Siliguri, Sept. 10: A dragon for her mount, her entourage heavier by a sumo wrestler and a laughing Buddha, Ma Durga comes riding. Her “distinctively oriental” eyes are fixed on Mahishasur, her trident piercing the demon’s heart.

Kartik, Ganesh, Saraswati and Lakshmi, dressed in “traditional Chinese attire”, look on as wind chimes play to complete the effect.

Call it the Chinese connection or an artist’s imagination gone wild — it is all about the Nathu-la hype rubbing off on the Hyderpara Sporting Club puja.

Going the whole hog to bring home the “Chinese way of life”, the pandal will be built on the principles of Feng Shui. Wind chimes, 30 of them, will adorn the ceiling of the pandal. Pieces of crystal, bells and tortoises: It will all be there at the Hyderpara puja pandal.

“Siliguri has assumed importance since the Indian and Chinese governments decided to open Nathu-la for trade. People are happy at the prospect of interacting with the Chinese. We decided on the new-look Ma, to gel with the collective spirit of the region,” said Poltu Pal, a member of Hyderpara club.

The designers of the pandal and the idols, North Bengal Art Academy, and kumartuli craftsmen are visibly excited about this year’s theme.

A lot of research has gone into designing the pandal, said principal of North Bengal Art Academy Somesh Ghosh, who supervised the making of the idols and the pandal.

“We might not believe in Feng Shui but there is no denying the interest that has been generated by the laughing Buddha, wind chimes or decorative crystal pieces. It is because of its popularity that we thought of designing the whole pandal the Feng Shui way,” he added. “We have Feng Shui experts in our interior design department and a lot of research went into the final model.”

Adhir Pal and his team have been working on the idols for over a month now and cannot wait to finish their creations.

“It feels wonderful to be associated with setting a new trend by working on innovative designs,” Pal said, coating Kartik with another layer of clay. Behind him, an eight-foot laughing Buddha was baking in the midday sun. A smiling sumo wrestler sunned himself a few feet away.

But does not the overbearing Chinese influence take away from tradition?

“No,” Pal assured. “The eyes of the gods might be visibly narrower and they might be sporting Chinese costumes, but the we have not tried to innovate on the celestial weapons they wield to ensure that we retain the Indian-ness of the puja.”

Ghosh said there would be three laughing Buddhas, each eight feet high, at the pandal. A sumo wrestler, about the same size, will give them company.

“We hope that visitors will enjoy visiting the pandal and notice the Feng Shui items there. Visitors will also get a chance to know how to place these objects in their homes,”he said.