While pandal-hopping at Durga puja pandals in Kolkata this year, don’t be too surprised if you come across a mini Chinatown. The Chinese consulate, which has shown interest in Durga puja festivities in the last few years, is going to sponsor the oldest community puja in the Salt Lake area of the city.
“Durga Puja of Kolkata is an experience and it transcends religious thresholds, bringing everyone together. Naturally, we at the Chinese consulate have also become quite involved in the festivities. This year, we will bring China to Salt Lake,” consul general Ma Zhanwu told The Times of India.
The Chinese consul general says this year China will be brought to Salt Lake. Credit: The Indian Express.
According to TOI, the consulate’s main aim is to ensure that close cultural and commercial connect with Bengal is maintained. Therefore, the consulate will not only sponsor the puja, but will also send a team of artists to Yunnan province in China to train them to make designs that will exhibit Chinese influences. The team will be flown to Kunming where they will train under master craftsmen.
Visitors to the pandal will also be serenaded by Chinese flute music, get amused by dragon dance and acrobatics by artists from China.
Visitors to the pandal will also be serenaded by Chinese flute music, get amused by dragon dance and acrobatics by artists from China. Credit: Reuters
Reports suggest that the Chinese consulate has been more active in participating during the Durga Puja in the last few years. Soon after, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor made connectivity easier between the two countries, the Chinese consulate has tried to create a confluence of the two cultures.
BJ Block started organising pujas in 1983 with contribution from 100-odd families in the locality. They pooled in their money and started the puja with a budget of Rs 20,000. Over the years, the number of homes in the block increased to 410 and so did the budget for organising the puja, which was organised last year with Rs 40 lakh.
