Tekka Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tekka Market is a place where several ethnic communities converged to create a multicultural shopping fiesta. What attracts tourists is at the bottom floor of the Tekka Centre. Both South and North Indian food, Chinese dishes and Malay cuisine are sold. Its wet market sells fresh seafood, fruits, and vegetables that have been flown in from Sri Lanka and India. Tekka market gives off a cultural experience for tourists.

 

Tekka Centre is a complex housing a variety of shops, as well as a market and food centre, and it is a landmark of Singapore. It was first built in 1915 with the name ‘Kandang Kerbau’ – Malay for ‘buffalo pens – which was a reference to the slaughterhouses that were in that area until the early 19th century. It also had another name, ‘Tek Kia Kha’ – meaning ‘foot of the small bamboos’ in Hokkien – which was representative of the bamboo plants that once grew long Rochor Canal. It was later to become ‘Tekka Pasar’.

 

The complex was originally built between Hastings Road and Sungei Road – where ‘The Verge’ currently stands – and moved to Buffalo Road, its present location, in 1982; its name was also changed to Zhujiao Centre, which is the pinyin version of ‘Tek Kia’. However, the changed name had no resemblance to ‘Tekka’, and was difficult to read and pronounce. So – also to better reflect the history of this place – the complex was officially renamed to ‘Tekka Centre’ in 2000. It was closed for major upgrading works between 2008 and 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around this complex, you can hear many different languages – Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, Hokkien, Teochew etc. The interesting part is they are not exclusively spoken by native speakers – this means to say, you can hear an Indian shop owner being fluent in Mandarin, or a Chinese owner being fluent in Malay. This could be due to the fact that Tekka Centre is visited by people all over Singapore regardless of race, language, or religion, hence the need for shop owners to be fluent in a few languages so that they can understand and better communicate with their customers. Tekka Centre is also a popular spot for tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tekka Centre has a hawker centre that serves a smorgasbord of delicacies, ranging from tasty and well-known local dishes to authentic North-Indian food. One stall – that goes by the name of ‘Allauddin’s Briyani’ – has appeared in many local newspapers and has been hailed as one of the best biryani stalls in Singapore. The hawker centre sells an incredible variety of food – duck rice, roti prata, briyani, to name a few – and is divided into Muslim and Non-Muslim section. Most stalls are ‘halal’ and are closed on Fridays as Muslim shop owners go for their Friday prayers. The ingredients used in the food are very fresh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The market of Tekka Centre is one of the largest and busiest markets in Singapore. Tekka market is different from most wet markets that operate from early morning till noon: you can walk into Tekka Market at 3 in the afternoon and expect to get fresh groceries from the Indian shop owners who had either just collected a fresh batch of stock, or have only just opened for business. Inside, you can find fresh seafood, poultry, vegetables, and even spices flown in from India that are seldom seen in other markets. The meats sold here are hand-cut by the owners themselves, so freshness is guaranteed. The market is divided in to sections. Examples are seafood, fruits and vegetables, Chinese, Halal etc. One must be very careful around this market. The floor is very slippery due to water from the seafood and washing of stalls.Also, the unloading bay of the market can become very busy as trucks come by to deliver goods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second floor of this complex is filled with shops aplenty, and they have been there for many years. While most of these shops specialize in tailoring traditional Indian costumes (called Salwar Kameez or Punjabi suits), there are also shops that sell jewelry and antiques – there is even a Christian shop. Unfortunately, these sunset industries are finding it increasingly difficult to survive due to the changing psychographic behaviour of customers. Additionally, one may find it interesting that shops of vastly different cultural and religious roots can co-exist in the same business location so cater to customers of various cultures and religions.