When you’re living as an international student in the United States, people often ask you, “What do you miss the most about home?” My answer to this question is always home cooked food!
Along with home food, thinking about home reflects an image in my mind. On an ordinary June afternoon, with the temperature at a blazing thirty degrees Celsius, I walked along the streets of Ahmedabad, India. As I strolled along, my nose was filled with fragrances of the mixed spices in the food, the fresh flowers in the temples and the sweet scent of the incense sticks burning in every shop. This was India to me. This was home.
A few months passed, and, on a regular September afternoon, as I took a stroll through the historic streets of Boston, I was accompanied by a familiar fragrance. I could smell the same spices, flowers, and incense sticks. I was baffled at first to be greeted by something that was almost 7,000 miles away from Boston. Initially, when I started college at Boston University, I expected a vision of people on their cellphones walking through downtown, the smell of hot-dog stands and cannolis on every nook and corner. However, on that September afternoon, the same old scent of home made me incredibly nostalgic.
Everyone knows about the ‘North End’ — also referred to as ‘Little Italy’ and ‘Chinatown’ in Boston. However, this article will serve as your guide to a Little India in Boston. It is for anyone and everyone who celebrates the diverse culture of the Indian community.
1. Boston celebrates the Indian Festivals annually.
Holi, the festival of colors, is annually celebrated in Boston to welcome the warm weather of spring. To celebrate this, people play with powdered colors and water in the beautiful weather.
Garba is the festival of dancing, where people dress up in traditional attire and dance to classical Indian music.
Diwali, which is the festival of lights, is where people celebrate the Indian New Year with different light and sound shows.
2. Boston has various events and showdowns pertaining to Indian music and dance.
Bollywood movies in Boston: The famous movie theaters in Boston, Apple Cinemas in Cambridge and Regal Fenway Cinemas in Fenway all showcase all the upcoming Bollywood movies almost every week.
South Asian Showdowns: Boston has several dance competitions where colleges across the Northeastern hemisphere participate and showcase their talent.
Bollywood Dance Nights in Clubs: The club ICON hosts a ‘Bollywood dancing night’ every year.
3. Boston has a wide variety of Indian cuisines.
Mumbai Spice in Boston: This restaurant brings the authentic street food of Mumbai to the city of Boston.
Kashmir on Newbury: This restaurant brings the traditional cuisine of North India to Boston.
Dosa Factory on Newbury: This restaurant creates the taste of South Indian cuisine right in Boston.
Today, whenever I feel homesick, I visit these places to satisfy my cravings for Indian spices or jam to Bollywood tunes. I am thankful to find a piece of home in Boston. I hope this article urges you to explore the Little India in Boston to get a taste of the spicy food and dance to stimulating Bollywood tunes!