The Melting Pot

...and I'm not talking about the weather in Singapore. Singapore prides itself on being a hub for multiculturalism and the epitome of what other multicultural societies should strive for – a peaceful, rich integration of 4 dominant cultures (but myriad others) blending, respecting, and enjoying each others' religious beliefs, culinary prowess, and cultural uniqueness.

But this balanced fusion of multiculturalism in Southeast Asia, though alive and well in Singapore, was not born here. After all, Singapore only has enjoyed independence since the 1960s. But today the longevity of multiculturalism in this part of the world became blatantly apparent to me. Just before leaving the Asian Civilizations Museum, a particular display caught my eye. It was a series of water-type vessels (kendis) differing much in look, shape, and color. The display description read as follows:

"Kendi" is the Malay term derived from the Sanskrit word "kundica," a small ritual pouring vessel.

So here we have vessels: (1) coming from China, Cambodia, northern Vietnam, and Indonesia; (2) being referred to by a Malay term; (3) having name origins from a northwestern Indian language (Sanskrit); (4) used for Hindu–Buddhist rituals. And to boot, the vessels date from the 11th to 21st centuries. Clearly cultural, religious, and linguistic fusion is what Southeast Asia is and has been for over a thousand years.

In Singapore, children are taught in Mandarin, English, and Malay. Flipping through the TV channels you find Tamil, Mandarin, Malay, and English programs. Often you might see 2 or 3 sets of subtitles displayed on the screen's bottom. The local hawker centers boast Japanese, Korean, Hokkien Chinese, Hakka, Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Indian, and Singaporean cuisines (just to name a few). Within 2 square miles of my home, there are multiple Buddhist and Hindu temples, mosques, and Christian and Catholic churches from which I could choose to worship.

Even a country as new as Singapore has embraced with alacrity the historically diverse identity ever present in this region. Southeast Asia is (and has been for centuries) the true melting pot.