Singai Nesan (Tamil: சிங்கை நேசன், English: Singapore Friend, also transliterated as Cinkai Necan) was a Tamil language weekly newspaper published from Singapore from 1887 to 1890.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The newspaper also carried material in English and Malay.[1] It is the oldest Tamil newspaper in Singapore of which a substantial number of issues has been saved in archives.[2] The issues of Singai Nesan contains historical material on the religious life of Hindu and Muslim communities of Singapore.[7] S.K. Makadoom Saiboo was the editor of Singai Nesan.[8][9]
 Cover of first issue of Singai Nesan, 27 June 1887 | |
| Type | Weekly |
|---|---|
| Editor | S.K. Makadoom Saiboo |
| Founded | 27 June 1887 |
| Language | Tamil language |
| Ceased publication | 1890 |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
The first issue of the newspaper was published on 27 June 1887, in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.[1][9][10] The inaugural issue carried editorial articles in Tamil and English in honour of the Queen.[9] The issue also carried a small editorial in Tamil in tribute to the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II.[1]
Singai Nesan had the majority of its subscribers in Singapore, but subscribers were also found in Batu Pahat, Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Siam, Porto-Novo, Sibolga, Padang, Medan, Langkat, Saigon and Melaka.[2] The majority of subscribers were Muslims, but the readership also included Hindus and Christians.[11] It was published by Denodaya Press, which printed both Malay and Tamil literature.[1][2]
Large chunks of the material printed in Singai Nesan were borrowed from the English-language press and the Reuters agency.[1] Whilst it provided the Colombo-based newspapers Muslim Nesan and Sarvajana Nesan with article material from South-East Asia, the newspaper copied material from them on Middle Eastern affairs.[12]
References
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- ^ a b c d e f Amrith, Sunil S. Crossing the Bay of Bengal: The Furies of Nature and the Fortunes of Migrants. 2013. pp. 166–167
- ^ a b c d Feener, R. Michael, and Terenjit Sevea. Islamic Connections: Muslim Societies in South and Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2009. p. 60
- ^ Lim, Patricia Pui Huen. Newspapers Published in the Malaysian Area, with a Union List of Local Holdings. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1970. p. 190
- ^ Heng, Derek Thiam Soon, and Syed Muhd. Khairudin Aljunied. Singapore in Global History. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011. pp. 24, 74
- ^ National Library of Singapore. Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
- ^ Sinha, Vineeta. Religion-State Encounters in Hindu Domains: From the Straits Settlements to Singapore. Dordrecht [etc.]: Springer, 2011. p. 63
- ^ Sinha, Vineeta. Religion-State Encounters in Hindu Domains: From the Straits Settlements to Singapore. Dordrecht [etc.]: Springer, 2011. p. 84
- ^ Thumboo, Edwin. The Fiction of Singapore. Singapore: Mentor Printers, n.d. p. 618
- ^ a b c Abdul Hakim Hj Mohd Yassin, Haji. Traditional Literature of ASEAN. [Quezon City]: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, 2000. p. 209
- ^ Lane, John. A Right Royal Feast: Menus from Royal Weddings and History's Greatest Banquets. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2011. p. 38
- ^ Heng, Derek Thiam Soon, and Syed Muhd. Khairudin Aljunied. Singapore in Global History. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011. pp. 87–88
- ^ Heng, Derek Thiam Soon, and Syed Muhd. Khairudin Aljunied. Singapore in Global History. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011. p. 82