Free guide to Brickfields

Exploring Brickfields has been made easier with the recent launch of the Little India @ Brickfields map as well as a free walking tour aimed at tourists. The brightly coloured map not only shows the roads, buildings and landmarks but also features bite-sized information on the area’s landmarks, road names as well as useful information to visitors such as religious protocols to observe when entering the various places of worship found in the area. Given away free, the map produced in collaboration with Badan Warisan will be placed at most budget, three- and four-star hotels and is available online at www.visitkl.gov.my The walking tour will offer tourists a chance to visit all the landmarks seen on the map while helped by a qualified tourist guide engaged by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Educational tool: Fuad introducing the Little India @ Brickfields map to S.Vatsala (left), 68, and R. Shweta, 11, while DBKL advisory board member Datuk Michael Yam (right) looks on.

The tour starts from YMCA on Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4 at 8am every first and third Saturday of every month from Jan 15 till Dec 17. Conducted in English, the tour, consisting of two groups with a maximum of 20 tourists per group, will take two-and-a-half hours. Both initiatives by DBKL are likened to packaging a product by mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail. “Our problem in promoting local products is our packaging. People want to see nice things before they spend money on it,” he said, adding Brickfields was set to be a unique tourist spot with the completion of the upgrading works

Currently, Phase 2 of the Little India project that involves construction of a multi-storey carpark, a second Little India arch and new hawker centre in Jalan Chan Ah Tong as well as Package 3 road upgrading works are being carried out in the area. “Phase 2 is about 60% complete. We expect completion by early 2012,” said Fuad. He also said they were currently negotiating to acquire land for the carpark. He added that Little India would be an ideal place for tourists who did not have the luxury of visiting all of Kuala Lumpur’s sights as it was a short ride between KLIA and KL Sentral.

Among the highlights of the project is the 11m-wide and 9.7m-high three-tiered fountain situated at the junction of Jalan Travers and Jalan Tun Sambanthan. The design of the sculptures and motifs on the fountain was crafted by artisans from India using basic hand tools, cement, sand and bricks, and the best time to view it is at night with its multi-coloured LED lights switched on. Two 15ft-high sculptures in abstract bharatanatyam dance poses are also to be found across the fountain.

-thestar online.