Chinese New Year was last week on February 17, the dawning of the Year of the Fire Horse. Back after 60 years, it’s described as ‘a symbol of forward movement, independence and endurance’. We Indians love all happy festivals, besides desi ones, so, in honour of the Chinese-origin people in India, here’s wishing everyone Happy Chinese New Year.
The Chinese community in India, found mostly in Kolkata and Mumbai, is a small and shrinking minority with around 3,000-4,000 in Kolkata and 400 families in Mumbai. Kolkata has the most visible community, with historic Chinatowns in Tangra and Tiretta Bazaar. Mumbai's community is smaller in areas like Mazgaon.
The first Chinese settler, Yang Tai Chow, also known as Tong Achew, arrived in 1778 from Guangdong, establishing a sugar mill near Kolkata with Warren Hastings's permission. The population surged in the early 20th century, as many fled conflict in China. But sadly, the 1962 war with China led to the internment of thousands in Deoli, Rajasthan causing mass migration to Canada, Australia and Hong Kong.
The community is tight-knit, with many having married locals and being fluent in Indian bhashas. They maintain cultural traditions, such as celebrating the Chinese New Year at their temples, including the temple in Mumbai dedicated to Kwan Kung, a popular Chinese folk deity. The grave of Tong Achew is in Achipur by the Hooghly in the 24 Parganas. Achipur is named after him. His grave is visited by many Chinese during their New Year.
After establishing tea gardens in Assam, the British authorities encouraged the migration of Chinese labourers and artisans from Kolkata in 1838, who overcame the language barrier and started intermingling. Many Chinese married local women and established a new community in Assam. They worked hard and soon began to prosper. Several ‘China patti,’ or small Chinatowns, sprang up in different parts of Assam. The China patti of Makum in Tinsukia district was the biggest and is still known for its unique Sino-Indian community.
Across India, the Chinese grew famous as excellent dentists, hairdressers, shoemakers and restaurateurs. We talk so much about the Portuguese contribution of new vegetables from South America to India like potatoes, tomatoes and green chillies. The culinary contributions of Muslim cultures are well-known and we are completely used to the British influence on our eating habits be it tea, sliced bread, salted butter, sandwiches, cakes or bakes, and trends that took off widely after liberalisation like Italian pizza and pasta, or American inventions like burgers and hot dogs. But it’s the Chinese in India who created an entire Sino-Indian cuisine that many call ‘Chindian’ and Delhi-NCR calls ‘Chinjabi’.
Nelson Wang is inarguably the most famous pioneer of Chindian cuisine, and as anyone who’s visited China knows, it’s in a savoury league of its own, and quite different from actual Chinese food. Wang was born in Kolkata in 1950, the son of a Chinese immigrant. But his father passed away when he was very young and he was sent to an uncle in Mumbai, where he made his way up the restaurant ladder, finally opening his own.
He is credited with inventing Chindian favourites like Chicken Manchurian, Cauliflower Manchurian and Veg Manchurian, none of which has anything to do with faraway Manchuria but a lot to do with pakoras dunked in gravy, with Chinese flavouring instead of Indian masalas. He is also held to have introduced Chindian staples like chicken corn soup, hot and sour soup, chicken lollipops and date pancakes with ice cream, besides spring rolls, noodles and fried rice. I’m not sure if he invented the notorious Paneer Manchurian, which sounds more Chinjabi than Chindian. If so, it’s further proof that Sino-Indian has become its own genre, with even ‘Idli Manchurian’ at Udupi restaurants.
The Chinese, being expert tanners, also make the most beautiful shoes and handbags in the land, from the softest leather. Their creations are stitched with fine craftsmanship. In my teens, I could never find comfortable shoes for my long, narrow feet among the two-and-a-half brands available then. I wept that I had inherited my father’s feet, not my mother’s, and was teased in the swimming pool, “Here’s the mermaid, see her flippers?” which did not exactly encourage self-confidence.
When riding lessons began, obviously riding boots were required, for I couldn’t show up in unsafe sandals or slippers. That’s when life changed forever. Riding boots had to be made to order, as they were not available otherwise. Armed with my father’s permission and promise to pay, I marched into the shoe shop of KK Lee in Delhi’s Khan Market. When he made me try on my new boots, I almost started weeping again. For the first time in my life, my poor feet were comfortable, for he understood the human foot. Years later, the old bond revived with his son Richard. I was new to credit cards, and unaccountably lost mine. I ran into the Lees’ shop in panic and told Richard, who knew what to do, and fixed matters.
I was used to seeing images of Kuan Yin in Chinese shops. She is the East Asian Bodhisattva of mercy and kindness, derived from Avalokitesvara. Her name means ‘One who hears the world’s cries’, and rescues those in fear or despair. Decades later, the memory of the kind-hearted Lees was a reason for my frequent visits to Kuan Yin’s serene temple in Bangkok’s Chinatown, for she was no stranger to me. May the Year of the Horse prove lucky for our fellow Indians of Chinese descent and for us all.
Renuka Narayanan | FAITHLINE | Senior journalist
(Views are personal)
(shebaba09@gmail.com)