Kolkata: The Chinese Consulate in Kolkata will be joining hands with the BJ Block Puja Committee in Salt Lake for celebrating Bengal's biggest festival Durga Puja.
BJ Block has decided to base the theme of their pandal on
Hulu, a structure of Chinese bottle gourd which is very popular in China, especially in the Yunnan province.
Hulu is believed to bring good omen and prosperity and is very popular in Yunnan where it is grown widely. "There will be 20 artistes from China who will perform songs, acrobatics, lion dance, dragon dance etc.depicting the Chinese culture. We believe that the two nations need to know each other in a better way and this will be a significant step towards the same," said Ma Zhanwu, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Kolkata, at a Press conference in the city.
A team from the Salt Lake puja committee had visited some places in China, including Yunnan in June, to learn about the concept of Hulu and other aspects of the Chinese culture.
"This will be the first time when a Chinese structure will be viewed in a pandal complex in Kolkata. Chinese cuisine will also be available and Chinese paper-cutting will also be on display," Zhanwu added.
According to him, both India and China are blessed with a long history and rich culture and there are a lot of similarities between the two cultures.
"Goddess Durga in China is known as Nan Jin Mu, meaning the formidable goddess," he maintained.
There will be some Chinese artifacts and Indian handicrafts displayed on either side of the pandal. The inauguration of the celebration will take place on October 13, on the day of Chaturthi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be invited for the inauguration.
It may be mentioned that the Chinese Consulate in Kolkata had conducted a best Durga Puja pandal competition in 2016 and 2017.