A woman’s hands tell her age, many say...

Well I think they tell a tale

• For Part One of this article, see The “Indian Quarter” of the Durban CBD - Part One.

• For Part Two of this article, see The “Indian Quarter” of the Durban CBD - Part Two.

Walk from Yusuf Dadoo Street through the Ajmeri or Madressa arcades and you will come to the appropriately named Cathedral Road. Turn right and you will be faced with the mighty Catholic Church - the St. Emmanuel’s Cathedral. But in the cheek-by-jowl multi-cultural give-and-take that the Indian Quarter has become, you will have to first pass the iconic Manjra’s Café where all classes lined up and still do, for its signature dhall and rice. It is only for those with a strong body constitution for the dhall can cause tummy rumbles. The name “Manjra” is synonymous with traditional Indian Muslim cuisine and for decades no wedding of note took place without Solly Manjra cooking the main dish.

Waltz into Paheli Kingdom and take delight in a modern-day fairytale whose characters: the wicked King Jafar; the egotistical, ‘super-cool’ Prince Zaydan; and the charismatic, naïve Latifah are oh so real!

Mehndi application is a tradition inherited from the Indian subcontinent, encouraged in Islam as a sunnah (tradition of Prophet Muhammad pbuh), and a big part of pre-Eid, Diwali and wedding festivities in many Indian homes.