JOIN USSingapore today started a USD 9.69 million buidling an Indian Heritage Centre which will showcase trades and culture of early Indian settlers in the city state when completed in 2015.
The centre "will offer an immersive and interactive experience for all visitors, through multimedia displays which contain images and interviews, guiding devices ... tracing key migration patterns," said Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the ground breaking ceremony.
It is located in Serangoon Road or "Little India", a shopping precinct where one can find a wide range of shops and businesses dealing in Indian products and foods.
When completed, the centre would look like a "shining jewel" in the day and a welcoming "glowing lattern" in the night," said Shanmugaratnam on the centre's design.
The centre would also feature a mixture of modern and traditional Indian architectural elements.
Artifacts and pictures of early days of the Indian migrants were being donated by the local Indians to the centre.
About 200 Indian community and business leaders attended the ground breaking ceremony this morning.
Singapore's links to the Indians go back to the early colonial days. The city state has an Indian population of over 500,000 and is one of the most popular destination for Indian tourists and businessmen.