Singapore-based author Anitha Devi Pillai has released her debut short story collection, What The Tongue Remembers, which offers a literary exploration of the Malayalee community in Singapore through a blend of fiction and culinary tradition. The collection, published by Penguin Random House SEA, comprises 11 stories spanning historical and speculative fiction, each interwoven with themes of food and cultural heritage.
Malayalees, originating from the southern Indian state of Kerala, constitute the second-largest subgroup within Singapore’s Indian population. Despite their significant presence, English-language fiction about this community remains scarce. Pillai, a fourth-generation Singaporean Malayalee and assistant dean at the National Institute of Education, sought to fill this gap by drawing on her extensive anthropological and linguistic research conducted over two decades.
Food emerges as a central motif throughout the book, linking characters and narratives. Stories depict various dynamics such as a wife preparing meals for her distant husband, a father receiving banana hearts as a gift, and domestic debates over authentic Kerala cuisine. Complementing the fiction, the collection includes recipes contributed by community members, collected through interviews, social media, and Pillai’s research participants. These recipes—ranging from chickpea curry and mango yogurt curry to traditional Kerala sweets made with jaggery and ghee—are paired with personal anecdotes, providing readers unfamiliar with the community an accessible entry point enhanced by a glossary of terms.
Pillai described the prominent role of food in her stories as an organic outcome of her writing process rather than a deliberate focus. Her research interviews routinely involved sharing meals, reflecting the cultural practice of expressing affection and fostering connection through food. “Food is a way you show your affection and connect with one another,” she explained, recalling how these moments stayed with her beyond academic work.
Before this collection, Pillai published a research monograph titled From Kerala To Singapore: Voices From The Singapore Malayalee Community (2017) and co-curated an exhibition at the Indian Heritage Centre. Transitioning from academic writing to storytelling, she embraced fiction as a creative outlet, embedding subtle clues within her narratives to engage readers across multiple readings.
Some stories draw inspiration from her own family history. For example, "An Unusual Arrangement" is loosely based on her grandmother's decision to migrate to Singapore amid wartime uncertainty, reflecting the challenges faced by migrants forging new lives far from their origins. Other stories, such as "Expiration Date," delve into complex interpersonal relationships, intentionally incorporating unresolved silences to mirror real-life ambiguity.
Currently, Pillai is working on a novel centered on the lives and relationships of three Singaporean women artists. Unlike her debut collection, the novel will broaden its scope beyond the Malayalee community.
Through What The Tongue Remembers, Pillai aims to broaden awareness and understanding of Singapore’s diverse minority communities, emphasizing the experience of belonging to multiple places simultaneously. She perceives this in-between existence as a complex but valuable aspect of migrant identity. The book is available at major bookstores and retails for approximately S$27.14 including GST.