S2E19: In a home in India’s Trichy, a laminated photo of Lee Kuan Yew hangs

Feb 6, 2025

21:09

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The choice of decor by a Tamil Nadu resident whose father was a bus conductor in Singapore speaks of the ties between both cities.

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in.

Trichy in southern India has no direct flights to the capital city New Delhi, but it has five daily flights to Singapore. The planes are packed, underscoring the rich flows of people both ways.

It is a relationship that stretched back to the early 19th century, when migrants from Tamil Nadu settled down in Singapore. Today, there are some 200,000 Singaporeans of Tamil origins.

In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying speaks to India Correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta about those from Trichy who continue to make their way to Singapore - and other destinations - in search of opportunities.

Highlights (click/tap above):

00:55 Looking out from India

03:48 Bungalows, cars and lavish weddings

08:56 Reverse migration

13:50 The Singapore Dream

15:25 The global competition for Indian talent

17:00 New frontiers

Read Debarshi’s article here: https://str.sg/eoRm

Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR

Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x

Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani