Geylang Serai 



Origins of street name

The name “Geylang Road” can be traced back to 1831.  The word “Geylang” is believed to be either a corruption of the Malay  word kilang which refers to “mills” or “factories”, since the road used to be the site of coconut plantations and mills operated on it to produce coconut oil. Another possible origin is the early presence of the Orang Gallang tribe that lived along the coasts and rivers of Singapore island and was well-known for their piracy activities around the area.

The term Geylang Serai refers to an area that is bounded by several adjacent roads in the area. The history of the street is linked to the Alsagoffs, a wealthy Arab family who owned a big property in the neighbourhood. Formerly, the area was called Geylang Kelapa because of the number of coconut palms (kelapa in Malay) planted in the area. In the later half of the 19th century, the estate was developed into an estate for the cultivation of serai (lemongrass). The name was soon changed from Geylang Kelapa to Geylang Serai. [1]
A photo of a Malay Kampong in Geylang Serai[2]
After World War II, Geylang Serai’s population increased and the uninhabited areas were gradually occupied. In the 1950s, when the better-off Chinese moved out of the area, more Malay people moved in and the population of Geylang Serai became predominantly Malay.[3]
Geylang Serai during the 1960s
Entrance of Happy World Amusement Park

Built in 1936, Geylang Serai was the site of Happy World (which was renamed Gay World in 1966). Along with New World at Jalan Besar and Great World at Kim Seng Road, these all-in-one consumer complexes were where Singaporeans got their fix of entertainment, from movies and arcade games, to sports and shopping, to, of course, music.

Birthplace of a national phenomenon



Pop Yeh Yeh hit song, Suzana, which became a national hit in the 1960s





M Ishak in his 70s


Pop Yeh Yeh singer-drummer M Ishak., now 70, recalls how musicians would hang out at a restaurant at Block 1, Geylang Serai. The bands would rehearse at community centres or at each other’s houses. 


Mr Andy Lim, who had many friends in the kampongs and was also a Geylang resident in the 1960s, recalled Malay weddings as a place to check out musical talents. “There would always be a band onstage. And two things would always attract people to a Malay wedding — the fabulous food and the music,” he said.


Of course, a music scene doesn’t just thrive on wedding gigs alone. Pop Yeh Yeh became a national phenomenon. While Geylang Road today may be a one-way street, but back then it went in both directions. And you could say the same of the music at that time. Just as the impact of British pop coursed its way down to the kampongs and lorongs, so the burgeoning music from inspired Singaporean lads also worked its way up and around the entire country.

Racial Riots 1964
However, it was not always peaceful in Geylang Serai as the area was also where racial tensions were first observed in Singapore. The communal riots of 1964 refer to two separate series of race riots involving clashes between Malays and Chinese that occurred in Singapore when it was part of the Federation of Malaysia. 
The first series of communal riots started on 21 July 1964 during a procession to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which was attended by an estimated 20,000 Muslims. The procession began at the Padang and was to end at Lorong 12 in Geylang. However, a series of clashes broke out between Malays in the procession and Chinese bystanders in the vicinity of Kallang Road and the then Kampong Soo Poo. As more people heard about the news of the initial clashes, communal violence began to spread across the island. Four people were killed and 178 others injured by the end of the first day of rioting.
Government efforts to quell the riots taxed heavily on police resources, and military reinforcements had to be called in. An islandwide curfew from 9.30 pm on 21 July to 6 am the following day was imposed, but 24 incidents were still reported during the period. A few hours after the curfew lifted, there were clashes again, which prompted the authorities to reimpose the curfew. Goodwill committees made up of racially diverse community leaders were established in every constituency in a bid to calm the situation. At the same time, 15 peace committees were established in areas that were worst affected by the riots.[5]
Members of the Singapore Police Riot Squad during the 1964 racial riots 
By the end of the July riots, 23 persons had died and 454 others injured. Out of the 3,568 persons arrested during the riots, 715 were charged in court and 945 were placed under preventive detention. There was also extensive damage to public and private properties, especially in the areas around Kallang Road, Kampong Soo Poo, Geylang Road and Geylang Serai. Stalls and shops were damaged by rioters throwing stones, bottles and other projectiles, while some shophouses were burnt down. Rioters also overturned a number of scooters and cars and smashed the windows of cars parked along the roads.
Newspaper report during the racial riots[6]
A second series of communal riots broke out on 2 September 1964. The mysterious killing of a 57-year-old Malay trishaw rider opposite the Changi market at Geylang Serai prompted Malays in the area to take retaliatory action against the Chinese. By 4 September, the rioting had become widespread and an islandwide curfew was imposed from 2 pm by the police with military assistance. The curfew was finally lifted on 11 September at 4 pm with the military standing down the following day and the police following suit on 14 September.

 The September riots resulted in 13 deaths and left another 106 persons injured. Out of the 1,439 persons arrested, 154 were charged in court and another 268 were placed under preventive detention. Rioters again caused extensive damage to public and private properties, especially in the Geylang Serai area. Some rioters stoned police cars and threatened to attack a military radio transmitting station.[7]












[1] Savage& Yeoh, Toponymics: A study of Singapore Street names, Eastern Universities Press, 2003, page 138
[4] Article about Happy/ Gay World Amusement Park and the music scene in Singapore was largely adapted and summarized from: Martin, From Gay World to Pop Yeh Yeh: When Geylang rocked the ‘60s, <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/from-gay-world-to-pop-yeh-yeh-when-geylang-rocked-the--60s-7980364>, 2016. Check out the website for the full article. 
[5] Singapore Infopedia, Communal riots of 1964, <http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_45_2005-01-06.html> , 2014
[6] Images taken from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31626174
[7] Ibid.

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