You don't have to fly 10,000 kilometres to experience the unique tastes, sites and scents of India when it's all here in the centre of Dandenong, as MICHAEL RANDALL discovered.WE all know Greater Dandenong is Victoria's centre for multiculturalism, boasting that it is home to to 156 nationalities.
But asked to name one, it is Indian most people will probably think of.
Indian traditions have been captured in a stretch of unique shops in Foster Street, just near the Dandenong railway station and now known as Little India.
It is an area made increasingly popular through the council's tours program as I discovered when
Greater Dandenong ambassador Mariam took a party on a tour of the area.
The first stop was Roshan's Fashions where we were met at the door by Fouzia Shamim.
Inside there was brightly coloured traditional Indian clothing, adorned with lavish embroidery and decorations.
Ms Shamim spoke about the intricacies of an Indian wedding and had on display traditional wedding clothes for the bride and groom.
"In my experience, arranged marriages are better. It's not just the boy and girl, it involves both families, and they are always there to support the couple.
"Arranged marriages are more common in India, but things are starting to change.
"The wedding ceremony can sometimes start a week before the wedding day.
"All Indian functions start with flowers though!"
The dress on display was worth more than $1000 and took more than a month to complete.
The sweet tooths were looking forward to the next stop at Punjab Sweet Centre, where we tasted Indian sweets, made here in Dandenong, including the famed jalebi and some rather tasty lassi.
"Food is a passion for Indians," Zai Chaudhry, of Punjab Sweet Centre, said.
"We like our curries hot and our sweets sweet."
Anette Theobold volunteered to be dressed in a sari at the Heritage India Bollywood fashion store.
Neeta Shah explained that, depending on what part of India one is from, saris were worn in a different way.
"And we try not to wear the same sari to more than one function," she said.
Ms Shah also showed the threading technique used to pluck eyebrows.
Baba Home Entertainment - the next stop on the tour - is full of Indian movies and music.
When we walked into the India Bazaar International, the scent was amazing. The herbs and spices in the Indian grocery store tantalise the senses.
Last stop was a satisfying curry lunch at the Payal Indian Restaurant.
Why get on a plane when you can experience it here in Dandenong?
Little India cultural tours are held every month. The next day time tour is on Wednesday, September 30 and the next evening tour is on Friday, October 9.
Details and bookings: www.greaterdandenong.com or call 9239 5134.
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