
BY MANSI MOTWANI
LOS ANGELES, CA - Namita Shah, 18, from Artesia heads a venture that is not only one of its kind but also one that would garner appreciation from both Indians and non-Indians alike. She conducts walking tours of `Little India,’ on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. For those not familiar with it, it is SoCal’s largest Indian neighbourhood.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Namita Shah, 18, from Artesia heads a venture that is not only one of its kind but also one that would garner appreciation from both Indians and non-Indians alike. She conducts walking tours of `Little India,’ on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. For those not familiar with it, it is SoCal’s largest Indian neighbourhood.
Situated in Artesia, between 184th and South street, it is an enclave brimming with all things Indian - grocery stores stocked with Indian specialty ingredients, restaurants serving signature Indian dishes, ice-cream parlors offering saffron-flavored ice-cream and more! Shah’s walking tours aim to highlight the rich Indian culture. A senior at Cerritos Whitney High School, she claims that she is “a true native of Artesia” and that it has been her “one and only home.” Proactive in extracurricular and community activities, she is the President of the Indian Club at her high school, as well as the Youth Committee of the Jain Center of Southern California. She has been a Bollywood dancer at NDM Bollywood Dance Studios for the past 14 years.
“I grew up surrounded by the Indian culture, around parents that have remained close to their heritage. I have always looked up to people that have been ultra involved in their culture and towards their community,” she says. As she grew older, though, she began to notice Indians around her who weren’t as connected with their cultural roots as she assumed they would be. She also observed how members of her community wouldn’t mind commuting all the way up to Los Angeles to visit attractions, but failed to recognize `Little India’ as one, despite of its proximity to Artesia and Cerritos. It was this lack of attention towards the vicinity combined with a commitment to serving her community, that motivated Shah to start seeking information on how to attract more visitors to `Little India.’ At the commencement of her research, Shah stood at an intersection in `Little India,’ where she conducted surveys and gathered data from those visiting the area. On asking her to elaborate , she explained , “I was collecting information on visitors’ ethnic backgrounds, their purpose and experience of the visit, trying to figure out which aspects of tourism would attract people. I also wanted to see how far people would be willing to travel from to come to `Little India,’ if it was something that could excite them as much as Disneyland and other popular tourist attractions did. With my findings, I approached local businesses about the potential of tourism. Most owners were very open to the idea of allowing people in and talking to them about their businesses.”
The feedback she received after her first walking tour was much different than what she expected. “People didn’t know how different and diversified India really is. They were surprised to learn about the different forms of apparel and cuisines that exist within the same country,” she adds. Shah’s walking tour features Poshaak, a boutique selling Indian clothing and accessories for men, women and children, and Pioneer Cash & Carry, a grocery store famous for South Asian groceries. She then takes her guests to Jay Bharat for them to indulge in Indian street-food and finally over to Saffron Spot, an ice-cream parlor famous for offering exotic, Indian flavors like saffron and rose. Shortly after she initiated her walking tours, Shah was thanked by several business owners for her creative community effort. Their feedback made her realize how the presence of Internet giants like Amazon was making it difficult for these brick and mortar businesses to attract customers. She continues, “This opened my eyes to the importance of supporting our local businesses. My vision is to be an entrepreneur, to run my own business along with supporting small businesses. I am also aware that it is difficult to be a woman in my community. Seeing South Asian women run businesses has inspired me and made me want to model my life after them. By now, my `Little India’ tour has become a personal mission to help these ‘mom and pop shops’ generate increased business.” For more info visit her website: www.exploredowntownartesia.com
“I grew up surrounded by the Indian culture, around parents that have remained close to their heritage. I have always looked up to people that have been ultra involved in their culture and towards their community,” she says. As she grew older, though, she began to notice Indians around her who weren’t as connected with their cultural roots as she assumed they would be. She also observed how members of her community wouldn’t mind commuting all the way up to Los Angeles to visit attractions, but failed to recognize `Little India’ as one, despite of its proximity to Artesia and Cerritos. It was this lack of attention towards the vicinity combined with a commitment to serving her community, that motivated Shah to start seeking information on how to attract more visitors to `Little India.’ At the commencement of her research, Shah stood at an intersection in `Little India,’ where she conducted surveys and gathered data from those visiting the area. On asking her to elaborate , she explained , “I was collecting information on visitors’ ethnic backgrounds, their purpose and experience of the visit, trying to figure out which aspects of tourism would attract people. I also wanted to see how far people would be willing to travel from to come to `Little India,’ if it was something that could excite them as much as Disneyland and other popular tourist attractions did. With my findings, I approached local businesses about the potential of tourism. Most owners were very open to the idea of allowing people in and talking to them about their businesses.”
The feedback she received after her first walking tour was much different than what she expected. “People didn’t know how different and diversified India really is. They were surprised to learn about the different forms of apparel and cuisines that exist within the same country,” she adds. Shah’s walking tour features Poshaak, a boutique selling Indian clothing and accessories for men, women and children, and Pioneer Cash & Carry, a grocery store famous for South Asian groceries. She then takes her guests to Jay Bharat for them to indulge in Indian street-food and finally over to Saffron Spot, an ice-cream parlor famous for offering exotic, Indian flavors like saffron and rose. Shortly after she initiated her walking tours, Shah was thanked by several business owners for her creative community effort. Their feedback made her realize how the presence of Internet giants like Amazon was making it difficult for these brick and mortar businesses to attract customers. She continues, “This opened my eyes to the importance of supporting our local businesses. My vision is to be an entrepreneur, to run my own business along with supporting small businesses. I am also aware that it is difficult to be a woman in my community. Seeing South Asian women run businesses has inspired me and made me want to model my life after them. By now, my `Little India’ tour has become a personal mission to help these ‘mom and pop shops’ generate increased business.” For more info visit her website: www.exploredowntownartesia.com