Poll connect: Graffiti in Mandarin script appear on Chinatown walls
Times of India | 1 May 2024
Kolkata: Wall graffiti in Mandarin script made its debut this poll season in Kolkata’s Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon as part of Trinamool’s campaign for the party’s Kolkata South Lok Sabha candidate, Mala Roy.
Cast your vote in favour of Mala Roy: Though written in Mandarin script, the graffiti is in English, as a majority of the Chinese population living in Kolkata are more conversant with English than Chinese.
“I was born, brought up and educated in Kolkata. So, I speak in Hindi and English. My forefathers, who also lived here, could speak in Chinese. I know some words and expressions in Chinese but am not fluent in the language,” said Joseph Chang, a businessman living in Chinatown. “Reading the English campaign in Mandarin script helps.”
As the wall writing started, Roy, also the KMC chairperson, took up a paintbrush to add touches to the graffiti on a wall near the entrance to Chinatown at Topsia. She was accompanied by Trinamool’s Javed Khan and his son and local councillor Faiz Ahmed Khan. “The city is home to multi-cultural people and we respect all communities. Even last election, I had come here for poll graffiti and this time is no exception. There are more than 1 lakh voters in ward 66. We are reaching out to the Chinese community by sending out messages in their own script. Those visiting Chinatown for authentic Chinese food may also like the Mandarin-script graffiti,” said Roy. Javed Khan said, “Trinamool started writing graffiti in Mandarin script in Chinatown in 2012. It has been encouraging the city’s Chinese community to participate in the poll process. Earlier, many would stay away but now, they visit the poll booths in large numbers. The Mandarin script graffiti also send out a message of harmony among different communities.”
The city’s Chinese connect can be traced back to 1780s, when a trader, Tong Achew, set up a sugar factory in Budge Budge. The Chinese population in the city grew to around 1 lakh in 1950. But now, Faiz Ahmed said, Chinatown had 1,200-1,400 eligible Chinese voters.
A local artist, Ranjit Topadar, did the Mandarin graffiti in Topsia and Chinatown. “It’s been only a decade since I have been doing the Mandarin ones and it is a new experience for me,” he said. Robert Hou, who helped him with the writing, said, “The election campaign in Chinese script makes us feel included. Ever since the campaign in Mandarin started, more people from our community have been participating in the poll.” Another resident, Francis Lee, said, “We don’t speak Chinese here, but it is good to see Mandarin graffiti. We want the govt to protect the Chinese heritage in Chinatown.”