The upcoming Little India cultural tour represents a great opportunity for those wanting to learn about Indian lifestyle and culture. The tour includes an introduction to Bollywood film and music, plus Indian fashion and art, and concludes with a meal in one of Little India’s famous restaurants.
It is a massive turnaround from just a year ago, when the fate of traders in the Little India precinct of Dandenong was under a cloud. Road closures, parking shortages, and construction work resulted in plummeting customer numbers. Business had dropped by up to 70% in the time between 2008 and 2011, with many people under the impression the precinct had closed.
Now, only one year later, Little India is dancing to the Bollywood beat, with reborn shops, exotic cuisine, and colourful fashions attracting fans of all things Indian. The area has again become one of Dandenong’s fastest growing cultural precincts and is a great result for multicultural Melbourne, comprising of over 156 different nationalities. Little India, in and around Foster Street, Dandenong, is Melbourne’s only recognised Indian precinct.
Evidence of a revitalised precinct abounds, exemplified by the dazzling pink and gold signage and banner printing, colourful shops, and the optimism of local traders, who are more than happy to regale customers with tales of their journey from India. With over 30,000 Victorians Indian-born and their unique ability to transplant an entire culture, things can only get bigger and better.
The tour will take place on October 26 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
