By Sudeshna Banerjee

Next summer should it be Shimla or Shanghai? Mao Siwei of CD Block has no doubts in rooting for the latter. "Due to British colonialism, Indians are familiar with Western culture. And due to the history of the last one thousand years, Indians are familiar with west Asian culture. But what about beyond the Himalayas?'' he challenges the wanderlust of Calcuttans.

Siwei is the consul-general of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China. And he was born in Shanghai. So he has the statistics right at his fingertips when he says that south China is affordable for tourists. "Kunming is connected to Calcutta by a two-hour direct flight as well," he adds.

Siwei's house at CD 275 is a piece of China. The drawing room is decorated with red wall hangings - Chinese knots, good luck charms and the like. Green tea is served to guests. He took up residence in Salt Lake by default. "Nowhere else could we find two small houses that we could rent in entirety - one as my residence, the other as our office." But now he thanks his lucky stars. "No air pollution, no noise, no traffic jam..." he lists out the reasons.

The latest reason has been added this festive season. "This is the first time I could take part in a celebration of the common people in India." The consul general was invited to do the honours in both the blocks where he works and stays. While it was the inauguration in EC Block, in CD Block he was called upon to hand over prizes to meritorious local students at post-Puja. He confesses to pandal-hopping in and around Salt Lake too. "I was struck by the size of the celebration and the mass participation. Though it is a religious festival, some pandals are like art exhibitions in a variety of styles."

 

What has moved him most is the queue for community lunch that he noticed in his own block. "Security guard, house owner, rich, poor – everyone was there to share food from the same pot. It shows that in the eyes of god all are equal."

Another festival that caught his eye was the "ritual for the technical people" (Vishwakarma puja). "Even the taxi drivers had made their cars more beautiful with flowers and branches of trees. We don't have anything like that," he says wistfully.

With Communists being perceived as atheists, that wistfulness is bound to raise eyebrows. But Siwei clarifies: "Religion is a part of culture and culture is about people's lives. So how can you avoid religion? And if you want to understand a culture, a festival is the best time to do it."

Siwei's connection with India and its culture goes back a long way. As an office worker for the All-China Youth Federation, he had won a scholarship to attend a two-year programme in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, in 1993-94. That roused his interest in India and made him want to work for better relations between the two countries. "The organisation I worked for was under the umbrella of the Communist Youth League, the youth wing of the Communist party which runs China. So I could opt for a shift to the foreign office."

Since then, he has been in Delhi for six years and in Pakistan for five years. "I have seen the subcontinent from both sides," he muses, "People of each side say negative things about the other but I have a balanced view."

But nowhere did he get the chance to mingle in a popular festival before his Durga puja experience. "I read in an international survey that Indians feel they are the happiest in the world. I said at the EC Block programme that now I know why. Now that I am in India, perhaps I can gain from that happiness."

He can indeed, feeling at home as he does here. "Had it been just office work I could have got bored. But I love Indian culture." So once the consulate office shuts, he is back home watching Hindi films. He has seen Om Shanti Om ("very colourful") and Jodhaa Akbar ("educational") in recent times. "Some Chinese people say Indian films are all song and dance. But that is not true. Some are informative," he argues, citing Water and Bombay. Who says Siwei is here to promote only Chinese culture?

"If you understand a country's policies, you understand its mind. But if you appreciate its culture, you can touch its heart too," the diplomat smiles.

(Courtesy: The Telegraph, published on 24 October 2008)