Kampung Keling -- economic symbiosis in Medan's
Kampung Keling -- economic symbiosis in Medan's
Chinese-Indian enclave
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
Medan, North Sumatra, is known for its sharp racial distinctions
between native Batak, Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnic groups.
Ironically, one of the city's most prominent areas, Kampung
Keling, or Little India, has evolved to become an example of
racial harmony between the ethnic Chinese and the once
predominant Indian community
Its almost lunch time. A 70-year-old woman of Tamil descent
named Kolina stands busily chopping fruit and vegetables in front
of her run-down house.
Strangers passing by might ask themselves why is she doing
such work outside the house, and not in her kitchen.
Kolina smiles each time someone asks her this familiar
question. With a touch of embarrassment, she admits that this has
been her habit for over two decades, simply because her small
dwelling has no kitchen.
Like many of her neighbors of Indian descent in Kampung Kubur,
Madras subdistrict, in the North Sumatra provincial capital of
Medan, she's accustomed to the hard life. Her house is similar to
those around it. Small four-walled dwellings packed in narrow
lanes that are no more than a few meters wide.
Kampung Kubur is so named for the simple reason that it is
adjacent to a cemetery.
For people like Kolina, the narrow lane not only functions as
a path to reach the "outside world" but also the place where
daily chores are carried out.
Her house is just 4 meters by 6 meters, barely sufficient for a
bedroom and makeshift living room. Inside, there is no fancy
furniture, not even a TV set. The most noticeable features are a
few pictures representing Hindu gods hung on the wall.
"I don't have the money to fill my house with expensive items. I
have had to make do by myself since my husband died 10 years
ago," said the childless Kolina.
To keep her company, Kolina considers her nephew as her own
child. But much of the 15-year-old's material needs are still
provided by his biological parents.
To make ends meet, Kolina sometimes washes clothes for an
ethnic Chinese family living in this "Indian village". She
receives about Rp 100,000 per month for her toil.
Even though the area -- dubbed Kampung Keling -- is known as
Little India, fate has made it common for the predominantly
ethnic Indians to seek employment with ethnic Chinese families
who over time have come to dominate the location economically.
The local area head, Raunandas, said that despite once being
the predominant ethnic group in the area, the ethnic Indians have
long been seeking employment with the ethnic Chinese. Most of
them perform menial work such as serving as maids, washerwomen or
security guards.
Kampung Keling is considered the original home of Medan's
ethnic Indian community. They are mainly the descendants of South
Indians who came to work in the plantations of North Sumatra in
the late 1800s. A prominent reminder of the South Indian heritage
in the area is the Sri Mariamman temple, which was built in 1881
for the goddess Kali. The names of the streets in the area also
once reflected the origin of those living there -- Calcutta,
Nagapatam, Bombay Streets.
Another feature of the area is the Khalsa school, located
adjacent to the temple. The school was once famous for being the
only English language school in the city.
According to Raunandas, the ethnic Chinese started becoming
more noticeable in the area in the 1950s when the Indian
residents fell on hard times and started selling their houses.
This also resulted in a diaspora of the original Indians from the
area to the outskirts of Medan.
Raunandas, who himself is ethnic Indian and has lived in the
area all his life, claims that after years of living together
there is no longer any sense of shame in having to depend for
their livelihoods on Chinese families -- latecomers to the area.
It is an historical fact, said the 58-year-old, that the
Indians are at an economic disadvantage.
"The Indians are poor while the Chinese are always rich. If
there are poor Chinese, they're very rare. Everyone accepts
that," he remarked.
The pattern has thus been set. The ethnic Indians rule the
small rows of houses and pathways hidden behind the more
prominent two-story buildings on the main streets, which the
Chinese use as both shops and homes.
The demography has also changed according to the latest census,
with the ethnic Chinese outnumbering the 500 ethnic Indian
families three-to-one.
According to one local elder, Naran Sami, Kampung Keling,
which was originally called Patisah, changed its name to Kampung
Madras to reflect the South Indian origin of those living in the
10-hectare area. But because the South Indians were mostly people
of dark skin, the name Keling -- a slang word for darker skin --
became more popular.
What attracted them to the area was the presence of the Sri
Mariamman temple, which today has become one of Medan's tourist
attractions.
What makes the area unique is that at a time when Indonesia has been
witnessing numerous communal conflicts, Kampung Keling, despite
the divergence of race, religion and economic status of its
inhabitants, has remained a peaceful place for its residents,
irrespective of their ethnicity.
This peaceful understanding and cohabitation did not occur
overnight, and it required years of mutual tolerance by all sides
before a level of "comfort" could be attained.
As one resident put it, the two groups came from "different
worlds", with each considering itself different from the other.
Exclusivity
One obstacle, according to Naran Sami, was the "exclusive"
way in which the ethnic Chinese conducted their lives, making
little effort to approach their Indian neighbors.
"Till today, the ethnic Chinese maintain highly exclusive
lifestyles. They only engage with their own kind, rarely with
people like us," he lamented.
This is felt deeply when an ethnic Indian dies.
"Rarely will we see them (the ethnic Chinese) pay their
respects," he added.
"You also don't see a Chinese taking part in community
volunteer work, or the neighborhood watch at night."
These feelings of jealousy persist. Fortunately, the cordial
nature in which the two groups handle their differences --
highlighted by a symbiotic need of (economic) convenience -- has
prevented negative feelings from spilling over into rage.
It is not a perfect relationship, nor one that is at all
equal. But a symbiosis has naturally developed that has helped
encourage a peaceful understanding among residents.
They have come to accept, albeit not necessarily like, the way
the other lives. Despite their exclusivity, the ethnic Chinese
are known for their generosity in providing "donations" when
sought.
When a part of the area was burned down, the ethnic Chinese
distinguished themselves by their generosity.
Riots
As far as Naran Sami remembers, in the six decades he has
lived in Kampung Keling, he has never encountered any ethnic-
based flare-ups. Even when parts of Medan were gripped by racial
rioting in 1998, Kampung Keling remained relatively safe. In fact
it was the ethnic Indians who prevented outsiders from attacking
their Chinese neighbors.
Though still rare, there has also been an increasing number of
mixed marriages between ethnic Indian and Chinese people.
One man who can attest to conditions there is Lukman Ahin, an
ethnic Chinese who has resided in Kampung Keling since 1938 when
he was just three years old.
Moving from the town of Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, Lukman's
parents opened a repair shop in Kampung Keling, at a time when
there were less than 100 ethnic Chinese families living there.
Most other Chinese families sold household supplies.
He has since taken over the family business and turned it into
an auto repair shop. Lukman claims that he has had little
difficulty in dealing with his racially different neighbors.
"Frankly, this place is my little piece of heaven. I feel safe
living and working in this Indian village," said the father of
three, while adding that "they (the ethnic Indians) are our
protectors".
Free from troublesome harassment, Lukman's business has
prospered, allowing him to send his children to university.
Lukman may smile at his good fortune, but just a few meters
away Kolina can only look forward to further toil for a pittance
and hope for some charity from her more affluent neighbors.