the war, the building continued to serve other authorities and it was only in 1948 that the colonial government returned the building to the original owner.

Singapore has come a long way since then. We now get to stay in a clean environment, with an efficient transport system and great conveniences enabled by technological advancements. All these would not have been possible without the hard work put in by our forefathers years ago. However, as we reap the benefits of what our forefathers have toiled for, we must be grateful and also remind ourselves not to be complacent. We have to stay united, maintain the cleanliness of our country and continue to strive for the best. COVID-19 may have affected our economy and our people, but we can come back stronger if we are willing to help one another and be cooperative. Many kind souls have stepped up in different ways. Some people donated masks to those who needed it, while others packed food and groceries for those who were under home quarantine. People also appreciated the healthcare workers who worked tirelessly in this pandemic by little gestures such as giving up seats on the public transport for them. This shows that we can all work to make Singapore a gracious society and a better place to live in.

Besides that, we must also work towards a sustainable future. Towards the end of my conversation with my senior, he reminded me to be a responsible citizen and encouraged me to “reduce, reuse and recycle” the things I use in my everyday life. By doing so, it will also result in lesser waste and thus having less load to incinerate. This will definitely lower the pollution level and bring about a cleaner environment. Hence, my vision for Singapore is to reduce our waste, and try our best to reuse or recycle the other objects. We can also make Singapore greener by taking public transport or riding a bicycle like my senior, instead of driving a car. Let’s all begin our efforts today, because every act contributed is a step closer to our goal.

SANDIP RAI, 6 PERSEVERANCE, FIRST TOA PAYOH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Singapore River went through an extreme makeover. Back in the 1960s, the banks of the Singapore River were crowded with squatters, hawkers and manufacturing industries. These led to severe river pollution. After independence, the Prime Minister then, Mr Lee Kuan Yew decided to do a major clean-up of the river in 1977. The whole cleaning process took about 10 years and it was spearheaded by the former chairman of the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and then Environment Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Lee Ek Tieng.

Since Singapore’s independence in 1965, the Singapore River has gone through several changes – from a busy trading port that was filled with bumboats to a popular tourist attraction bustling with activities. Shophouses that were used as warehouse or lodgings for the coolies have now become places for leisure and entertainment. In the year 2020, bumboats are no longer used for trading. Instead, they now take locals, sightseers and tourists on a river cruise to learn about Singapore’s history or to admire our Singapore landscape and some of the iconic structures. These structures include the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands. My drawing of the river from past to present has shown how Singapore has progressed, and together, we can work towards a brighter future for Singapore.

ALTON CHAN WAI YU, 3N1, TANGLIN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Bukit Timah area used to be an industrial hub in the 1950s, and factories like Ford and Yeo Hiap Seng (of Yeo’s packet drinks) set up their shops there. The quarrying industry was also a prominent business in the area after the opening of Bukit TimahRailway Station. One interesting fact is that the granite mined there was actually used to build the infrastructure of the Causeway and roads. Along the Bukit TimahTrails, we can also visit former granite quarries in the area such as the Singapore Quarry and the Hindhede Quarry in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

In this artwork, I chose to depict the old Bukit Timah Railway Station. The person I interviewed was my grandmother. In the past when Bukit Timah Railway Station was built, my grandmother told me that she was also part of the crew that helped to build it. Bukit Timah Railway Station is used for passenger traffic back when it was open and eventually ceased operations in 2011. It also used to be part of a railway line used for commuting and transporting goods between Singapore and the rest of the Malay Peninsula. Right now, the station has been gazetted for conservation and is part of Singapore’s efforts to preserve the rich heritage of the Rail Corridor, which allows visitors to go on a journey through various natural landscapes, communities and unique experiences. Nearby, The Railway Mall is a nice contrast to show how the old and the new can co-exist together to offer both urban and rural experiences. I hope that my work can inspire more people to check out Singapore’s rich heritage and natural spaces, and to embark on an adventure by trekking through these places!

LIM CHEN XUN, 5 RESILIENCE, SEMBAWANG PRIMARY SCHOOL

In the past, technology was not so advanced in Singapore compared to now. Children were very bored playing at home, so they had to be creative and use whatever was available around them to make toys to play with. Some materials they used were unwanted fabric, green beans and a sewing kit to make five stones. They also used chalks to draw boxes on the ground for playing hopscotch. A few sticks were just enough to make a game of pick-up sticks.

Children in the past brought their own home-made toys to the playground to play with and make new friends. This was how they built friendship and camaraderie.

We should not despise people who are of a different race from us, instead, we should make friends with them and play together. As a multi-racial society, we learn, work, play and have fun together!

When COVID-19 started, the whole world was caught off-guard. In order to fight COVID-19, we have to become a stronger country whereby everybody has to play their part to overcome these tough times.

Nothing is impossible to overcome. We just need to be stronger as a country, so that whenever we face difficulties, we would not collapse. In fact, each time we face a challenge, we become stronger and stronger.

In Singapore, we are very lucky to have a society that has cultural diversity. I wish to inspire all Singaporeans to come together from different backgrounds and races in forming a united nation to emerge stronger than ever to battle COVID-19. Whenever we struggle or face a challenge, we do not face it alone but together, with people from all walks of life. Together, we are Singapore!

KOTRA RISHITA, P6C, GREENDALE PRIMARY SCHOOL

My painting is about how far Singapore has come and how my neighbour who is 72 years old lived during the early days. I focused on our pastimes and wanted to show a juxtaposition of how Singapore looked then and now. I also wanted to show the kampong spirit where everyone looked out for each other regardless of race, language or religion

My neighbour’s favourite pastimes were to play congkak and marbles (goli) with her friends. She thought that those were really enjoyable games to play back then and had fond memories of them. Games today are different compared to the past. I contrasted her pastime with mine which is skateboarding at a skate park, something that did not exist in the past.

My neighbour faced a lot of challenges when she was living in the kampong as she did not have adequate water and food. However, she overcame her difficulties with the help of her friends and neighbours. That sense of camaraderie enabled her to overcome many challenges.

From that, I learnt that unity is key. When we are together, we can do so much more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we should remember how far we have come and do our part to fight the pandemic together. I believe that we will prevail over the present tough situation in unity! As John Dickinson so aptly said, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Marbles, also known as goli, is one of the traditional kampong games played by many children in the past. Its popularity peaked in Singapore during the 1980s. The aim of that outdoor traditional kampong game was to pocket as many marbles as one can by flicking the marbles with a finger and ousting the opponents’ marbles. Marbles come in many different designs and shapes. Goli is usually played outdoors on dirt ground as a large, flat open space is needed. Large open spaces, creativity and simple materials provided hours of fun for the children of the past. How many traditional kampong games have you played?

MEGHNA ANIL, 5 KINDNESS, HAIG GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Through this artwork, I want to give everyone a glimpse into the colourful life of my grandmother. By showcasing her world, I want people to appreciate the way of life and wonderful things people enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s.

My grandmother also showed me through her collection of pictures, the school compound quarters, Kalaimagal School (in Yio Chu Kang), she lived in. I don’t want these places to be forgotten as they are no longer around. She shared how people were united and shared food with each other in the kampong. Apparently, my grandfather was fond of climbing the coconut trees in the area! This spirit of togetherness and concern for each other was definitely enlightening for meOne of the deserts she really loved was the ice ball, which she used to cherish on hot days. She used to save her money and looked forward to a much-deserved treat at the end of the school day. Besides the ice ball, she used to buy kachang puteh from the man she fondly referred to as “Kachang Puteh man”. She shared that people of all races used to race towards the “Kachang Puteh man” whenever they heard him around the corner.

My grandmother also shared the hardships she suffered, like having to fetch water from the well which was located quite far from home. Often she would walk with some of the neighbours to the well together, so that they could help each other. She used to dream about travelling in a car and in my artwork, I included a picture of her favourite car.My grandparent’s experiences have taught me to appreciate the things I have in my life and to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Their past is a good reminder that we should never take anything for granted. Instead, we can face the difficulties to come when we remain united. As the saying goes, United we stand, Divided we fall! Singapore shall and will forever stay united!

CHENG XIN RONG, 2B, TECK WHYE SECONDARY SCHOOL

Satay – Satay is a dish similar to kebabs in that it is made of cubes of skewered meat that is grilled and eaten with a peanut sauce dip. Tracing its origins to the Arabs, satay has been adapted to the multicultural palates of Asians, with various spicy sauces and different ways of marinating the meat.

The spice trade brought Arab traders to Southeast Asia, which led to the spread of Arabic cuisine to Indonesia, and eventually to Malaya. The kebab can also be found in India and other countries such as Greece and Turkey. However, a key adaptation of the dish in Asia is that wooden rather than metal skewers are used. Various seasonings are used to marinate the pieces of meat and the specially-made peanut sauce is usually served as a dip together with the grilled meatChili Crab- Chili crab is a popular seafood dish among locals and foreigners in Singapore, and consists of mud crabs deep-fried in a sweet, savory and spicy gravy. It has been referred to in various food publications as Singapore’s national seafood dish or even Singapore’s national dish. Chili crab is said to have been invented by Cher Yam Tian in the mid 1950s when she added bottled chili sauce to her dish of stir-fried crabs, instead of using tomato sauce, her usual ingredient. In 1956, she and her husband began selling the dish from a pushcart along the seaside.

In the past, food used to be simple, such as a big bowl of rice with a small side dish. People are happy just to fill their stomach. Now, we are fortunate that there is an abundance of food. People also have more choices now due to the huge variety of food from the diverse cultures of our people.

Singapore is a uniquely multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society. Just like how the different cultures are combined together to form Singapore, the drawing uses food to show that Singaporeans from different backgrounds can come together as one during the Covid-19 pandemic. Every Singaporean is working together as one Singapore to ensure that no one is left behind in this pandemic.

ANNIKA NOR DAVINA ROZARIO, 6 RESILIENCE, MARSILING PRIMARY SCHOOL

Food is an important part of any culture and traditional cuisine is passed down from one generation to another. It serves as an expression of one’s cultural identity.

Pineapple tarts are a traditional festive snack in Singapore. Different races celebrate their traditional festivals by eating pineapple tarts. For example, the Chinese serve them in their homes during Chinese New Year because it is considered auspicious. They eat it to celebrate the new year and wish their loves ones good wealth and fortune.

Malay families have pineapple tarts during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, to celebrate with their loved ones after a month of fasting.

Pineapple tarts are said to have originated from the Straits Chinese or Peranakan culture. They later found their way to becoming a “staple snack” during the festive celebrations of other cultures.

In the midst of COVID-19, I wish to inspire and encourage Singaporeans with my drawing by reminding them to stay home and spend time with their loved ones. For example, they can cook their family’s favourite dishes and play interactive board games together.

I learnt that life in the past was not as peaceful as the life we have now. In the past, there were riots and war, and many people lived in fear. My grandmother would make pineapple tarts with her mother and invite her neighbours to their home to savour their speciality. By doing so, they helped to spread some cheer and provide support for one another during such hard times.

My vision for Singapore is for her to always remain a harmonious place and not have any racial riots in the future. I pledge that I would abide by the laws and to stay united as one Singapore.

I would like to tell all Singaporeans to stay united as one. We will do so, by showing empathy and respect to people of different races and religions.