It was a dark and stormy afternoon… It was certainly not the best climate to begin a quest for knowledge. The members of Team 5, Mr Taufiq, Ms Ng Kee Teng, Ms Shelon Tang, Mr Joseph Tan, Ms Siti Norbariah, Mr Jeremy Loy and our newest team member Ms Pradeepa tried to make sense of the clues given to them to decide the location of our first station. It was supposed to be somewhere near the Zhu Jiao Market (Old Tekka Market) but we had no idea where. So we braved the weather and headed in the general direction of the market as the rain pelted away at us with every step.
When we reached Zhu Jiao Market, we all stood unsure at how to proceed. Then our newcomer Pradeepa volunteered specialized information that was critical to pin-point the exact location – A Henna Parlour. There we had to have our hands painted in a certain pattern with a tube of henna so that we could receive the clues to the next station.
We felt that it was a lengthy first station firstly because the pattern to be painted on our hands took a long time and while that was going on, 2 more groups came by and told us this was their 2nd or 3rd station! The day just became more gloomy … Finally we completed our task and was given our clue to our next station which was thankfully not too far away.
When we approached our next station we were shown some strange symmetrical patterns. Our challenge was to replicate the patterns and apply colour with the use of some colored powder. We learnt that the patterns were called Rangoli. The two things we learnt at this station was (a) none of us had any talent in art, let alone putting colours to the Rangoli and (b) the ground coloured rice did not stick to the pattern the way coloured chalk would.
The next station required us to determine the identity of some exotic spices that is commonly used to cook a variety of Indian dishes. It was the only way to get the clue to the next station. Among the spices were, cinnamon, cumin and fenugreek. After completing the task, our clue directed us to journey to a spiritual place…
Our trek brought us to the gates of a temple. It was the Sri Perumal Temple. As we ventured inside, we wondered what challenges awaited within… We were greeted by the Priestess A-Rula-Rasi. She fixed her gaze upon us and began to speak. Soon, we were compelled to move to a set of rhythmic movements. A-Rula-Rasi had expressive eyes that looked left and right with the words’ tay-ee’ and some movements were accompanied by the words ta-ka-dimi. Having performed satisfactorily, we were released from her spell.
The slight physical exertion made us hungry and it was fortunate that our next clue brought us to a food establishment that served traditional Thosai. The kind owner took one look at us and quickly led three of our team members to the kitchen to prepare the thosai while the remaining team members answered the questions that might lead us to the next station.
After our refreshments, we thanked the kind owner for his generosity and headed with renewed vigour to our next station. Our short journey brought us to the gates of another temple. This time, we had to piece together some jigsaw pieces. When we completed our challenge, we were dismayed that our next clue would require us to journey back up Serangoon Road. As the time limit was fast approaching, the team decided to proceed to the gathering point and to take stock of our learning.
When we compared notes with other teams, we realized that we missed what would be two very interesting stations. One of the stations would require team members to dress in fine traditional garments. The other station would give us knowledge on the preparation of flower garlands…. Oh well, maybe next time…
Team Leader
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