A Journo's Diary

Last weekend I made a special visit into the hustling bustling streets of Southall, London’s mini India. It’s absolutely amazing how just a simple craving for paani puri can make you travel miles. But the moment you hold the plate in your hand with eyes fixated on each paani puri as it makes your way to the plate, you feel the bliss. Ahh, even the thought is simply amazing. Imagine how interesting my entire day at Southall turned out to be.

This was my third visit to Southall but the place looked as new and as fresh as ever. The time you step out of the station, you see a Gurudwara right in front of you. It makes you believe that you are in your own land, or maybe somewhere close by. As you keep walking small little things catch your attention. The atmosphere not only looks familiar but makes you feel at home instantly. One can easily spot the colourful drapes displayed in the shops apart from the accessories and jazzy sandals displayed almost in every nook and corner.

For me, Southall is all about food. Maybe because that is what I miss the most about India in UK or maybe because I still prefer to go back home in case I want to buy saris. But when we talk of food, Southall tops the list among other areas in London where Indian community is settled. I have had amazing Gujarati food in Wembley and delicious dosas in East Ham. But the variety that I see in Southall seems to be missing in all these places. Not only can you spot street food like paani puri, bhel puri, samosas, jalebis but also kebab houses and yummy South Indian food. You just need to know what you want to eat and it probably would be there. Add to this the bhangra music in the air, and the hustle and bustle of a vibrant local economy, all of which makes a visit to Southall unforgettable.

The high point of my trip to Southall was when I spot a small little stall right outside one of the biggest super markets there. The stall called as “Jagu’s Pani Puri and Bhel Puri” reminded me of the many stalls that we see in Delhi and Mumbai. Decorated in the very same fashion but just a bit modern with its accessories and the seller speaking in fluent English, Jagu’s stall seemed to attract many customers throughout the day. I also went inside one of the oldest Kebab houses in Southall. Known as “Kebabish,” the kebab house served different items of chicken and lamb along with sweet lassi. One step into Kebabish made you feel like going back into time. I remembered my visit to one of Delhi’s oldest Kebab corners called Karims that is located behind the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The owner of the restaurant had put on play some of the classic old songs of Indian cinema. And for me that was one of the biggest reasons to sit there and have a glass of sweet lassi.

The other very interesting thing about Southall was the supermarket. As I stepped inside a particular supermarket called “Gulab” which to me seemed like one of the largest supermarkets, I got last at the first instance. I then decided to spend some time in just going through the kind of good that are displayed on the shelves. From jiggery to soan papdi, from different kinds of Poppadam to different kinds of pickle, it seemed like everything I have ever learnt throughout my childhood was present there. You could even get cold drinks like Limca, Fanta and Thumbs up. And in case you were not happy with the washing powder in UK, you can go and pick up your favourite 555 soap bar.

It is amazing how the present day globalised world has made it so easy for us to be connected with any part of the world in just any way we want to. There is definitely a good side to it. It keeps us so close to our homeland. Apart from increasing the export figures of India, it also brings India closer to the diasporic community living here for many years. But I also tend to look at the negative side of things sometimes. If everything is brought here so close to us then what would be the charm to go back to your own land?
Well I am sure that is a very heavy debate in itself. But for now and for all future good times, Southall will remain as one of my own favourite places to visit everytime I feel the craving to dig paani puris and some other terrific Indian food. It is absolutely commendable how much of an effort each and every businessman in Southall makes in order to bring our country closer to us. It’s totally worth each of those efforts. Hats off to them!!