Deepavali 2022

I always try to head down Little India whenever October/November swings around.

It's just something I tend to do. 

Sometimes I like to start from the junction of Sungei Road and Serangoon Road. 

Other times however I just begin from the traffic light itself. 

This particular evening I began from the junction of Tekka Place looking towards Tekka Market and Serangoon Road. 

It was one of those warm, glaring days.- those that make you wish there was lots of wind and lots of cloud cover.

Except that today there was none. 

And so bright was the light that it shone right through the glass windows of the Starbucks outlet onto the patrons inside. 

I was surprised. 

It's not usually so bright this time of the year.

Tekka Place and Tekka Market mark what is the (unofficial) entrance of Little India, and whilst on other days you have to look out for this red and white housing block (that everyone calls Tekka Market), today the huge arch over the road made it especially easy to see. 

But what with us heading to dinner, there was no time yet to walk down the stretch of road. 

So we crossed busy Serangoon Road, entered Buffalo Road, and made a right into Race Course Road. 

You might think that a road like Buffalo Road is insignificant compared to the bustling crowds and liveliness of the main stretch, but here's where the charm of Little India lies. 

Sometimes the best sights are not seen on the main street (where everyone trods) but in the back streets, little lanes, and in-between alleys. 

I wouldn't call Buffalo Road a back street nor a little lane- there're enough crowds and shops to make it otherwise.

What's more, it's a road where there're jewelry shops, textile and fabric shops, provision shops, and all matters of cultural paraphernalia.

I like to think of it as a street where you can get a quick glimpse into the rest of Little India. 

Because where else does one get to see lotus buds like these in unopened pretty pink? 

Right next to a shop with fruits and vegetables of all varieties, colors and sizes were neatly arranged up on the shelves too? 

I saw cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, apples, bananas, mangoes, lemons and oranges. 

I saw brinjals and radishes in their styrofoam boxes on the ground too. 

We walked into Race Course Road past many a cafe and a restaurant all the way till we got to Sakunthala.

There're two outlets that I know of here in Little India. 

One outlet's on the other side near to Syed Alwi Road. 

The other outlet's here.

Most of the time we order butter chicken, some sort of briyani, maybe a basket of naan, and masala tea. 

Today however we decided to go a little light, and so had just one mutton briyani (with cooling vegetable yogurt and hard boiled egg!) and a basket of pappadums. 

I think we asked for more pappadums. 

My friend has a special thing for this particular cracker.