THE ‘FIVE FEET’ SUBCULTURE: A LOOK INTO TAMIL YOUTH CULTURE

Abstract

This paper aims to identify and embody a subculture. There is little scholarship work done on subcultures in Singapore, especially with regards to the Tamil youth subculture. Although not identified in much works, this subculture has always been part of Singapore’s history and has evolved overtime. My paper focuses on the Tamil Youth subculture, anjadi, which directly translates as ‘five-feet’. It will discuss how this group gravitates from the “general” aspects of Tamil or popular culture to have a standalone identity. This then branches out to a “collective marginalisation” this group goes through, making them adopt a particular way of life and uphold values that might not conform to stereotypes. This marginalised culture has negative connotations attached to it and often peaks during an individual’s most volatile period - the teens. This paper reads on how this subculture has evolved over the years; the class membership of this subculture and how they are embodied and identified different from the mainstream Tamil youth culture. It analyses interviews conducted with youths and interprets their opinions and thoughts to give a succinct identity to the anjadis and engage in the conversation about why this phenomena occurs, especially in a youth’s “transitional phase”.