Gujarati, as a term, can be used to describe either the language of the same name, the people that hail from the Gujarat region, or the same region which makes up the present-day West Indian state of the same name (Jain and Shah 2019). The language itself can trace its origins back to Sanskrit. In Singapore, Gujarati people make up a small, yet important subgroup of Indian Singaporeans who do not identify as part of the Tamil-speaking population. Most Gujaratis identify as either Hindus, Muslims, or Jains (Jain and Shah 2019). The primary educational institution for Gujarati in Singapore is the Singapore Gujarati School, located at Joo Chiat Road.

Timeline

1890s → This decade marks the first wave of Gujarati migration from their homeland in Western India (Mehta and Shah 2008, 107).

1902 → Earliest known records of Gujarati households in Singapore were recorded, with the number totalling up to 28 households (Mehta and Shah 2008, 107-108). By this period, the Gujarati population were living primarily around areas such as Market Street, Geylang, and Kallang (Mehta and Shah 2008, 107-108). These areas usually consisted of buildings known as “shophouses”, where business was conducted on the first floor, while the family lived in the floors above.

1912 → A building was purchased along 79 Waterloo Street which would be the first official community centre for the Gujarati community in Singapore (Singapore Gujarati Society 2024).

early 1920s → The Hindi Paropkari Fund (Hindu Benevolent Fund) was founded at 79 Waterloo Street, which was likely the earliest known Gujarati-speaking association in Singapore (Mehta and Shah 2008, 108)

1945 → Second wave of Gujarati migration to Singapore following World War II. Demographics of this migration wave did not just include single male businessmen, but also entire families  (Mehta and Shah 2008, 108).

1947 → Singapore Gujarati School (SGS) was established at 79 Waterloo Street (Mehta and Shah 2008, 108). 

1956 → The first formal Gujarati-speaking association was formed, named “Yuvak Mandal” or Youth Association. It would eventually become the Singapore Gujarati Society.

1966 → The four official languages of Singapore (Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil) were enacted by the Singaporean Government.

1990 → Educational reforms allowed for NTIL students to sit for their Mother Tongue “O” Levels in the five approved NTIL languages (Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu).

1994 → NTIL students can sit for their Mother Tongue Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLEs) in the five approved NTIL languages (Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu).

Challenges in the preservation of Gujarati culture in Singapore

A pressing issue identified within the Gujarati community in Singapore was the challenges in the preservation of Gujarati culture in Singapore. Older community members expressed concern about the need for more proactive engagement with community challenges (Mehta and Shah 2008, 117). With how metropolitan the culture of Singapore is today, Gujarati elders have emphasised the importance of preserving Gujarati culture for future generations, including their way of life, identity, traditions, customs, and religious knowledge (Mehta and Shah 2008, 117).

The discussion currently centers around engaging the  spouses of Gujarati individuals from other ethnic communities, as well as reaching out to all aspects of the Gujarati-speaking community, be they new arrivals or those already entrenched deeply within the larger Singaporean society (Mehta and Shah 2008, 117-118). To that end, much praise has been shown towards the decision by the Ministry of Education to allow for Gujarati to be examinable as a Mother Tongue in the Singaporean educational system, which many in the community believe to unify the Gujarati population in Singapore, regardless of their faith. 

Despite this, the falling rates of student enrolment in Gujarati schools does pose a possible concern amongst the community, which fell from 137 to 89 students being examined annually in Gujarati from 2011 to 2016 (Jain and Shah 2019). The inherent unappealing nature of weekend classes to potential Gujarati students has been cited as a possible reason of the fall in enrolment rate.

 In addition, the Board for the Teaching and Testing of South Asian Languages (BTTSAL) has mandated a series of textbooks for the NTIL community as a whole to be translated into their intended non-Tamil Indian language of instruction (Jain and Shah 2019). Critique has come upon this decision, as this method of teaching Gujarati students can lead to them being inclined to score well academically, instead of having a natural competency in their language of choice (Jain and Shah 2019). This problem somewhat extends to other NTIL communities as well.

Other concerns include the shrinking population of the Gujarati community, as well as the inherent debate – should a potential Gujarati student take Gujarati as a language, compared to other more universal Indian languages such as Hindi (Jain and Shah 2019)? However, Gujarati cultural events such as Navatri, a popular Hindu festival, attract a sizeable portion of the Gujarati community annually.

Gujarati-speaking community in Singapore today

The Gujarati-speaking community in Singapore has strong historical roots in the textiles, jewellery, and finance industries. Today, the community has many individuals involved in philanthropy, sports associations, as well as business.