One of Kolkata’s utmost possessions aka Tangra Chinatown is a fascinating place to visit. It is the only Chinatown in India with large inhabitants of East Asians, where old Chinese traditions and customs are so well-preserved. Incidentally, the Overseas Chinese Commerce of India, the only Chinese everyday newspaper in India, is printed from Tangra.
Walking through Kolkata’s Chinatown, feels like being transported half way across the world into Asia. I can hear a variety of dialects being spoken, I see locals grocery shopping and going about their business. I even pass by people in the park practising Tai Chi. I notice that everything is practically in Chinese with some broken English, street vendors selling unusual items, a lack of Starbucks, and heaps of distinctive and rousing food choices.
My first imprint of Tiretti is the aroma! Floating aroma summarises the petite street as I see pockets of people flocking around at steady intervals. Intrigued, I venture closer to discover that each pocket environs a Chinese lady or gentleman selling their home-made delicacies! The Chinese cuisine here is a blend of numerous cuisines from their native land counting Cantonese, Sichuan and Bengali flavours. While the splendour of the Tiretti has long since faded, with most Chinese eateries having moved to Tangra off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass aka the new Chinatown, the morning bazaar still draws substantial crowd who want to taste genuine Chinese flavours. Old Chinatown is possibly most famous for its early morning Sunday breakfast.
A Tiretti Bazaar breakfast is rather of an obligatory introduction into the Chinatown experience. But one would have to be wide-awake and prepared at the crack of dawn as breakfast is served accurately when the rooster makes its first call and winds up as the first public bus departs the terminal which is from around 6:30 am to 8:30 am. Certain food items such as the sweet rice zhung, ham choi (salted vegetables), red roast pork and the pork dumpling soup come highly recommended and are sure to put you right back into a snooze from all that food coma.
Knowing little about Kolkata’s heritage despite having been here before, I never anticipate discovering so much. This is all thanks to my tour led by Manjit Singh Hoonjan, the founder of Calcutta Photo Tours, a metropolitan explorer whose awareness of the city goes yonder the encyclopaedia. He is well informed, full of valuable trivia and a tremendously liberal guide, plying me with delicious snacks like peanuts and kulhads of hot tea.
This significant Chinatown is buzzy, replete with a blend of old and new shops and markets. Strolling along I come across the vibrant and unusual shops brimming with Chinese spices, souvenirs and even Chinese medicines. One of the characteristic things about Kolkata is its Chinese population, which dates back to the 18th century when Chinese merchants established themselves in the city. However, on this walking tour, we also discover one of its secret treasures, Sea IP Church. This Chinese church was erected in 1905 and comprises a captivating collection of old war weapons, as well as deities.
By now I have explored the slight remnants of this Old Chinatown. I have seen five Chinese temples, learnt about the Chinese ethos and ethnicities exclusive to the Kolkata Chinese. The complete zone is crammed through thin lanes of rows of busy stalls with hawkers selling their glamorous sauces, shiitake and herbs, restaurants with a continuous arrival of tourists and locals, clubs and Chinese temples (often labelled as ‘churches’), all set up by numerous traditional communities in the optimism of cultivating the social and cultural spirit of the Chinese population. Some of these churches are also used as clubs or public spaces for mingling and celebration.
As February reels in with the Chinese New Year, Tiretti Bazaar’s festivities start off with an old-style and captivating Dragon Dance show, trailed by acts by the Lion Dancer’s group in the temples and adjacent neighbourhood. The dances are ceremonial of getting good luck and the festivities last for over ten days. The Sunday post the Chinese New Year the complete Chinese community of Calcutta unites at Achipur (near Budge – Budge) to pay honour to Tong Achew, the first Chinese colonizer of India.
In Tiretta Bazar an enormous stage is set up at Chattawalla Guli, the place of renowned Chinese breakfast, I learn as we cross over to grab a bite of the famous noodles before we finish the walk with a delightful Chinese lunch at Tung Nam restaurant, one of the oldest surviving Chinese restaurants in Kolkata.
Truly, with a population of just over two thousand people, the Chinese populaces in Kolkata have judiciously refined for themselves a regime and a trade that stands apart from any other in the country. I will uphold the best way to see a city is on foot, and as an often solo traveller I am a big fan of walking tours. An exhilarating and gratifying experience awaits as I get the paramount Chinese ethos right here counting festivals, shops, history, and food of course!
