Monica Liu, who is lovingly known as the ‘Don of Tangra’, is a familiar name. Her “Calcutta Chinese”, made world famous, keeps us happy and satiated. Her story of grit, determination and entrepreneurship never fails to attract admiration, and making an effort to document her story in detail is Showli Chakraborty.“During Covid-19 lockdown, I heard a lot of people badmouthing the Chinese community. I thought it was time that someone from the community spoke about their contribution to the city and also narrate the sufferings they have been through in India as first-generation immigrants,” said Chakraborty, who launched the book during the Kolkata Book Fair earlier this year.She added: “I called up Liu and asked if we could do a book about her life and narrate the history of the community through her experiences as a woman building a business in Tangra. She was a sport and readily agreed. So, right through the pandemic, we met every Saturday afternoon and talked about her life in great detail.” Calcutta Chinese, the biography of Monica Liu, was born.
Later, there was a panel discussion at the Tollygunge Club, complete with many of Monica’s delectable distractions — Momo, Thai Soup, Prawn Chips and Honey Chicken. Moderating the panel was Oindrilla Dutt, who first made author Jael Silliman share her thoughts on the book and the life of Liu.
“Reading the book gave me a much greater sense of your life. How, as a young girl, you were always given the most difficult and dangerous tasks. And whether it was handling your restaurants or making sure that your family was safe, you handled adversity with great calm. That sense of calm is admirable,” said Jael, who made Monica share anecdotes from her life, ensuring the house broke into an applause.
Monica’s life is full of stories that have the power to move you and fill hearts with respect for her. She recounted an episode in which she reclaimed a pot of mutton prepared for a family dinner. She said: “While there are many small and big incidents in my life, which I strongly believe have shaped me, there is one such not-so-small incident that has stayed with me. Having mutton was rare those days. So, I told them I am not leaving without the mutton and stood firmly for more than one and a half hours because I knew back home my family was waiting with just rice.” It reiterated faith in her own strength.
While in Shillong, Monica’s 40-minute walk to school was a daily lesson to improve her English. It segued into the topic of education. Moon Moon Sen said: “Education is important, no doubt, but I think what is more important is to have the ability to stand up for your family and that’s what has happened in the case of Monica and she is part of Calcutta.”
Being biographical, the book also touches on Monica’s personal life, especially her relationships with her siblings. Sharing those dynamics from her life, Dr Rupali Basu said: “We were five siblings and very close to each other. Of course, there were sibling issues, and we have our own ways of doing things. We were taught to share and also understand each other’s boundaries.”
Rita Bhimani, who recently launched her book Meandering Mouthfuls, spoke about taking her guests to Monica’s restaurants, Beijing and Kim Ling in Tangra and treating them to her Hakka cuisine.