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| Singapore professor co-authors book on ''Nagarathars'' Dec 22, 10 |
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Singapore, Dec 21 (PTI) An Indian-origin professor has co-authored a book on ''Nagarathars'', the mercantile community from Tamil Nadu who settled here in the 18th century, comprising mostly money-lenders, a media report said.
The book, ''Nagarathars in Singapore,'' chronicles the origin of the community''s money-lending business, their contribution to the Singapore economy and their social life, Professor S P Thinnappan, a Nagarathar himself, said in the book.
The Nagarathar money-lender would sit cross-legged in a ''Pettagam'' (iron safe) position next to a wooden box where he would keep his money and documents, he said in the book, co-authored by Soundaranayaki Vairavan, a part-time tutor at the National University of Singapore, The Straits Times reported today.
They lent money to businessmen operating along the banks of the Singapore River, the early day commerce hub, and now a commercial centre in the central business district of the city, Thinnappan said.
"I want to tell the story of my people before all the archives get ravaged by time. The first settlers took weeks to travel by boat from India. We say now that young people are brave, but I don''t think many would leave home without their mobile phones," he said.
"It was a very small group when the first Nagarathars arrived, then they slowly brought their wives over, but now, we are a thriving community," the paper quoted Vairavan as saying.
The Nagarathar community of about 800 families in Singapore includes the Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam and V R Alagappan, owner of a restaurant chain. PTI GS DBR
Source: msn.com |
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