Mahatma Gandhi District, Houston
Encyclopedia
The Mahatma Gandhi District is an ethnic enclave
in Houston, Texas
, United States, named after Mohandas Gandhi, consisting predominantly of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops and having a large Indian/Pakistani population. The area is commonly referred to as "Hillcroft," after Hillcroft Avenue, a major thoroughfare which houses much of the Mahatma Gandhi district. It is also occasionally called "Little India."
family, began the Raja Sweets business in an area which at the time did not have a concentration of Indian American businesses; the family had arrived in Houston in 1981. Within a three year period, India Grocers opened a location in the area. As time passed, more and more Indian American and Pakistani American businesses moved to the area. Existing Indian American businesses in the area expanded.
While being made up of Indian shops and having a large Indian population for a long time, it was not officially named until January 16, 2010 when the City of Houston held a naming ceremony. The Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker
, and the Consul General of India in Houston, Sanjiv Arora, announced the name change. The Indian American
community proposed marking the area as a South Asian enclave for a seven year period until the founding of the Gandhi District. The India Culture Center and several South Asian merchants originally wanted to rename a stretch of Hillcroft Avenue
to Mahatma Gandhi Avenue; however that required signatures of 75% of commercial property owners of the given part of the street. Manisha Gandhi Mehta, a spokesperson for the opening event that was held on January 16, 2010, said that the organizers of the district found difficulty in getting non-South Asian merchants to agree to the renaming of the street. In 2009 the head members of the India Culture Center and several South Asian merchants agreed to pay $10,000 for the street signage that designates the area as the district.
to the north. Katharine Shilcut of the Houston Press
said that "[t]he three roads combine in such a way as to form a little triangle within the tangle of streets and strip malls,[...]" Aku Patel, the owner of 22, a jewelry store, said that continued development along Hillcroft was going to happen, but that the district would find difficulty in expanding to the other side of U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) because a large Hispanic and Latino American population is already there. Patel said that instead the district will expand along Harwin Drive in an east-west direction.
Shilcut said that the Gandhi District's central location within the City of Houston, the district's increased visibility, and the increase in Greater Houston
's Indian American
and Pakistani American
population caused the district to prosper. Yatin Patel, a Zambia
n-born ethnic Indian who is the owner of India Grocers, said in a 2011 Houston Press
article that originally the Gandhi district did not have a significant Indian-American presence and consisted of several Indian stores and restaurants.
, Bollywood
films, sari
s, and gold jewelry. Katharine Shilcutt of the Houston Press
said that the high education and income levels of Indian Americans caused businesses in the district to thrive. Shilcut added that "it was clear the rest of the city had taken note" when the district received its formal name. Lynn Ghose Cabrera, the cofounder of "Desi Living," a blog covering Greater Houston
's South Asian diaspora, said that "If you talk to longtime Houston Desi residents, they'll tell you that the establishment of the Hillcroft area as the 'Gandhi District' is a milestone. It's one signifier among many that as a community, we've come of age."
Yatin Patel said in a 2011 Houston Press
article that as of that year, about 20-25% of his business originates from people who are not ethnic Indians. He attributes the increased business from non-Indians to the increased proliferation and exposure of Indian cuisine in the United States and his store's Caribbean and English products. Kaiser Lashkari, the owner of a Pakistani restaurant, estimated that about 35-40% of the businesses along Hillcroft are owned by Pakistani people. Lashkari says that despite some tensions between the Indians and Pakistanis, the two groups get along. Sharan Gahunia, a member of the Gahunia family, said that by 2011 Raja Sweets had a lot of African American
, Chinese American
, and Latino American customers even though her restaurant does not Americanize the food. After the owners of Raja Sweets decided that they needed to designate a day off and the restaurant began closing on Tuesdays, other Indian restaurants on Hillcroft began closing on Tuesdays.
Ethnic enclave
An ethnic enclave is an ethnic community which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area, it may be a neighborhood, an area or an administrative division based on ethnic groups. Sometimes an entire city may have such a feel. Usually the enclave revolves around businesses...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, United States, named after Mohandas Gandhi, consisting predominantly of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops and having a large Indian/Pakistani population. The area is commonly referred to as "Hillcroft," after Hillcroft Avenue, a major thoroughfare which houses much of the Mahatma Gandhi district. It is also occasionally called "Little India."
History
In 1985 the Gahunias family, an Indian AmericanIndian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
family, began the Raja Sweets business in an area which at the time did not have a concentration of Indian American businesses; the family had arrived in Houston in 1981. Within a three year period, India Grocers opened a location in the area. As time passed, more and more Indian American and Pakistani American businesses moved to the area. Existing Indian American businesses in the area expanded.
While being made up of Indian shops and having a large Indian population for a long time, it was not officially named until January 16, 2010 when the City of Houston held a naming ceremony. The Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker
Annise Parker
Annise Danette Parker is an American politician and the mayor of Houston since January 2, 2010. She served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2009...
, and the Consul General of India in Houston, Sanjiv Arora, announced the name change. The Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
community proposed marking the area as a South Asian enclave for a seven year period until the founding of the Gandhi District. The India Culture Center and several South Asian merchants originally wanted to rename a stretch of Hillcroft Avenue
Hillcroft Avenue
Hillcroft Avenue is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street spans and is between Beltway 8 and Westheimer Road. To the south Hillcroft has a wide boulevard, and many single family homes surround Hillcroft; some subdivisions use fences and shrubs as a barrier between...
to Mahatma Gandhi Avenue; however that required signatures of 75% of commercial property owners of the given part of the street. Manisha Gandhi Mehta, a spokesperson for the opening event that was held on January 16, 2010, said that the organizers of the district found difficulty in getting non-South Asian merchants to agree to the renaming of the street. In 2009 the head members of the India Culture Center and several South Asian merchants agreed to pay $10,000 for the street signage that designates the area as the district.
Cityscape
The district is along Hillcroft Boulevard, bordered by U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) to the south and the Westpark TollwayWestpark Tollway
The Westpark Tollway, also Fort Bend Westpark Tollway, is a limited-access toll road serving western Houston and Harris County, and northeastern Fort Bend County. Construction on the facility began in 2001 and portions of the road were opened to traffic in May 2004. Construction of the roadway...
to the north. Katharine Shilcut of the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
said that "[t]he three roads combine in such a way as to form a little triangle within the tangle of streets and strip malls,[...]" Aku Patel, the owner of 22, a jewelry store, said that continued development along Hillcroft was going to happen, but that the district would find difficulty in expanding to the other side of U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) because a large Hispanic and Latino American population is already there. Patel said that instead the district will expand along Harwin Drive in an east-west direction.
Shilcut said that the Gandhi District's central location within the City of Houston, the district's increased visibility, and the increase in Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
's Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
and Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
population caused the district to prosper. Yatin Patel, a Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n-born ethnic Indian who is the owner of India Grocers, said in a 2011 Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
article that originally the Gandhi district did not have a significant Indian-American presence and consisted of several Indian stores and restaurants.
Economy
Since the Indian and Pakistani businesses moved to the district, it became a center for the sale of Indian cuisineIndian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
, Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films, sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
s, and gold jewelry. Katharine Shilcutt of the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
said that the high education and income levels of Indian Americans caused businesses in the district to thrive. Shilcut added that "it was clear the rest of the city had taken note" when the district received its formal name. Lynn Ghose Cabrera, the cofounder of "Desi Living," a blog covering Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
's South Asian diaspora, said that "If you talk to longtime Houston Desi residents, they'll tell you that the establishment of the Hillcroft area as the 'Gandhi District' is a milestone. It's one signifier among many that as a community, we've come of age."
Yatin Patel said in a 2011 Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
article that as of that year, about 20-25% of his business originates from people who are not ethnic Indians. He attributes the increased business from non-Indians to the increased proliferation and exposure of Indian cuisine in the United States and his store's Caribbean and English products. Kaiser Lashkari, the owner of a Pakistani restaurant, estimated that about 35-40% of the businesses along Hillcroft are owned by Pakistani people. Lashkari says that despite some tensions between the Indians and Pakistanis, the two groups get along. Sharan Gahunia, a member of the Gahunia family, said that by 2011 Raja Sweets had a lot of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
, and Latino American customers even though her restaurant does not Americanize the food. After the owners of Raja Sweets decided that they needed to designate a day off and the restaurant began closing on Tuesdays, other Indian restaurants on Hillcroft began closing on Tuesdays.