SINGAPORE: In 1957, the first man-made satellite was launched into space by the Soviet Union. Since mankind’s first foray into space, we have not looked back.

Today, there are more than 6,000 satellites in space.

In the earlier decades of satellite development, the key players were governments, especially those of large countries, whose use for satellites were primarily for weather monitoring, remote sensing of environmental conditions and surveillance.

In recent years, many commercial applications have emerged, such as the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites for asset tracking, and the provision of satellite television programmes, telecommunication services and internet services.

With its many applications, the annual market revenue for the satellite industry stands around US$260 billion.

THE REVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRY

Back in the early days, satellites weighed a few thousand kilogrammes and were huge, with a height of several storeys. Such satellites took years to build, and were typically very expensive.

The majority of them were owned by a monopoly of governments or large organisations.

Over the last two decades, however, miniaturised satellites have been gaining popularity.

Such satellites typically weigh from a few to tens of kilogrammes, with a volume similar to that of a bar fridge.

While initially built by universities as technology demonstrators, the functionality of such small satellites following rapid advancements in technology has garnered interest from government space agencies and commercial companies.

For example, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to launch two briefcase-sized miniaturised satellites of 10kg each to Mars next year. These two satellites will help NASA monitor the Insight mission when it first lands by relaying information about the landing to ground controllers back on earth.

THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING SMALL

The key advantage of miniaturised satellites, particularly those with a mass less than 20kg, is the low cost of building and launching them into space. Building time is also significantly cut as these can be mass produced.

Their lower cost and smaller mass mean such satellites can potentially be built and launched in fleets of tens or hundreds. Having such large numbers of small satellites in space enables up-to-date monitoring of the earth across wide areas, for uses such as earth imaging and the collection of weather data.

For instance, a typical low Earth orbit satellite flies at a height of 500km above sea level at a speed of 26,000 kmh. These satellites go around the earth about 14 to 15 times a day, requiring only 100 minutes to make one complete orbit.

If there are 10 of them in space, the same spot can be monitored every 10 minutes.

Commercial interest in miniaturised satellites has been growing since 2013, particularly in those that weigh less than 5kg. In total, there are more than 500 miniaturised satellites in space, and just about half of them are from the space industry.

In February this year, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched a total of 104 satellites, with 103 of them weighing less than 10kg each. Among them, 96 belong to two commercial companies, an indication of the private sector’s increasing interest and capability to enter the space market.

SINGAPORE’S SPACE JOURNEY

Singapore has space dreams too. Our first programme to develop a locally-built satellite was in 2003.

The satellite, named X-SAT (eXperimental SATellite), involved DSO National Laboratories, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore. It was completed in 2009, and launched on Apr 20, 2011.

The X-SAT allows us to perform remote sensing to monitor environmental change and detect forest fires, among other things. The programme’s other important objective was to build local capabilities in satellite engineering.

Its success led to the formation of a new satellite company ST Electronics (Satellite Systems) in 2011, which subsequently built and launched Singapore’s first commercial satellite TeLEOS-1 in December 2015.

This satellite is capable of imaging the earth with a resolution of 1m, meaning to say that it can tell objects that are 1m apart from space, and its average revisit time, the time between observations of the same spot on earth, is around 12 to 16 hours.

With these capabilities, the satellite can facilitate quick response to maritime situations and disaster monitoring.

Between 2011 and 2015, a number of miniaturised satellites have also been built in Singapore and launched into orbit.

The first was a 1kg satellite named VELOX-PII whose hardware and software were built by my undergraduate students and research staff in 2013, during my time as the Director of the Satellite Research Centre of NTU.

This was followed by the 5kg VELOX-I, launched in 2014. It was the world’s first miniaturised satellite to demonstrate a short-range wireless communication technology known as zigbee, as well as an extendable telescopic mechanism.

These technologies allow multiple satellites to communicate with each other if they come within range, and achieve a higher imaging resolution of earth, compared to older design.

In 2015, we launched VELOX-II in collaboration with Addvalue Technologies. It validated the world’s first satellite-to-satellite communication technology which allowed the VELOX-II to communicate with commercial geosynchronous satellites anytime and anywhere in space.

The two miniaturised satellites NASA will be sending to Mars next year are of the same class of satellites.

NUS launched the Galassia in December 2015. Developed by NUS Faculty of Engineering, the 2kg nanosatellite carried the first quantum science payload that was designed by the Centre for Quantum Technologies at NUS.

The mission of this payload was to test a quantum-based communication concept using Small Photon-Entangling Quantum System.

The experiment conducted from this satellite validated the viability of quantum technology for secure communications over long distances between satellite and earth.

WHAT IS TO COME

These multiple successful launches make it clear that Singapore has established a strong track record in building different classes of satellites, ranging from 1kg to 400kg.

Moreover, local university students have been involved in the building of these satellites, demonstrating that the space related courses and projects our engineering students undergo are not classroom exercises, but truly cultivate the requisite skills and experiences to build the next generation of engineers for Singapore’s space industry.

For any overseas satellite company keen to set up operations here, Singapore evidently has the infrastructural capability and manpower to meet their needs.

The new trend towards miniaturised satellites plays to Singapore’s advantage especially, since we do not need to enter into direct competition with space veterans of large satellites.

Instead, Singapore can focus on carving out a place for itself, as a key player in the miniaturised satellite industry. 

To that end, NUS has recently set up the Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) to deepen the local base of expertise in space and satellite technologies.

STAR aspires to become a leading centre for advanced distributed satellite systems – such systems involve the deployment of a fleet of miniaturised satellites flying in formation, swarm or constellation.

We also intend to build and demonstrate the use of miniaturised satellites for various applications.

These could include aeroplane or ship detection and monitoring that could enhance our position as an aerospace or maritime hub, since data on their positions and velocities could help increase efficiency in operations.

As we debate Singapore’s strengths in an uncertain world economy, the space industry will be of strategic importance to staying ahead of the competition, both in leveraging space technology for use in other sectors of our economy, and in attracting foreign firms to move here.

The various space-related institutes, including STAR, will contribute by advancing research in satellite technologies and training the next generation of engineers for Singapore’s space industry.

Partnerships with local companies to commercialise Singapore’s expertise in space-related technologies will also be critical in building a vibrant indigenous high-tech satellite industry.

Singapore’s size may lead some to think that we should leave space technology to the “big boys”, but as we have seen, being small has its strengths.

With foresight, investment in human capital and technology and some fortunate timing, we have a good shot at creating space for ourselves in this industry.

Low Kay Soon is professor at the faculty of engineering and the director of the Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) at the National University of Singapore.

Read also: a commentary on why Singapore should look to space for more economic opportunities.

SINGAPORE: Jazz crooner Joanna Dong has a chance to make history as the first Singaporean singer to win the Sing! China talent show.

After three grueling elimination rounds, she has made it to the final of the popular singing competition by Zhejiang Television.

Last October, Nathan Hartono was a trailblazer for Singapore singers when he came in second in the show. Will Dong likewise make it into the final two – or do even better?

She is up against four other contenders in the finals, to be broadcast live from the Beijing ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium on Sunday (Oct 8) night. They are the last five standing from four teams of performers, led by celebrity coaches Jay Chou, Liu Huan, Na Ying and Eason Chan.

Dong is from Taiwanese Mandopop superstar Chou’s team. Hong Kong star Eason Chan’s team won an earlier battle between the teams and is fielding two singers – Xiao Kaiye, 26, and Ye Xiaoyue, 26, both from Guangdong.

Tibetan Zhaxipingcuo, 30, is the winning singer from Chinese pop pioneer Liu Huan’s team, while Doris Guo Qin from Hunan represents Na Ying’s team. Guo is the youngest contestant at 17.

Each of them will sing a duet with their coaches and perform a solo. The two singers who get the most votes from the audience will then duke it out in a final round.

While preparing for the final, coach Chou invited her to his concert in Taiwan and even called her up on stage for a spontaneous duet.

Dong, who is a musical theatre veteran, has impressed with jazzy show tunes in the run up to the final. For the show’s blind audition, she pepped up Luo Da You’s Love Song 1990 with a touch of jazz and a mouth trumpet performance.

She went retro in the round-robin battles between the teams with Grace Chang’s I Want You to Be My Baby.

In the next round against her own team members, Dong sang True Love Song in a duet with Taiwanese star Harlem Yu and for her solo, a mash-up of Journey’s Open Arms and Chinese classic Lover’s Tears.

SINGAPORE: Train service along a large stretch of the North-South Line (NSL) – from Ang Mo Kio to Marina South Pier – was disrupted on Saturday (Oct 7), after two separate incidents in the tunnel.

First, water got into a section of the tunnel from Bishan to Braddell MRT stations during the heavy downpour in the afternoon. As a result, train services were stopped between Bishan and Toa Payoh stations at about 5.30pm as a precaution, said SMRT.

Separately, at about 5.55pm, a small fire was spotted trackside in the tunnel between Marina Bay and Raffles Place MRT stations, said SMRT.

It added that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was activated “within minutes” and was deployed to Marina Bay, but the fire “died out by itself”.

“For safety reasons, North-South Line train services between Ang Mo Kio and Marina South Pier are not available,” said SMRT in a Facebook post at about 7.30pm. “Our engineers are on site and investigating both incidents.” 

Five hours after the disruption was first reported, services are still not fully restored. SMRT announced in a tweet at about 10.45pm that services between Ang Mo Kio and Newton in both directions will not be available for the rest of the night. 

“We are working to resume services for Sunday,” it added.

SCDF said it is using portable pumps to remove water in the tunnel, in what’s expected to be “a prolonged operation”.

SMRT first tweeted about a disruption between Bishan and Toa Payoh stations at about 5.35pm. But in an update 30 minutes later, it said that there was no train service between Ang Mo Kio and Marina South Pier stations in both directions. That’s 13 stations or half the stretch of NSL.

Free regular bus and bridging services were made available. SMRT also said commuters should consider alternative transport. 

“Our engineers are on-site and are working to recover services as quickly as possible,” said SMRT. “We are sorry that your journey has been affected this evening.”

Crowds were seen at bus stops outside the affected train stations, as commuters waited for bus bridging services or sought other forms of transport.

Commuter Cheryl Law, 28, said she had to ask family members to pick her up from Bishan MRT station, as there was “no chance” for her to get onto buses due to the crowds. “Some of the passengers here are so frustrated,” she told Channel NewsAsia. 

Heavy rains were reported over many areas of Singapore on Saturday afternoon, prompting national water agency PUB to issue flood warnings for several areas including Paya Lebar Road and Leng Kee Road.

The NSL disruption is the second in a day. Earlier on Saturday, services on the North-East Line towards Punggol were affected briefly by a train fault at Sengkang.

SINGAPORE: The first time I meet Ben and we shake hands, I am immediately assailed by the scent of cologne. Over lunch, the intense fragrance almost overpowers the aroma of roasted coffee beans.

“Actually,” he says casually as he twirls his straw, “I haven’t bathed for a week.”

Oh, I think, as I give him my best unfazed nod and an “I see”.

He peers at me for a good three seconds, then breaks into a huge smile. “Wah, your poker face is damn good. Usually people will be grossed out.

“But I’m joking lah. I did shower,” he adds gleefully. “You actually believed that?”

One might easily have. Ben – not his real name, of course – has been talking about his experiences as a destitute younger Singaporean. One who’s been sleeping in public places for these last eight years. Not that you would think “homeless” just looking at him.

Neatly groomed, looking younger than his 35 years, and togged out in a black Adidas polo shirt, he tells us how he wanders into the department stores to use the cologne testers when the staff are distracted.

“Not bad right, you get to try a different brand everyday,” he jokes. “You wouldn’t want to smell or look like a stray dog, right?”

Like the majority of those who are homeless, Ben is a loner by nature. Unlike others, he has agreed to share his story with us because he thinks Singaporeans should know what it really is to be destitute, and how some of their prejudices and stereotypes are misplaced.

One of those stereotypes is that the homeless are dirty, elderly, aimless vagrants. A just-released street survey  – the first of its kind here – has found that, in fact, about 2 in 5 homeless persons are under the age of 50. Some 3 in 5 hold a job, in many cases a full-time one. And about the same proportion have been sleeping in public places for a year or more – like Ben.

Read: Homeless stereotypes busted

But he first eight years of Ben’s life couldn’t have been more different from the last eight.

Born into a middle-upper class family and growing up in a landed private home he was not what you would think of as a candidate for homelessness.

An only child, he did relatively well in school – an “elite” one, he said. They went on family holidays to America and Europe.

Then everything changed when he was nine years old.

“THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF MY LIFE”

Though his material needs were well-provided for, Ben describes his family as “severely dysfunctional” and his childhood as “turbulent”.

His mother, who was mentally ill, jumped to her death when she was 41. It hit Ben hard.

“My father was hardly around because he was busy working. After my mum passed away, my academic performance started to plummet. Usually she would be the one to guide me through my studies… so I lost interest,” he said.

Becoming more introverted, he also became a target for bullies in school and was picked on almost every day.

While Ben struggled to work through his grief, his dad began building a new family.

“My father’s main priority was to get things back to normal, so he eventually remarried. He just pulled me aside and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to marry and this is your new mother.’ And he had a new child.

So I got left behind. A lot of things were kind of disasters waiting to happen.

Unable to get along with his father and stepmother, whom he described as “domineering and controlling”, he ran away from home and stopped going to school after his O levels.

It came to a point when his funds ran out. But he refused to go home. “I knew I was going to be punished (if I did),” he said.

One night at 2am, Ben found himself walking along a row of bungalows, tired and hungry. His Transitlink card had run out of value as well. Desperate, he decided to break into a house and, by a stroke of luck, the door had been left unlocked. Inside, he found a wallet lying invitingly in the living room.

“I didn’t even have to go into a bedroom, you know? It was just there.”

That night, he “swiped” S$200 and an American Express card. The cash was soon exhausted – and, emboldened by his clean getaway, he decided to strike again.

But this time, he did not realise the maid was still awake, and she had spotted him climbing over the fence. “When I was snooping around, the police was already on their way,” he said.

“They arrested me. That was probably the beginning of the end of my life.”

LIFE IN PRISON: “IT WAS A LIVING HELL”

His first night at the police station lock-up was an ominous indication of what was to come in prison. He claims he was assaulted and nearly raped by a fellow detainee.

In jail, he said, “it was survival of the fittest. You’ve got the gangsters. Thieves. And the sexual offenders. It was a very harsh environment. Needless to say, it was a living hell.”

At the age of 18, he’d been sentenced to two years in jail. He had appealed for a probationary sentence – a year of probation and release on good behaviour – but this was denied.

“So basically, I was sent to jail for two years for stealing S$200… I was a first-time offender, unlike all these people active in secret societies. In my mind, I was cursing and swearing.”

Ben decided to keep his head down and retake his O-levels. To take the exams, he had to be transferred to another prison – but in his psychiatric assessment, he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. “My (transfer) application was rejected,” he said.

His second attempt to request for a transfer was approved after he managed to get the support of another prison warden. Yet, Ben did not exactly get what he wanted – he was assigned to take the N-levels instead.

Nevertheless, he served his time and got out with an N-levels certificate. He was 20 years old when he returned to the world.

“MY DAD TOLD ME TO LEAVE… I SAW IT COMING”

Having missed two years of his life, Ben found himself feeling left behind yet again.

“The world waits for no one. Basically I had been in a cage. When I came out it was like…all the greenery. Everyone has a cellphone now. Before I went in, I don’t remember having a cellphone,” he said.

I felt like a dinosaur trying to read Latin.

Ben had another one and a half years of electronic monitoring to complete, during which he had to remain in his father’s home. Two months after this was over, he got the freedom he’d yearned for.

“My dad told me to leave,” Ben recalled. “He said, you’re 22. You’re an adult, you can take care of yourself.”

“To be honest, I anticipated it. It didn’t surprise me at all. Of course I said okay.” That was the last time he ever spoke to or saw his father.

For the first few months, he crashed at a friend’s place. He managed to secure jobs in clerical work, sales and telemarketing through friends’ recommendations. “I was still able to make a living,” he said.

Eventually he had to rent a room of his own because his friend’s parents were not happy. Fortunately in 2003, room rentals hadn’t yet escalated, so he could afford to rent a room for S$200 to S$300 a month. He continued renting for six years.

But things changed when he enlisted for national service. His allowance was not enough to cover the increasing rent.

“You were supposed to book out of camp every day and go home, but I did not have a home,” he said. “That’s when I officially became a destitute.”

He was 28 years old.

“THIS IS NOT HOME, IT IS JUST A RESTING SPOT”

It’s 10pm, and we enter a fast-food joint in the heart of the city where Ben sleeps every night. It’s packed with students studying and supper groups. The atmosphere is full of bubbly mirth.

Ben makes his way to his usual spot, an obscure corner behind a wall with a long table and cushioned seats. Unfortunately, it’s occupied by a boisterous group who look like they’ve just started eating.

“Okay… we need to look elsewhere for tonight,” Ben says with resignation, as he makes a u-turn.

As soon as we find another cushioned seat against a wall, he takes out his packet of Dettol wet wipes to give the tables and seats a good wipe-down.  “You wouldn’t want to put your head where someone else put their feet, right?” he says.

He’s not the only destitute individual spending the night at this outlet. A quick headcount at 10.30pm reveals there are already seven of them.

“I know the faces, but we mostly just keep to ourselves. People get territorial, everyone has their designated sleeping spot. If you sleep in my spot, where am I going to sleep? Disputes like that do happen,” Ben reveals.

“In fact the lady who usually sleeps here saw us just now… She made a face and left.”

It is hard to believe how Ben will get any rest tonight. The music in this outlet plays 24 hours, and it’s anybody’s guess when the crowd will disperse – especially on a weekend.

The one thing I miss the most is privacy, having your personal space,

he says wistfully. “When you are in public 24/7, it is very hard to get peace of mind. You feel like you are being scrutinised every single moment.

“Even animals have their own nests. Humans need their own home too. This is not home – it’s just a resting spot.”

The homeless in Singapore most commonly roost at night in public parks, shopping malls, HDB blocks and town centres, the street survey found.

In the eight years that he has been homeless, Ben has slept at various places which operate for 24 hours. They range from Lan shops to accident & emergency waiting areas at hospitals. However, Ben says he has fewer places to sleep at these days.

“Since last year, a lot of Lan shops have closed down because everyone uses smartphones these days.”

SPOT CHECKS

Police spot-checks, which take place especially in spots known for criminal activity, can be disruptive to a good rest – more so if you have a criminal record, Ben says.

“All they have to do is read out your IC number, relay it to HQ on their walkie-talkies, and they’ll know if you have a criminal record. They even know which year you did it, what is the nature of your offence.

“Once they know you have a criminal record, they’ll talk to you like you’re some kind of crook and then they’ll search your bag.”

Ben, who also has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, gets particularly annoyed at such spot-checks. All his belongings are kept in a certain order.

“They take everything out. You think they’re going to put everything back in order? For them it is part of their job, but they are also screwing up my life.”

“BE SMART, LIKE A CHAMELEON”

He can get prickly, because pride and dignity are things that he clings to.

“I ask you, when you first saw me, did I look like a typical destitute person to you?” he asks. I smile and shake my head, which seems to satisfy him.

While it’s not uncommon to see some homeless individuals toting as many as six or seven bags containing all their worldly possessions, Ben has only two bags with him at all times – a fanny pack on his hip, and a discreet sling bag.

The fanny pack holds his valuables, like his handphone and wallet. The sling bag contains his medical documents, contact lenses, toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipes, disposable underwear and a spare set of clothes that he uses as a pillow when he sleeps.

Just the bare essentials, he says.

He has other belongings, but they’re kept in a friend’s storeroom. He goes back only when he needs to, or once a month to get a change of clothes.

“It is not convenient to carry too much because I’m constantly moving from one place to another. I see a lot of these destitute persons carry huge bags and luggage. If you do that once in a while, you could pass off as a tourist. But if you’re doing it every day, then people would know.”

Appearance is everything to Ben. 

Some people don’t give a damn that people know they’re homeless, but for me, it is easier when people are not aware.

“For example, many destitute people can’t enter hotels because they look really scruffy. But I can enter most places because I bother to maintain my personal hygiene.”

Every morning, he takes an hour to get ready at a handicap toilet in a library. Occasionally, he takes a bath at a hotel’s common shower rooms – even though it is not allowed. While there, he also washes his clothes and dries them with a hairdryer, and wears them immediately.

But there are moments when it helps to look destitute, he says candidly – such as when you need help or when asking for a meal.

“Other than that, I don’t go around advertising that I am. You have to be smart and be like a chameleon.”

THE STRUGGLE TO RISE ABOVE (AND THE PAST THAT HOLDS HIM BACK)

For the last eight months, Ben has been working as a banquet waiter, making about S$500 to S$800 a month.

He does not enjoy the work, but is doing it to make ends meet. His income largely depends on whether he is assigned jobs by agencies and the hourly rate he is paid.

“You know Maslow’s pyramid right? To be able to proceed to higher levels, you need to satisfy certain lower needs first. You have to get a stable job first, then you can think about more lofty aspirations,” he says.

Last year, he completed a diploma course in tourism at the Tourism Management Institute Singapore, in hopes that it would be “leverage” for a better job. “Instead of doing saikang (shit work) for the rest of my life, you know? I don’t think anyone wants to live like that, right.”

He’d worked at several cleaning jobs like dishwashing in order to save up more than S$2,000 for the course fee (70 per cent of which was subsidised by Workforce Singapore). Saving up gave him a sense of direction, he said, and once he’d accumulated enough, he’d pumped everything into the course.

But the returns have been disappointing. 

“It’s probably more of a placebo effect. You feel more confident: At least you got a diploma. But so far, I  haven’t been successful in my efforts. You’re not going to land a cushy job just because you got yourself a diploma. There are so many people with degrees these days.

“So I’m back to square one.”

Ben attributes his difficulty in finding a better job to his criminal record as well. Many doors have been closed – for example, he can never apply for security-related jobs. He cannot drive for Uber or Grab either, he said.

I ask if he ever regrets his past actions.

“Every day,” he says, voice tinged with unmistakable remorse.  “A criminal record is permanent. Nothing you do is going to erase that.

“You’re going to live with that for the rest of your life.”

“YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS LIFE COUNT”

It’s lunch time and we’ve picked an upmarket food court, which I soon regret because I worry it might be too expensive for Ben. But after ten minutes, he returns to the table with a large portion of Japanese omelette curry rice, with an extra topping of beef.

“This is to show that homeless people can pay for their own meals,” he says pointedly as he sets his plate down.

He is keenly aware of the stereotypes attached to the label “homeless” – such as someone who’s lazy or incompetent. Who doesn’t make any effort to improve oneself or get out of the situation. Someone who just wants to rely on the welfare of others.

But, he counters: “It is easy to criticise others when you are not in the predicament yourself.

“Some of us might have been able to surmount obstacles and move on. But not everyone can do that…or has the strength or resources to do that.”

Right now, he just wants his own accommodation. When he turned 35 in June, he became eligible for a public rental flat under the Joint Singles Scheme. He has managed to secure one and is due to move in in December this year.

But he’s not particularly optimistic about the prospect.

“You have to live with another person. Most people can’t even get along with their family members, let alone with a total stranger.

“There are a lot of destitute people who are in that scheme – they just sleep outside because they can’t get along with their housemates.”

Like most people, Ben craves to see the world. He wants to share his life with someone. He even dreams of owning a wolf-dog someday. But he is doubtful of ever achieving these things.

“I am working on it. Because if you can’t, then it’s just a stupid dream… I am trying to make an effort to come out of this. But it’s not that easy or straightforward a journey.

Compared to the average person, I have more disadvantages. But then instead of complaining about it, you have to fight and make something of your life.

“You have to make it count,” he says.

It’s now 4am, and as we take our leave, the fast food restaurant is still abuzz with activity. Ben beds down for the night – what’s left of it – while a group of teenagers sit right next to him, raving about a new mobile game. When was the last time, he experienced complete silence, I wonder?

But long experience has made him oblivious to them, and to the fellow destitute man whose head lies just inches from his. We leave Ben stretched out on the narrow seats, on which he’ll turn occasionally as he dreams.

Perhaps of wolf dogs. Perhaps of a future he dare not quite fully hope for yet.

Read here for more about homeless persons in Singapore.

SINGAPORE: With her short hair, black semi-rimless glasses and petite frame, Madam Susheela K Chugani cuts a familiar figure at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

After all, the woman that many call Sister Susheela has spent the past 23 years tending to the needs of patients at the hospital.

Despite being well past her retirement age, the 72-year-old, who has been in nursing for more than 50 years, continues to work full time at the long-stay psychogeriatric ward in IMH.

Age, according to Mdm Chugani, is not a limiting factor when it comes to caring for patients. For one of her dementia patients who has mobility issues, Mdm Chugani will hold her shoulders as she attempts to walk during therapy sessions.

“The first time I did it, my patient asked: ‘You so old you, still want to hold me?’ and I replied: ‘Yes, let’s go. If I can, you can do it too.’”

For another patient who refused to wear clothes and would sleep naked in his own urine, Mdm Chugani insisted on bathing and clothing him every day. She would also treat him to his favourite you char kway (fried dough fritters) as she trained him to wear clothes and use the toilet.

Within months, the patient began to show signs of improvement and would say “Good morning” to Mdm Chugani when she arrives at the ward.

“I spend a lot of time talking to them and I make sure I tell them every day that being ill is not the end of the world,” said the senior staff nurse. “I tell them to make up their mind that they are going to get well and walk out of the hospital. There is always hope.”

“YOU WANT TO SHAME ME”

Being a nurse was an ambition that Mdm Chugani had for as long as she could remember. While studying at the Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School, she joined the St John Ambulance Brigade and recalled being “very excited” every time she wore her uniform.

“I loved going to the sports meet and events like that. You get to carry a first aid kit and be on stand-by. While waiting, I would pretend to do so many things,” she said with a chuckle.

After her O-Levels, she decided it was time to turn her dream into reality but her father, who had been hoping for Mdm Chugani to join the family business, tore up her job application form.

“Back in those days, if your father runs a business, you will work in the family store and then wait to get married.”

But the feisty elder child of seven siblings did not give up. Noticing another newspaper advertisement calling for nurses, young Mdm Chugani decided to seek the help of her father’s best friend, who offered his home address for her application form.

This time round, Mdm Chugani scored the job at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Her father was furious.

“He said: ‘You want to shame me … If I knew you’d be so stubborn, I would have killed you,” she recalled. “Whatever my father said, I kept quiet because from young, we were told not to talk back to our father. But in my heart, I knew what I wanted to do.”

And even after Mdm Chugani started work, her father still had hopes that his eldest daughter would soon give up due to the challenging nature of the job.

“At that time, my father had just been through a fistulotomy. The nurses had to shave his private parts and he thought: ‘How can my daughter do that? Surely, she will not be able to take it.’ So he thought I’ll leave within three months.”

But Mdm Chugani stayed on, drawing strength from self-help book “Think And Grow Rich” written by American author Napoleon Hill in 1937.

“One thing I remembered was that once you make up your mind, nobody can stop you,” she said.

Her first stint was at the female ward in SGH – a place she still has fond memories of. She remembered attending to many poor patients who would be admitted into hospital in “filthy conditions”. Together with other nurses, Mdm Chugani would bathe and cloth them.

Smiling as she reminisced about the past, she said: “When I saw them all clean and comfortable, I’d be so happy. They were always so appreciative and willing to say thank you.”

That was in the 1960s when nurses had to wash and sterilise glass syringes, as well as write up patient reports by hand most of the time. This comes on top of basic duties such as taking temperatures and dressing wounds.

It was tough work but Mdm Chugani never regretted her decision to enter nursing. “I am always happy. Even if I have any worries, I will forget them because when I’m work, it’s just me and my patient.”

This remains the case when she was posted to IMH, then known as the Woodbridge Hospital, in 1994. Before that, she had moved from SGH to other health institutions like the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, as well as the Communicable Diseases Centre.

Not knowing what to expect at the mental hospital, Mdm Chugani admitted that she felt “apprehensive” initially so she turned to what she trusted the most – books.

“I went to the library and started reading up. The more I read, the more interesting I find the human mind,” she said.

“Do you know how much these patients have to go through when they see things that are not there or hear things that other people don’t? If you know, you will learn how to appreciate whatever you have and I told myself that I must help these people to get well.”

Over the past two decades of working in the various wards at IMH, Mdm Chugani figured out how best to interact with patients and has her own way to calm even the most agitated ones.

“My patients are beautiful people and they are not difficult at all,” she said gently, adding that she prefers to address her patients by name. “If I don’t know their names, I’ll call them brother or sister. Once you build a rapport with them, they will respect you and will not hurt you.

“I’ve been here so many years and not once have I been abused verbally or physically,” she emphasised.

Mdm Chugani also tries to rationalise with her patients. She remembered a patient who became very upset after being diagnosed with schizophrenia after his A-Levels. For months, Mdm Chugani tried coaxing him to take medication.

“I told him: ‘You are better than me. I only have O-Levels (but) I’ve worked hard. You make up your mind, follow the instructions of the doctor and tell yourself that you are going to get better.’”

Seven years on, the patient has since recovered and sends Mdm Chugani a thank-you card every Nurses’ Day and Christmas Day. “This gives me the satisfaction that I’m doing my job well and makes me want to do more,” she said.

“I’VE JUST BEEN TRYING TO BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING”

Throughout the course of her work, there were certainly less-than-pleasant days but Mdm Chugani said she constantly reminds herself how blessed she is to have found her passion so early in life.

Nevertheless, she is not oblivious to the challenges of psychiatric nursing and has met younger healthcare workers who have thought of calling it quits.

“But I tell them if I’m still here, why are you leaving?”

But she does not think her decision to work in the mental hospital makes her a rare breed. Over the years, she said there have been more efforts to raise awareness for mental health and there are younger nurses who choose a career in psychiatric nursing.

“Last time when I told people I was working at Woodbridge, they will stare at me and go ‘Huh?’ but I don’t think it’s like that now.”

And it seems that Mdm Chugani’s ever-burning passion has not just been a morale booster for her patients, but also for her younger co-workers.

Multi-skill therapy assistant Ong Hui Ting, who partners Mdm Chugani in exercise programmes, said there are times when she feels discouraged. “But no matter how tired she is and how tired I am, she will always be the one saying ‘Come on Hui Ting, let’s get this done!’ It’s an endless positivity that she gives off.”

For Mdm Chugani, her husband and two children have been her pillars of support. Even her father also came round to accepting her career choice.

“He was really happy that I was a nurse when he got sick. He was in SGH and he told the doctor that his daughter is a nursing officer at KK,” she recalled.

“When I reached the hospital, it was the first in a long time that he called me ‘my child’. I always felt that he doesn’t show me as much love as he does to my other siblings but from then on, (our relationship) got much better,” Mdm Chugani said, breaking out into a wide smile.

Even though her husband has been egging her to retire, the energetic grandmother of three does not have plans to leave nursing for now.

“I want to have a purpose in life,” she said.

The veteran nurse was given the Extraordinary Nurse Award at the IMH Nurses’ Day celebration last year and received the Ministry of Health’s Nurses Merit Award in 2005.

But for her, despite the recognition she has received and the respect she gets from colleagues, she said she has simply been doing her job.

“A lot of people forget why we come to this world. For me, I just want to be a good human being and help whoever I can.” 

SINGAPORE: Six-year-old Chelsean Matteo Luke is one lucky boy. Ahead of his seventh birthday on Oct 19, he received a present from Chelsea football club and a signed letter from captain Gary Cahill himself.

The package from the English Premier League giants, which was sent to Chelsean’s home in Bukit Panjang, included Chelsea merchandise like a school bag, a stationery set and a magazine.

“On behalf of all the players and staff at Chelsea Football Club I would like to wish you a very Happy 7th Birthday,” read the letter signed by Cahill.

“We hope you have an enjoyable day. We all appreciate the support you have given us.”  

This is not the first time that Chelsean has received birthday presents from the football club, his father Shyam Luke told Channel NewsAsia on Saturday (Oct 7).

Previous captain John Terry also sent greetings on Chelsean’s first, third and sixth birthday.

Mr Luke is a big fan of Chelsea and named his son after his favourite football club. “When he was born, Chelsea FC won their first UEFA Championship and the coach to win it was Roberto Di Matteo,” said Mr Luke, a teacher.

He added that they had visited Stamford Bridge when Chelsean was two years old and enquired about the Chelsea FC children’s academy.

Chelsean, a Primary 1 student from Beacon Primary School, is an aspiring football player. 

“He has been playing soccer since he was four,” said Mr Luke who added that his son is currently training under a programme by official Chelsea FC Foundation coaches and is also playing in the Junior Soccer School and League (JSSL).  

The boy has plans to go to England when he turns 13 to pursue his passion in football, said Mr Luke. 

Chelsea is known for reaching out to its Singapore supporters. In June, Chelsea stars Cahill, David Luiz and Nathan Ake competed to see who could cook the best char kway teow, in an effort to connect with fans here. 

Last year, Eden Hazard sent a congratulatory message to Singapore national swimmer Joseph Schooling after he won a historic gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.