Neighbours - Rumah Bombay at 4E Bedok Road
Kampong folk sometimes mistook them for Arabs, but the residents of Rumah Bombay - as the house at 4E Bedok Road (formerly 614) was affectionately known - actually hailed from Gujarat in India. (Yes, Gujarat was part of North Bombay before 1 May 1960.) They were one large extended family, led by their patriarch, the late Haji Kassim bin Adam, who ran a thriving dates business at 29 Arab Street under the company named “Kassim bin Adam Pte Ltd”.
They lived just next door to us, separated only by a simple
fence. Abu Bakar, Haji Kassim’s grandson, still remembers vividly the day they
moved in - January 1957 - and how the family transformed the former
hostel/boarding house into a home spacious enough for the families of Haji
Kassim’s seven children, their children, and grandchildren. The house
eventually held nine bedrooms.
At its peak, more than forty family members lived together
under that magnificent two storey roof fenced with beautiful, yellow-flowered
Australia Gold Vine creepers. It was exactly as the patriarch wished: everyone
united in one household.
The late Kak Min, the daughter in law of Haji Kassim’s
eldest son, was especially close to our family. You could often find her
chatting with the ladies of our kampong house in the soft glow of the evening.
The family’s kindness extended beyond neighbourly warmth - they even allowed us
to use their telephone during emergencies, as we did not have one of our own.
Our mother fondly recalls bringing us boys over whenever
there was a wedding - and there were many - to enjoy the generous feast and
return home with a lovely souvenir. Hari Raya was no different; their
hospitality flowed as naturally as the kampong breeze.
After we moved out in October 1974, the family continued to
live in Rumah Bombay for nearly two more decades. When government redevelopment
of the area was announced, they held one final, heartfelt reunion in 1993 -
gathering all branches of the family under the same roof one last time. The
occasion was so meaningful that reporters from the Malay daily Berita Harian
came to cover their story, publishing a full‑page feature on 12 September 1993.
The family eventually moved out later that month, dispersing
across several HDB flats in different parts of Singapore.
We count ourselves blessed to have had the Rumah Bombay
family as our neighbours and friends. And after more than fifty years,
reconnecting with them again feels like rediscovering a cherished chapter of
our kampong life.
Sincere thanks to Abu Bakar Haji Ibrahim for sharing the
story of his family and the lovely photos.
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| 614 then 4E Bedok Road affectionally known as "Rumah Bombay" |
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| 1961 side view of the house from our kampong house garden |
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| 1958 back view of the house, as seen from the beach front (our house arrowed) |
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| Patriarch Haji Kassim bin Adam (photo courtesy of Abu Bakar Haji Ibrahim) |
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| 1957, Kak Min who just moved in and at the beach posing with our paternal Aunt Mary |
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| 1970 photo taken from our house with both Kak Min and Auntie Mary having one of many evening chats over the fence |
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| The lovely Australia Gold Vine gracing the fences |
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| The Berita Harian Berita Minggu article on 12 September 1993 page 8 |
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/beritaharian19930912-1.1.8
Himpunan 'terakhir' di rumah pusaka - The ‘last’ gathering at the ancestral house
"This person is my late husband's niece. She is also my
mother-in-law. I am her eldest daughter-in-law. That one is my nephew. He is
also the son of my younger sister, because his late father married my sisters
one after another (after each previous wife passed away).Five of my sisters
married male cousins from my father's side," said Hajah Momin Bee Ahmad,
68.
You may be confused.
But such is the family lineage of the late Kassim Adam, who
was well known for his successful business ventures.
Last week, all members of his family and descendants,
together with those of his late wife Hajah Salmah Bee Haji Daud, gathered for a
farewell gathering at his ancestral home on Bedok Road.
Nearly 80 children, grandchildren, relatives and
great-grandchildren of the late Kassim gathered at the house, which was nearly
100 years old.
"Just mention Rumah Bombay (Bombay House) and everyone
in the village knows this house. It received that nickname because my late
grandfather came from North Bombay," said Encik Abu Bakar Haji Ibrahim,
48, one of the late Kassim's grandchildren.
Although the house was nearly 100 years old, several of the
late Kassim's descendants who attended the farewell gathering said that the
house had only become the property of the late Kassim about 40 years ago.
The house had to be vacated because it was affected by a
government redevelopment project for the area.
Originally, the house had been a hostel or boarding house,
with walls made only of wooden planks.
After the late Encik Kassim acquired the house, he replaced
the wooden walls with brick walls and a tiled roof. "This is the house in
which most of us grew up. Six of my late father-in-law's seven children lived
in this house. Only one moved out after getting married. My late father-in-law
wanted all his children and grandchildren to live under one roof. That is why,
according to him, he bought this large house," said Hajah Momin.
The family's original home had been at Bali Lane, near Jalan
Sultan. When they moved to the two-storey bungalow on Bedok Road, the late
Kassim had already become a widower.
The bungalow had nine bedrooms. One of these rooms was used
by the late Kassim to sleep together with all of his grandsons.
The granddaughters also slept in a shared room, but together
with Hajah Momin, who had become a widow only three years after her marriage.
Today, only three of the late Kassim's seven children are
still alive—two daughters and one son.
According to his children and grandchildren, the late Kassim
was someone who held firmly to rules and discipline.
During his lifetime, his grandchildren were not allowed to
move about freely. If the girls wanted to leave the house, they had to be
accompanied by a male guardian, even if it was just to go to the shop.
“Even then, it couldn’t be just any shop. We were only
allowed to go to certain shops. And whenever we left or entered the house, we
had to inform someone. If not, my father‑in‑law would show his displeasure. No
one was allowed to be outside the house after maghrib,”
explained Hajah Momin.
Because almost everyone lived under one roof, an average of
more than 30 of his grandchildren stayed in the big house at any one time. This
naturally meant they did not need to look for friends outside.
Eating, drinking, playing, sleeping and everything else were
done together. So none of them ever felt lonely, they said. In fact, when the
time came for each family to move out one by one and live independently in
their own flats, a sense of discomfort arose among them.
One of them was Mr Bakar, who now lives in a flat in Pasir
Ris. “My relatives who have moved into flats often come to this house and
complain about feeling lonely. I’ve also started to feel the loneliness. But
fortunately, most of us live in the same estate. Some are in Tampines, but the
majority of us are in Pasir Ris,” he said.
The farewell gathering began with a doa selamat prayer. It
was followed by a feast and various types of games.
A week before the event was held, all family members
gathered to receive the distribution of the late Kassim’s heirlooms.
Rules for living in a large family
The cooks worked on a daily rotation. And they would be
assisted by the young unmarried daughters — as a form of training to prepare
themselves before becoming homemakers.
That was among the family‑living rules set by the late
Kassim Adam for his children and grandchildren.
“All five cooks were not outsiders. They were all the
daughters and daughters‑in‑law of the late Kassim. I was one
of them.
Regardless of whose turn it was, they had to cook four types
of dishes. Two for lunch and two for dinner. But everything was cooked at the
same time. Usually, the main dish for lunch was fish, and for dinner it would
be either beef or chicken. The remaining dish would be a vegetable.
And whoever cooked that day would also be the one
responsible for tidying up and washing all the plates and bowls after the
meal,” explained Hajah Momin, as she recounted her experience living in the
large household of her late father‑in‑law.
Besides cooking, the late Kassim also set the rule that the
male and female grandchildren must eat separately. The male grandchildren had
to eat first, followed by the female grandchildren.
A long table that could accommodate up to 15 chairs was the
place where the family members gathered to eat every day.
“Even though there were many of us, we never felt burdened
preparing the meals. At that time, our family did not hire any outside help. My
late father‑in‑law never encouraged us to use the
services of a helper. He preferred that we manage all household matters
ourselves,” added Hajah Momin.
Wedding garments and burial items among the heirlooms
Two chests — one containing items for wedding ceremonies and
the other for managing the dead — are among the inherited heirlooms left behind
by the late Kassim Adam. Among the items found in the chest for wedding use
were several pieces of bridal clothing for both bride and groom embroidered
with real gold thread, various decorative hats made of brocade fabric, a
sitting mat for the groom during the solemnisation ceremony, a mengkuang fan
covered in velvet and embroidered with gold thread, a cloth base for brass
trays used to hold the accompanying gifts for the wedding expenses, and so on.
Meanwhile, the other chest contained several white towels for wiping the body
after the ritual bath, a mat for lining the coffin, a curtain for the bathing
area, a cloth to cover the coffin, a prayer mat to place beneath the body after
it is shrouded, and sandalwood to be mixed into the water used for bathing the
deceased. “All the items in these chests will not be divided among us. Instead,
they will remain as family property and may be used by anyone who needs them,”
said Encik Abu Bakar Haji Ibrahim, 48, one of the grandchildren of the late
Kassim.
Photo captions:
"Meja panjang: Inilah meja panjang di mana
mereka yang berada di dalam gambar pernah makan bersama-sama setiap hari. Pada
4 September lalu, anak cucu Allahyarham Kassim berkumpul buat kali terakhir di
banglo peninggalan Allahyarham (gambar sisipan). – Gambar BM oleh M.O.
Salleh."
Ø
“The long table: This is the long table where
the people shown in the photograph once ate together every day. On 4 September,
the children and grandchildren of the late Kassim gathered for the last time at
the bungalow he left behind (inset photo). – BM photo by M.O. Salleh.”
“Baju pengantin: Antara barang peninggalan Allahyarham”
Ø
“Wedding attire: Among the belongings left
behind by the late (him).”
“Peralatan mandi mayat: Termuat dalam satu peti pusaka
Allahyarham”
Ø
“Burial‑washing equipment: Contained in one of
the late (his) heirloom chests.”
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