Notes from London
By Shaista Khan
Northridge, CA
Fifty years on and times have changed … since my mother pushed me in a pram in Kensington gardens to my recent trip back, down memory lane.
Rather than taking the traditional black cab from Heathrow (and there are even pink ones now!) I decided to let the ‘train take the strain’. The tube aka the underground was fast, efficient and exciting. It became my companion and horse for my month long stay. Having quickly learned from my daughter, son and niece that “topping up” saves money - although London retains its tag of the most expensive city in the world. On the tube I realized how much it had changed since my college-going days with interesting adverts like “Shaadi.com” being a big hit!!!
Baggage has also changed. Londoners are always hauling baggage around. Whether it’s the suit and tie city banker, who has incidentally replaced his briefcase and trolley with a backpack, or the umbrella protected Swami, clad in bright orange , tumbling down Oxford Street pulling a small suitcase.
Then there are the shops. London was always the hub for the world’s shoppers and thus remains so. The colors, the clothes, the cuisine, and the diversity of people unrivalled by perhaps any other city in the world.
First stop, Knightsbridge with its pompous Harrods where the world’s royals, rich and the famous buy to their heart’s delight or the lesser off browse and dream…
I must say it never fails to impress me no matter when or how many times I have visited it. The displays are to perfection and one stands in awe at the sheer opulence. The staff are friendly, polished and almost cloned .The food halls are always my favorite, proudly displaying unmatched variety, be it pheasant, partridge or quails eggs. Maybe the exotic teas of the orient or the chocolatiers of France could tempt your purse? The aromatics of the perfumery are overwhelming, with gracefully beautiful women and handsomely clad men to assist should you care to indulge. The Egyptian decorum resembles a little of the Luxor in Las Vegas and of course Al Fayed has his own lifelike statue prominently displayed as the proud owner of such a creation. No matter where you turn you are in a heavenly setting.
After the tube and Harrods, I decide to hop on to the modern version of Red Bus (the other companion to a Londoner) and continue on to Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus passing the formidable Royal Courts of Justice which would make the American courts look like studio settings. Pure tremble factor lest one should end up in a famous English dungeon where many a royal was put to shame. This was fun but somehow it was not like the old buses where you could hop on and hop off at the traffic lights (and get crushed by a cyclist).
London, though, is the world on a plate. From the most impressive double storey Whole Foods in High Street Kensington (who politely asked me to put my camera away), to the Chatkahara of Tooting, food is consumed at a pace of no end in sight. The multitude of ethnic and sub-ethnic foods are amazing, and the quality outstanding .Prêt a manger for sandwiches and café Nero for coffee are new buzz words in the food retailer’s world. Starbucks looks quiet and insignificant in front of them. And to top it off there’s always fish and chips.
Halal foods are also prominent. Where I was based (Tooting-Bec) they compete with the major multiples for consumers’ money. The Angrez in the area? Well you guessed right the fair population of Brits flood the Pakistani restaurants, they know specifically what they want and on top buy halal meat as the whole operation is halal. They could beat you and our kids any day in ordering Pakistani food! This one important mile stretch of a town has much to offer. From mithai that puts a Karachi halwai to shame to seekh kebabs that would put Bundoo Khan out of work. Still not convinced? Well, if you fancy Pakistani mangoes “koi gul nahin”..crates flooding the sidewalks…pure bliss. And if you were tired of eating desi foods then how about a burger at Chicken Cottage the halal Kentucky Fry chicken version in London? Or the halal Jamaican patties by Refill yes all in Tooting, and to put the icing on the cake the Polish have also moved in with their specialties. By the way, if you think you are gaining weight just breathing the food, then Fitness First is offering a five-day guest pass for making a fresh start at Ramadan!
I guess the one thing the Brits have also imported is obesity - the kids are getting fatter. Quite a different Tooting – Bec from the one I knew growing up , this one mile stretch surpasses any Indo-Pak city Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai and Delhi to name a few.
Let’s talk a little about the Tooting people. Yes it’s September, beginning of a new school year. Children smelling of fresh uniforms and fresh books with scrubbed faces scurrying along. I stood in admiration of pretty hijab clad girls to earnest young boys rushing after school in their long gowns towards the local mosque. A totally different era from my schooling days when one was forbidden to cover one’s head or wear trousers.
With kids safely behind school doors, the parents, grandparents prepare for Ramadan between work hours. You guessed right: an ostensible difference in atmosphere fell over the town of Tooting. The previously full shops and restaurants succumbed to the spirit of Ramadan where an odd Angrez couple would be sitting eating lunch seemingly familiar with the culture of Tooting.
Tooting is not just particular for its halal foods though. It actually has a British born Pakistani Member of Parliament - Sadiq Khan. I met with Sadiq Khan on a Saturday morning after his counseling surgery. The young jean clad MP (well it was Saturday), since 2005, runs for the constituency of Tooting part of the main borough of Wandsworth.
Yes he counsels the locals, if any should have concerns or complaints. Running clinics four times a month meeting face to face with them (commendable I would say since I have never seen my local congressman). I did have some burning questions for him pertaining to his locals: for instance the needs and requirements of the aging, ever- increasing South Asian population. What he was doing for this elderly South Asian population? He spiritedly mentioned that for the elderly they have gatherings and clinics like “Mushkil Ehsan”. Here, they can come together as a community, meet regularly, chat, play games ,watch movies or simply have a meal. I wish we could develop that here, it is such a positive development.
For the youth he had a worried frown. With increasing unemployment Asian crime is on the rise. So also the never ending gang violence. Such gang violence, that exists on the streets in an afternoon tea-time in East London (not Tooting) between young Black s and Asian youth. Where weapons of mass destruction include screwdrivers and poles!
Let’s not harbor on the negative. The local Tooting library has an impressive collection of Urdu, Hindi, Guajarati , Bengali, Farsi and Arabic literature to name a few. From periodicals, fiction, non- fiction to daily published newspapers in these languages. Tooting library is where I met a 78-year-old lady sitting and reading with the interest of a newfound hobby.
In all, the meeting was pleasant and informative and after taking a picture with him I thanked him profoundly for his time. He seemed quite a personable chap.
I also discovered the ’South Bank’ I’m, ashamed to say that being a Londoner I had forgotten about the place. Here I encountered the cobbled paving stones, the Golden Hind ship of Sir Francis Drake the chandeliered pubs and the Tate Modern for starters. The couple of miles stretch took me about an hour plus on foot and was extremely invigorating. On route I passed Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge towards London Bridge. The River Thames has a multitude of famous bridges. The breathtaking view from the river banks is indescribable. But the one view of St Pauls Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament …just takes the biscuit. The list goes on and this pocket of territory is filled with history, tradition and culture, I feel, that very few cities of the world can present.
I could go on … but I find myself back on the runway (alas the last few grains of sand in the hour glass), so I’ll just end with the quote from Samuel Johnson: ”When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.”
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