Indian Impressions

India rules the planet with its highest population, so it was no surprise to see impressions of our country throughout our trip abroad. Though there were minimal Indian tourists that could be seen around Malaysia, it was humbling to observe Indian-ness in various little things.

Our first encounter with Indian impressions was very early on in our trip. Just the next day of our arrival, we visited Batu Caves and outside the cave entrance we found a plethora of outlets selling Indian cuisines. Not only the big established restaurants but also the smaller stalls selling Indian sweets like laddus, types of barfi, chaats, paratha, chole bhature and the like. Besides food, there were stalls who sold Indianized souvenirs including flutes, wooden toys, wooden massagers, bangles etc.

Like in many other countries, Malaysia also hosts a little corner dedicated to India which is famously called the Little India. We were staying nearby so we could just walk around the neighbourhood to find multiple golgappe stalls outside restaurants. Indian restaurants were usually fully occupied offering delicious cuisines in the foreign land. The vicinity offered silk saree showrooms, Bollywood-themed eateries and a few general stores to get supplies of Indian kitchen items.

In addition to Little India, it was a proud feeling to catch glimpses of Indian brands like Fab India and Himalaya, and even Patanjali, residing inside premium malls.

The Indian Trail followed us in Langkawi too. There were many restaurants catering Indian tourists, especially in the Pantai Cenang area. It felt like a blessing when we could have desi-styled chowmein and shinkanji for lunch one day. The most peculiar thing about the majority of the restaurants were that they still played the songs from the early 90s era. The same batch of songs in most of the restaurants. I wonder, in the era of music apps available just a click away, why haven’t they updated their playlists yet. Well, I was too shy to ask the person at the reception.

The most fun part was when we were headed to the KL airport via an airport bus to catch our flight for Langkawi. Amidst the Malay songs playing in the background, breaking the rhythm came a Diljit’s number out of nowhere. It was followed by another Bollywood song before the Malay music resumed.

From temples to food stalls, discovering Indian influences throughout Malaysia added a comforting sense of familiarity to our travels.

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