Tangra update!

[Kelvin & Henri <kachie-hakit@account-pro.com>]

Dear everyone,
I wanted to share this message and the pictures from Dominic. They're
beautiful photos, and I want you to see them. We can only learn from each
other and about each other on the net.
Henrietta.

Dear Henrietta 
	These past three or four years has seen a large number of the chinese
leaving Tangra and Calcutta. More so because of the government's plan to
shift the entire leather units to an even more remote place about 20 km
away from the present site.  Most of these small tannery owners are
not willing to start all over again from scratch. More so because of the
recession in the leather industry as well as they had lost their will and
energy to fight a losing battle with the well-established factories and
the challege of having to face an even larger business organisations which
is sure to join the fray. Multifarious problems compounded by very
discouraging
policies adopted by the domestic government as well as international agencies.
has created hopelessness and a very bleak future for the leather
industry. Tangra's main sustenance used to be leather !
	One very interesting and heartening  development is the mushrooming
of many luxurious chinese restaurants in Tangra. Some tannery owners are
converting a part of their factory into elegant restaurants. Now there
are about 20 restaurants in Tangra alone ! Tangra has become a Mecca for
chinese gourmets. No chinese food lover here feels fully satisfied
unless and until he makes a trip to Tangra once in a while. It is like
tasting the ultimate in chinese food !! No conversation among chinese
food lovers here is complete without the question " Have you been to Tangra
?! "
	I feel happy for the ever resourceful and ever adaptable and resilient
chinese people here. But at the same time I feel sorry for them in the
sense that why invest so much in a doomed place???; A place without
hope; A place where there is no proper drainage system, roads; water supply
or street lightings from the governemnt; I admire them in trying to
light up the place in their own individual capacity. Something is
wrong somewhere! It is like a beautiful flower trying to survive
among the nauseating debris.
	If only all made an effort to collectively, either to urge the government
or some private agencies to make a real livable chinatown instead!!! I fear
for the day when even all these grand restaurants
will have to be pulled down because of inadequate civic planning or
infrastructure.

	I am very happy to inform that for the past two years we are trying
to draw attention to Calcutta city proper where the original china-town
was by organising Lion Dance shows during the Chinese New Year and celebrating
the Lantern festival
	There were 14 troupes of Lion Dancers performing one after the other.
This year, for the first time in the history of Indian Chinese, a
troupe consisting of only girls was organised. The youngeat of the
girl is 4 yrs old and the average age of the girls is around 9 yrs. old.
Though there were some objections from some quarters regarding the
inauspiciousness of a girl"s troupe, but it was taken out against all odds.
It turned out to be a grand success with the little girls performing well
beyond expectations during the Dragon Show. Also they were welcome warmly
everywhere they went for house to house visit. Now there is the opportunity
for even little girls to enjoy the pleasures of dancing with the Lion
instead of just being mere spectators all these years !!!! It was the sole
domain of boys/males only all these years !!!!!

I am attaching few photos of New Year 2000 celebration in Calcutta.
I will post the Dragon Show photos as soon as I get the albums which is
going around.
Regards.
Dominic Lee

New Year 20001.ZIP