Last Sunday I made a rare visit to Ealing Road in Wembley, well known for its colourful array of Indian shops selling everything from mangoes to saris.

The very same day, if flu had not intervened I was due to be at a friend’s wedding in India. So in a way my visit to mini-India was symbolic and evoked memories of previous visits to India and Ealing road – all too often the memories get interwoven, as vivid images, umpteen different sounds and mysterious smells mix.

– Colourful fruit, colourful vegetables, colourful people.
– Tandoori masala, garam masala, people masala!
– A vast ever changing kaleidoscope of humanity
– Hot and fiery, mild and pungent, bland and exotic, the masalas as well as the people.

Wherever you go in the world there is a common wonderful theme – people.

– Small, large, fat, thin.
– Loud, quiet, croaky.
– Brash, timid, aloof.
– Honest, innocent, mischievous.
– Black, white, brown, mixed.
– Anxious, laidback, schizophrenic.
– Colourful, drab, naked.

It takes all sorts of people to make our world so interesting and colourful. And if you ever want to experience people at their grandest and wildest, just visit any of the exotic markets in London.

Start with Ealing Road, Wembley – the amusing hawkers are not to be missed.

Maybe love makes the world go around, but it is definitely people that make the ride worthwhile.