Description: In Canada, you'll find several 'Little India's' all over the country. If you're visiting Vancouver in British Columbia and you're missing home too much, head to Surrey and Punjabi market. In Calgary, Alberta make your way to north east Calgary and in Toronto, you'll find a taste of India at Gerrard Street.The SpiritThe spread of Indian food in Surrey is quite elaborate, attracting people from different parts of Vancouver. The restaurants are mostly local with a few chains and franchises; the food served ranges from Punjabi, Himalayan, Nepali, Bengali, South Indian, Fijian, etc... The chaat is not the same as the ever-famous Mumbai chaat, but it is a close second to that of Mumbai (Punjabi tadka added!). You'll find everything ranging from jewellery, desi outfits, sandals, bridal wear, etc. There is neither a shortage of fancy restaurants, banquet halls, conference rooms, and theatres that play a selection of Bollywood movies. At Gerrard Street in Toronto, most of the shops and restaurants are open until 9 pm, so the street really comes to life, especially on warm summer evenings. There is a restaurant named Bombay Chowpatty, where they serve chaat, but again, it's not as authentic as the Mumbai chaat. The place is not lavishly decorated, but it is clean and serves the purpose.In north east Calgary, you will find loads of Indian stores, beauty services, lawyers, restaurants. Most of the stores and restaurants play lively Punjabi music. There are a number of restaurants that cater to your Indian craving; Southern Spice brings alive the South Indian in you and if you've been pining for some 'Indian Chinese', Taketomi is where you should be at. For your Indian sugar fix, definitely consider dropping into either Lovely Sweets and Restaurant or Bikaner sweets. Most Indian restaurants offer a great buffet service as well and the most important thing on every restaurant menu is butter chicken and vindaloo, although it may not be the same as what you would find in India. Surrey can take you back to India, but not to the urban regions. It cannot replicate the vibes that places like Mumbai exude. It feels more small-town-esque and the vendors at the stores speak versions of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. There are many cultural activities that take place in Surrey as well as in Vancouverthe predominant ones being the Indian Independence Day parade and Vaisakhi parade. Vancouver also celebrates Diwali, the Bhangra festival and summer music festivals featuring Punjabi artists. These take place in Surrey, downtown Vancouver as well as in the Punjabi market area. In November, Gerard Street celebrates Diwali and if you walk down the streets, you'll find hundreds of tea lights giving the place a warm, majestic glow. North east Calgary has a host of cultural activities. 15th August celebrations are quite a visual treat and special programmess on the radio remind us of our roots. A visit to one of the cultural events will refresh your desi spirit for sure.What I miss about IndiaBut home is home and there's a lot to be missed. It hurts to see that not many young adults (14-21 years) participate in the events and parades as they would in Mumbai. Most of them are still trying to figure out their cultural identity, and so their involvement is not as high, while in India, as young adults, we all stood for national pride, no matter what religion, region or language, and that is the one thing I miss.I deeply miss the city that never sleeps (Mumbai). The delicious food, the auto rickshaws, the ever-crowded local trains, shopping, the very affordable lifestyle (I find everything expensive here), the rains, street food...Being from Mumbai I miss people meddling in my business (sometimes), the smell of the sheekh kebab... I hate to have to check the weather before I step out as opposed to just walking out when I feel like. I miss neighbours practically living in your house and the sound of children playing cricket and fighting over who broke the tube light.
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