More Than The Eye Can See tells the story of Gopinath Pillai, a Singaporean businessman and diplomat who served as Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Iran (1989–2008) and High Commissioner to Pakistan (1994–2001). Alongside working with prominent members of Singapore’s pioneering generation to strengthen the country’s manufacturing profile and international trade during the Cold War, he broke into liberalising India as a trailblazing entrepreneur and contributed to the nation’s public life as the first Chairman of NTUC Fairprice and Founder Chairman of the Institute of South Asian Studies.
A self-described ‘Jack of All Trades’, Gopi’s memoirs frame episodes of personal struggle against milestones in the progress of the nation. Born in Singapore to Malayalee parents in 1937, Gopi spent his early childhood in India throughout the Japanese Occupation, where he witnessed the Communist Movement in Kerala first-hand. When he returned to Singapore in 1946, Gopi grew up in a multi-racial society taking its fledgling steps as a democracy. His career took him all over — to Thailand and Malaysia as an economist and journalist and the Middle East and America as a manager — reflecting Singapore’s early industrialisation and the pursuit of its values and interests abroad and at home.
Co-written with John Vater, More Than The Eye Can See offers a panorama of a man and his century.
Contents:
- Early Life:
- Birth in Singapore and Childhood in India
- The Communist Movement in Kerala
- A Strange New Home
- School Days (Or, Learning the Language of a New Country)
- University Life
- A Young Lady
- Journalism and Teaching
- Happy Thailand (Sawadikrab)
- A ‘Homecoming’ to Malaysia
- An Unexpected Return
- Professional Career
- Raya Mills: The Internationalisation of My Outlook
- Transitioning to a High-Value Economy
- United Industrial Corporation: My Engagement with Taiwan
- Intraco: Forum for the Unheard of and Unexpected
- Inno-Pacific: American Franchises and the High Court
- Breaking into India: A New Era for Entrepreneurs
- Observations and Lessons from Entrepreneurship
- Public Service and Extracurricular Activities
- Non-Resident Ambassador to Iran (1989–2008)
- Friends from Far Places: Ministerial Visits to Iran
- Non-Resident High Commissioner to Pakistan (1994–2001)
- Paying It Forward: A Guild House and Supermarket
- Tradition and the Hindu Endowments Board
- Community Contributions and the Indian Heritage Centre
- ISAS and the South Asian Diaspora in Singapore
- Conclusion
- A ‘Medical Diary’
- Parting Observations
Readership: General.
‘Gopi’s life journey parallels the many decades of Singapore’s growth … Beyond his own stories, the book also captures the zeitgeist of the times and how the Singapore Spirit evolved with each passing decade.’ – From the Foreword by GOH CHOK TONGEmeritus Senior Minister and Former Prime Minister Singapore
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