Tracing The Chinese In Tangra - Part One

A view of Tangra

Whenever we have decided to organize a reunion, a birthday bash or an anniversary dinner, ‘Tangra Cholo’, (let’s go to Tangra) has been the unanimous decision. 

Tangra, a locality in Kolkata is synonymous with the Chinese community. Murky and shady in the morning, it comes alive after dark. Neon lights glitter everywhere. Bright glow signs announce the name of the restaurants. Cheap alcohol and a different kind of Chinese dishes – that is how we know Tangra.  While Mainland China and the premium Chinese fare in Park Street were unaffordable to many, Tangra welcomes all and sundry. Loud, boisterous crowd. Raucous laughter greeted makes sure that we feel at home in Beijing or Big Boss. 

 

The symbolic red

My opinion changed during a walk through Tangra one morning. There is something more than cheap alcohol and a differently styled Chinese. Behind every dilapidated house, lies a story. The brightly painted red gates are just a facade for there is history that is waiting to be retold. In those dark and dinghy lanes, there lies a past. A history of love and betrayal.

 

One of those lanes in Tangra

On a cold morning, we decided to trace the Chinese in Kolkata. Tangra was our destination. A group of ten members was led by Shri Avijit Dhar Chowdhury of Kolkata Explorers. This time we entered Tangra from the road that connects Park Circus to The EM. Bypass. There to our astonishment stands a huge red gate. On it is written the word ‘welcome’ in Chinese. Built in 2009, it was a joint effort of the Tourism Board of Kunming (Located in Yunnan province in South-East China) and West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC). Styled like a pagoda, there are Chinese symbols all over it. The dragons though reminded me of Tibetan architecture. The gate was constructed to promote tourism. Unfortunately, the community refused to recognize it as an expression of their heritage. Today, it stands forlorn and is seldom used as an entry point.

How did the Chinese reach  Kolkata?

In those days Kolkata was easily accessible by both land and sea.  There was regular steamer service from Canton (Guangzhou) to Kolkata. Chinese labourers were brought to India to work as contract labourers. They were supposedly cheap and highly skilled.

Many theories abound regarding the advent of the first settlers. In the year 1778, Tong Atchew Yang Da Zhao was the first recorded Chinese settler. It is said that his ship was caught up in a storm and they all washed up on the shores of Kolkata. Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General donated land to the sailors. The other version says that Hastings decided to reward the trader with land for his services to the British.

Since Atchew-Po was the man behind the sugar cane plantations and factories, the Bengali word for sugar, ‘chini’ owes its existence to him.  He went back and brought with him 110 labourers to work in the plantation and factories.

The men kept commuting to their homes. Some ended up bringing their families and settling down in Kolkata. Mostly they came from Canton (or Guangdong) and belonged to the Hubei community, who were dentists by profession, leather workers and were also well-versed with the laundry business. They were a travelling class who moved around to make their livelihood. The word ‘Hakka’ means guests and these people were nomadic in nature.

In the year 1783, Atchew died. The place where he had settled came to be known as Atchewpur, which got distorted and became today’s Acchipur.

The labourers brought by Atchew settled in Kolkata. There were two settlements that were formed. Tiretti Bazar and Tangra. The marshy, low-lying land was popular for the abundance of the fish Mystus Vittaus, commonly known as Tangra. These areas were deemed perfect for the establishment of tanneries. This is how the Chinese settlement Tangra got its name.

During World War II, the demand for rawhide increased helping the Chinese community in Tangra to flourish. Their fortunes changed and soon they prospered. But the Sino-Indian war in 1962 dealt a severe blow to them. It changed their destiny overnight.  

A filed picture of the barracks in Deorali, Rajasthan

A law was passed which permitted the arrest of anyone with a Chinese connection, be it by birth, by surname or with a Chinese spouse. Almost 10,000 people were packed off to a prison camp in Deorali, Rajasthan. Some were even deported. There were also restrictions regarding their internal movement. Many could not even visit the tanneries they owned. The community was looked down upon. Distrust and suspicion engulfed the Chinese in Kolkata.  After four years of captivity, they were released. Conditions in the camp were horrendous. Many died unable to battle the harsh conditions. Those who survived, returned home only to find their house, business and even their loved ones are gone. This came as a big shock. The very community, which had made India their homeland, were branded as traitors and robbed of their possessions. These events led to a mass exodus of the Chinese from Kolkata.  

It is noteworthy to mention a particular name here. Ms Monica Liu was a young girl when she was deported to the camp in Rajasthan. She has been a witness to the atrocities meted out to her brethren. Unhygienic conditions, insufficient and poor quality of food and multiple diseases made their life hell. That is when she and her mother undertook the task of making Chinese wantons surreptitiously and delivering them to the inmates. Later Monica came back and started her own chain of restaurants. Today she is a successful restaurateur and runs five restaurants (Beijing and Kim Ling in Tangra, Tung Fong in Park Street, Mandarin in Sarat Bose Road and Mandarin in Lake Avenue).

The Graveyard in the detention Camp

The next big blow came in 1995 when the Supreme Court issued a directive to move all tanneries due to environmental concerns. The very occupation which had brought them luck was now on the verge of a loss. The Chinese chose to leave India in huge numbers. It’s tragic that most of the tanneries which flourished at one point in time are now Chinese restaurants.

The Chinese today

They run restaurants, which are very popular for the food they serve. There are some tanneries, which still thrive. The Chinese are sauce manufacturers. Sing Cheun Sauce factory and Pou Ching are cases in point, They are also shoe shop owners, beauty parlour owners and dentists.

The Sauce Makers

‘The younger generation has mostly migrated to the US, Canada and Hong Kong,’ informs me an elderly man who sits outside his house in the sun. ‘We are here still trying to survive out of loyalty and allegiance. Tell me, how can I leave the place where my father set up his residence? You will mostly find old people like us waiting for their life to end. We have sent our children away for there is no work here. I will die here and rest in a cemetery in my homeland. Yes, you heard it right. This is my homeland.’

Then a Temple - Now A Warehouse

Part II: A journey through the lanes of Tangra. (More on the current infrastructure, their religion and rituals)