“Suggest where I can take him around in Paris?” I asked my colleagues in office. With the city shut for tourists, it is a real (albeit unheard of) struggle to take someone around Paris. “There are only three words!” one remarked mockingly. “Please don’t say La Tour Eiffel,” another followed. “Oh, no. GARE DU NORD!” retorted the first one. (Yes, we were all Indian colleagues discussing our very own Disneyland in Paris.

As an Indian, living in Paris for about 7 months now, it came as a surprise to me that I myself had not visited the Indian neighborhood thus far. From day one in Indian circles, you hear the magic words of ‘Gare Du Nord’ – the cash & carry, the supply stores selling Indian masalas, cereals and spices and the famous Saravana Bhavan – in short, the go to place for all things Indian.

So, I…