Sunshine strolls

Just 15 minutes on the train fromPaddington and you’ll find yourselfsmack-bang in the middle ofLondon’s most magnificent paradox.Southall, or ‘Little India’, as it used tobe known, has been home to Indianand Pakistani communities since the’50s, and east African Asians sincethe ’70s. With its Punjabi street signsand giant Sikh temples (Gurdwara SriGuru Singh on Havelock Road is thelargest outside India) you can seewhy it is billed as our most exotic outpost.

Turning right out of the station, the firststop is Glassy Junction (1), an Indian pubthat takes rupees as payment for its Cobra andKingfisher beers. It’s worth a visit even if justto gawp at the juxtaposition of working men’sclub skankiness and Indian ostentation. Aftera swift glass (of beer or lassi) head back on toSouth Road tothe legendary Quality Foods(2) supermarket (a sort of grown-up version ofWilly Wonka’s chocolate factory for Indianfoodies) and onward into the centre of Southall.Just minutes away you will see the HimalayaPalace (3). Designed by George Coles in1929, this Grade II-listed Chinese pagoda-inspired structure is now a three-screenBollywood cinema. Continue to the junctionwhere South Road meets Southall Broadwayand you’ll find a cluster of shops (4) whereyou can by your own Bollywood films(Bollywood Corner does four DVDs for £10)along with the hottest bhangra releases.

The Broadway, with its designer jewelleryand clothing boutiques jostling for space withpound shops, is the beating heart of Southall.But 30 years ago it was the epicentre of storm.On April 23 1979, the National Front attempted

to hold a meeting at the Town Hall (now abusiness centre just off the High Street).Thousands of people marched in protest,escalating into what is nowremembered as the SouthallRiots. Blair Peach, a youngteacher from New Zealand,was allegedly killed by a blowto the head by police, on thecorner of Beachcroft andOrchard Avenue. Localbusinessman ShanawarChaudry was there, and over acouple of sweet jalebis and a cup of steaminghot masala tea at his popular food spot JalebiJunction (5) he tells me: ‘Until that point, Ithink people thought of Asians as meek andsubmissive – the racists certainly did. Butit had been building up to that moment[Gurdip Singh Chaggar was murdered byracists in 1976 and there were a spate of attacksbefore the riots]. We stood our ground andprotected our homes. For me, that was the daythat Southall came of age.’

A group of local artists and activists –Bollywood composer Kuljit Bhamra, filmdirector Shakila Maan and Pragna Patel of the

History,jalebi and masala tea in SouthallSouthall Black Sisters – are curating ‘TheSouthall Story’, a series of exhibitions andevents celebrating the history of the area. ‘I think the story of Southall needs to be told,’says Shan as we walk up the road toChaudhry’s TKC Restaurant (6), thepioneering eatery opened by his father in 1965and now famous for its traditional Pakistanilarri (bus) which drives around town. ‘It’s notjust the story of the Asian community – 30years ago everyone, white, black, brown, cametogether to fight against those fascists. Thestory of Southall belongs to all of us.’

Saying goodbye to Shan, I head to my laststop: Southall Market (7). Dragging a bagof mangoes (four for £1) and lemons (ten for£1), I head to meet Shakila Maan at theSouthall Black Sisters on Avenue Road. Withjust four full-time staff, the Sisters do anamazing job campaigning, advocating,

supporting, even feeding, femalevictims of violence. ‘We’ve facedopposition from elders in thecommunity, who used to call ushomewreckers, and we’ve hadvery little support from thecouncil [the Sisters recently wona landmark case against EalingCouncil for funding support], butwe’ll continue to do what we dountil there is no need for us.’Tamara GausiFor more information visit www. thesouthallstory.com. On June 16, a celebrity panel willbe at the British Library todiscuss ‘Southall – Music & Life’(part of the Story of LondonFestival – see this issue’s pull-out guide).

For more on the Southall Black Sisters visitwww.southallblacksisters.org.uk.Indian chef Monisha Bharadwaj offers foodwalks through Southall (next July 18; emailmonishabharadwaj@hotmail.com).

Start Southall rail Finish Southall Market Duration90 minutes

2025 Pg10-15 Summer Walks 8/6/09 14:18 Page 12