I love you. Brickfields

 There's no place like Brickfields on a Sunday afternoon.

A typical lazy Sunday would have me eating lunch at 3pm ideally in Brickfields. I'd be spoilt for choice for either Peter's Pork Noodles or Moorthy's legendary Fried Fish on Banana leaf rice, both are tucked away in a secluded but bustling food court coffee shop in the middle of Brickfields. 

Today at 3.30 pm only Peter's stall remains open in a near empty food court, Ah Lai, his ever reliable right-hand man, expertly prepares my usual order, then packs it tightly for me with equal vigour and enthusiastic chatter. I bid him a warm farewell and left promptly with my favourite pork noodles.

Normally after being satiated, a walk would be recommended- firstly to allow the food to settle into the lower reaches of the body and second, to take in the sights and delights this rich little Indian settlement has to offer. 

The 200-meter walk from our food court to the bustling old quarter takes us pass one of the last remaining historical landmark of the district- the Vivekananda Ashram beautifully built by Jaffna Tamils in 1908. This center of education was built in  recognition of their founder being a key member in raising interfaith awareness worldwide and in getting Hinduism recognised as a major world religion at the end of the 19th Century.

Today that walk would still take you past the Vivekananda Ashram, but it would bring little joy apart from the fact that it was recently awarded a National Heritage site, the shops are mostly shuttered, the streets deserted. 

Past that, you're entering the old commercial center of Brickfields where it all began- merchants of all trade hawk their wares in the shops, on the walkways, spilling onto the pedestrian walk. It used to be as colourful and as noisy as the beautiful and gregarious people of the mystical nation of India but today it takes on muted hues and tones. The shops are only half open but the businesses are still spilling out on the streets- fruits, vegetables, desserts and sweetmeats are on display on street vendors' carts. 

One particular vendor caught my eye, selling tea time snacks- fried spicy indian doughnuts- vada, green pea balls, curry puffs, samosas, boiled chick peas and a huge pot of masala tea. I excitedly purchased a little of everything including the masala teh tarek, which was served in an open paper cup as takeaway. 

As I sat in my car sipping my tea, I glance at the stalls and shops that lined the long thoroughfare serving the small crowd, I see a time when it was bustling, busy, colourful and chaotic and I wonder when will that be again. Who knows? For now my masala tea taste simply heavenly and visiting Brickfields on a Sunday afternoon always hits the right spots in me. Though they're a little muted, they're nonetheless beautiful.