Little India, Edison/Iselin, also known as Oak Tree Road, is a predominantly

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

n shopping, business, and dining district centered on a road, designated County Route 604, situated in Middlesex County, in Central

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and set amidst a suburban residential region home to many South Asian families. One food and entertainment critic has named the "atmospheric" Little India as one of the "50 Best Reasons to Live in New Jersey."

Location

Little India on Oak Tree Road runs for about one-and-a-half miles through Edison and neighboring

Iselin, New Jersey Iselin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The epicenter of Little India retail is traditionally on the two-block stretch of Oak Tree Road between Correja Avenue and Middlesex Avenue in Iselin, an area officially known as India Square; there, as of 2017, rents were roughly double over the rest of the strip. The intersection of Wood Avenue and Oak Tree Road is where the two towns meet. Little India is located in

Central Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North and ...

in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of

Indian Americans Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

. This zone is the largest and most diverse South Asian ethnic enclave and cultural hub in the United States. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 42.6% of Iselin residents identified themselves as being Asian Indian, the highest for any

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

in the United States. The area is served by

Metropark Station Metropark station is an intermodal transportation hub on the Northeast Corridor in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey that is located 24.6 miles southwest of New York Penn Station. It is owned and opera ...

, providing a one-seat

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...

connection to

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

in Midtown Manhattan. Some have lamented the

stroad A stroad is a type of thoroughfare that is a mix between a street and a road. The word ''stroad'' is a portmanteau of ''street'' and ''road'', coined by American civil engineer and urban planner Charles Marohn in 2011, as a commentary about p ...

status of parts of the strip as inhibiting ideal walkability, and have advocated for improved sidewalks.

Culture, cuisine, and commerce

Oak Tree Road in Edison and Iselin is home to over 400 South Asian business establishments, including dining,

halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...

grocery, jewelry, apparel and

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

retailing, and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

. Many come to the area for its traditional gold and Maharashtrian jewelry retailers. Indian-American supermarket chain

Patel Brothers Patel Brothers, Inc. (doing business as Patel Brothers) is an Indian-American supermarket chain based in Hanover Park, Illinois. Patel Brothers is the world’s largest supermarket chain serving the Indian diaspora, with 57 locations in 19 U.S. s ...

has a location on the strip. Over 145

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

restaurants alone are found in the neighborhood. Establishments have appeared on food critics' "best of South Asian cuisine" national and regional lists. (listing Dimple’s BombayTalk in Iselin and Shalimar in Iselin among America's top 25 Indian Restaurants) The district, which lies nears the sprawling Chinatown, Edison, is also known in particular as a destination for

Indo-Chinese cuisine Indian Chinese cuisine, Chinese Indian cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, Chindian cuisine, Hakka Chinese or Desi-Chinese cuisine is a distinct fusion culinary style that combines aspects of both Indian and Chinese foods and flavours. Though Asian ...

. The actor-comedian

Omi Vaidya Omi Vaidya (born January 10, 1982) is an American actor of Indian descent who works in Bollywood films. He is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "Silencer" in the 2009 buddy-drama film, '' 3 Idiots''. In addition, Vaidya has ...

celebrated the Oak Tree Road scene and South Asian culture in his 2020 song "Oak Tree Road," a parody of

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...

History

Oak Tree Road is named for a large

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

tree which stood at a crossroads where a market was located during the Revolutionary War era. This crossroads and surrounding area was the site of the Oak Tree Engagement during the Battle of Short Hills. It was a relatively rural area in the early to mid 20th century. In the early 1990s, prior to the arrival of significant Indian investment, Oak Tree Road was a down-on-its-luck strip of

biker bar A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by motorcyclists (bikers). Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward motorcyclists.

s and abandoned buildings. Some late-1980s-era economic pioneers to the then-rundown strip experienced racism from the locals, which largely subsided by the early 1990s. The first

Navratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

festival in the state of New Jersey was held in the area in 1991. As Indian businesses began arriving in the 1990s en masse, the area transformed over time into the "thriving market full of pedestrian traffic on weekends" seen today. By 2022, the Indian population was approaching one-third of the population of Monroe Township in southern Middlesex County, and the nickname ''Edison-South'' had developed, in reference to the

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

stature of both

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in Middlesex County.

Festivals and events

A blend of South Asian religious festivals and cultural events are held in the Little India district in Edison and Iselin, each featuring a melting pot of visitors and celebrants of all religions and backgrounds.

India Day Parade on Oak Tree Road

A major annual event on the road is the India Day Parade. The annual New Jersey India Day Parade, hosted by the Indian Business Association, is held every August on Oak Tree Road to celebrate

Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transf ...

. Celebrants such as Governor

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

start in Edison at Cinder Road and march eastbound towards Iselin, finishing the parade at India Square in Iselin. In 2022 as in other years, local officials attended, including Speaker

Craig Coughlin Craig John Coughlin (born January 31, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2010. He has served as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Ass ...

, U.S. Congressman

Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. (; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to ...

, New Jersey state senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak, Mayor John McCormac, and Edison mayor Sam Joshi. In 2022, controversy and concerns about anti-Muslim animus arose when members of the community objected to a yellow

wheel loader A loader is a heavy equipment machine used in construction to move or load materials such as soil, rock, sand, demolition debris, etc. into or onto another type of machinery (such as a dump truck, conveyor belt, feed-hopper, or railroad car) ...

, resembling a bulldozer, seen in the August 14 parade displaying photographs of Prime Minister

Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

and the conservative Hindu nationalist monk,

Yogi Adityanath Yogi Adityanath (born on 5 June 1972 as Ajay Singh Bisht),

, who is also the chief elected leader of the Northern Indian region of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. Modi and Adityanath are both members of the right-leaning

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

, a major Indian political party. The 2022 Oak Tree Road parade's grand marshal,

Sambit Patra Sambit Patra (born 13 December 1974) is an Indian politician and has served as the National spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014 and currently serving as a chairman in tourism department. Patra had his first job at Hindu Rao Ho ...

, is the national spokesperson for the same party. The yellow construction vehicle displayed at the 2022 parade included a placard with the words "Baba ka bulldozer" written in

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

. This display was a reference to the monk's nickname, both affectionately and pejoratively, of "Bulldozer Baba" (roughly equivalent to "Father Bulldozer," "Saint Bulldozer" or "Bulldozer Monk") for his extensive use of the machine in demolishing structures.

Other festivals and events

Ganesh Utsav Ganesh Chaturthi ( ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and ...

. Every year the weeklong festival honoring the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

deity

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

draws thousands of celebrants to nearby Woodbridge Mall. * Diwali. Celebrations for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, are held annually on Oak Tree Road and surroundings. *

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

, the Hindu festival of colors, is also celebrated with the use of color and dancing at events on Oak Tree Road. * Eid. Visitors and the

Desi DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation Drug Efficacy Study Implementation (DESI) was a program begun by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1960s after the requirement (in the Kefauve ...

Muslims in the Oak Tree Road area celebrate the Eid religious festivals twice a year with feasts and celebrations: Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan and

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's com ...

later in the year. *

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. The Indian Business Association sponsors a Christmas tree lighting and celebratory festival with Santa Claus annually. *

. A large Navratri festival is held annually in the area, in most recent years at the NJ Expo Center at

Raritan Center Raritan Center is a business park located in Edison, New Jersey. Sited on part of the former Raritan Arsenal, the Raritan Center Business Park is a logistics center with office buildings and millions of square feet of light manufacturing or dis ...

Jack Ciattarelli Jack M. Ciattarelli ( ; born December 12, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018, representing the 16th legislative district. He was also t ...

attended in 2021.

Houses of worship

A variety of

Hindu temples A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

have been established along the strip, alongside diverse Christian, Jewish, and Muslim congregations in the greater area. Shirdi Sai Cultural and Community Center is one such temple. Located on the Iselin side of the district, it is devoted to the 19th century Indian saint

Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to a ...

References

{{Edison, New Jersey Roads in New Jersey Asian-American culture in New Jersey Indian-American culture Little Indias Edison, New Jersey Ethnic enclaves in New Jersey Ethnic enclaves in the United States New Jersey culture Tourist attractions in New Jersey Indian-American culture in New Jersey Neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Neighborhoods in Edison, New Jersey South Asian American culture

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...