Younger Chinese Indians in the city prefer their PlayStations to the traditional game of dice.
Peter Chang, a retired Chinese resident of Tireti Baazar in central Kolkata, frequents the Kne Hing Club not just to socialise but to play mahjong, the Chinese four-player game, with his friends. Chang is, however, one of a vanishing breed — mahjong, once popular among the Chinese community, is slowly losing its appeal among the younger generation.
“Mahjong is an integral part of our culture and has been passed on through generations but nowadays, the Chinese youth prefer video games, PlayStation and modern gizmos,” complains Chang.
Mahjong, which Chang says is an addiction, is believed to have originated in China in 500 BC. The game is played with 144 pieces of small die known as tonz. The four players sit around the table, representing the different directions of the wind ie north, south, east and west. Each game has four rounds named after prevailing winds. The game is played for money too, though not at the Kne Hing Club. “Since we play in the club, we make it mandatory not to gamble and stake money,” says Chang. Chinese residents playing mahjong on the pavements in the Esplanade area used to be a common sight, but not any longer. Paul Tonk, who plays with Chang, agrees that a few years ago, people could play on the roads but owing to the risk of gambling, police often raid mahjong addas across the city. Although it is very popular among the Chinese of Kolkata, the game has not been adopted by the native Bengali population, perhaps because each dice has Chinese numerals and symbol, which would be incomprehensible to others.
The Kne Hung Club, frequented by Chang and Tonk, is one of the oldest Chinese clubs in Kolkata. Despite its unimpressive interiors, the club is usually bustling with senior Chinese residents of Tireti Bazar. Besides being a venue for playing mahjong, the club also serves as a community centre that hosts feasts, ceremonies and indoor sporting events like cards and mahjong tournaments.
Kolkata is home to the largest immigrant Chinese community in South Asia. Most of the Chinese Indians in this community are entrepreneurs. They own tanneries, sauce-making factories, restaurants and beauty parlours in the city. Tireti Bazar was one of the earliest Chinese settlements. “Our ancestors came from South China and settled on the banks of the Ganges in Kolkata, but over time, the Chinese have moved to other parts of the city, especially near Tangra, now popularly called China Town,” says Tonk. China Town in Tangra is also where several authentic Chinese restaurants are located.
Despite holding Indian passports, the Chinese feel alienated and are usually parochial, frowning on those marrying outside the community. The lack of a Chinese school in the city has compelled the parents to impart Chinese traditional education at home.
In recent times, there has been a significant exodus of Indian Chinese to Canada and the US. “My son is studying business management and is planning to take up a job in Canada like many of his cousins,” says Chang — another sign that the mahjong addas on Kolkata streets would fade away with the current generation of senior Indian Chinese.