The street in a busy section of central Mumbai is a jumble of clothing stands and toy stores, and even though she is following developments, the war in Ukraine some 4,500 kilometres away feels distant for shopkeeper Geeta Patel.  

"We all love peace. It should have been settled through talks," she said. 

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That sentiment was echoed by Gopal Jhaveri, who was running an errand before he stopped to tell CBC News that many Indians are watching the conflict unfold amid worries of what ripple effects it will have on the economy and on geopolitical tensions in South Asia. 

"We are against any kind of war, neither are we supporting Russia or Ukraine," Jhaveri said.

The reluctance to pick a side in the ongoing conflict is very much in line with India's official stance of committed neutrality and non-aligned foreign policy that has strong domestic support despite intense pressure from Western leaders for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a bolder approach in denouncing Russian aggression.

"India cannot ignore the fact that Russia has been their ally for that many years," said shopper Hilary Pinto.