Protective of Little India’s authenticity, home-grown LISHA Chairman relishes the challenge of cutting through the chaos to keep this historic district thriving.

The recent hot-button question of whether Little India needs a makeover is not new to Rajakumar Chandra. The chairman of the Little India Shopkeepers & Heritage Association (LISHA) has been grappling with this issue in his decade long place making efforts for this district along Serangoon Road.

While some see Little India today as crowded and disorganised, he sees vitality and authenticity. Over the years of working with the URA and other government agencies to manage and sustain this conserved precinct’s vibrancy – a dedication that has led to him being conferred a Special Recognition prize from the Singapore Tourism Board and a Place Champion Award from the Place Management Coordinating Forum 1 in 2016 – Rajakumar’s approach of place-making in Little India is based on a simple philosophy: “Once you move away life, you can’t bring it back.”

➜ Read the full story in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Skyline (6/2017)