Little China in City of Joy

Salt Lake BJ Block Saradotsav Committee

finalised their theme back in 2017. Replicating the culture and livelihood of a small tribe of China was the biggest challenge for them. The

Wa tribe

are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by China. Chinese Consul General,

Ma Zhanwu

, took an active role in helping the Puja committee. “Both China and India are very rich in culture. We should increase our cultural exchanges so that the relationship grows stronger between the two neighbouring countries with time,” he said. A group of eight members from the Puja committee visited China to gather information on the Wa tribe. During the Pujas, there will be performances by a team coming from China that’s being organised by the Chinese Consulate.

Challenge accepted: The 35-year old Durga Puja of BJ Block started doing theme Pujas since 2008. “We’ve always taken up challenges to create something innovative. This time we chose China given the bilateral ties between India and China,” said Uma Shankar Ghosh Dastidar, president of the Puja committee

Colours Of China: In an attempt to replicate the Chinese art, the artists have chosen the most popular colours — red, golden, yellow and blue

Artistic touch: The students of different art colleges have come together to create the Chinese magic. Some are from Visva-Bharati, whereas
others are from Government Art College