Darjeeling tea has always held a special place for tea connoisseurs all over India and the world. Since the days of Dr A. Campbell in 1841, when the idea of the first experimental tea garden came to the then government, the tea industry has flourished in the hills of Darjeeling. There are more than 87 gardens employing 70,000 workers and producing more than 8 million kgs of tea annually. The tea is mostly exported to countries like US, UK, Germany and Japan.
The Darjeeling Tea Industry still follows the original tea producing methodology unlike the current "CTC" type adopted in many tea gardens. They produce a wide variety of teas such as black, oolong, white, green and different blended and flavored tea.
But things are not well in the hills and the people are suffering. The region has been neglected and development has been a far cry. The local people living in the hills have been going through an identity crisis for time immemorial and the lack of growth and development have pushed their patience to a breaking point. The people are in a dilemma. They belong to West Bengal and yet they are not Bengalis. They have nothing common with the Bengalis. They speak Nepali and yet they are not Nepalese. They are patriotic Indians who are proud to be Indians, as is evident by the 15th August celebrations in the hills. They are by far the most extensive celebration that one can imagine. And yet when they move down to the plains, people often mistake them for foreigners. They are often confused as Nepalese.
All this has led them to come out on to the streets and demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. They are India's ethnic Gurkhas and they want to be known as that. The demand for a different state is not in our hands and it is a decision that must be taken by the government after due consideration. However we can definitely recognize them as Indian Gurkhas and give them the same respect that each Indian receives. We can take a step forward and try to understand their culture and heritage.
The local political parties' call for indefinite strikes are crippling the area. Even though the tea industry has been kept out of the strikes, production continues but the processed tea remains in the factories as there is no way to get them to the market. There is no way to get coal and other raw materials required in the factories. The workers there cannot be paid as the banks are closed, rations cannot be brought in and soon a time will come when the tea estates must be shut down.
In the fight for an identity, the people are sacrificing their economy, peace, health and education. Can we not acknowledge them and treat them as brothers? Can the Bengalis for once not behave as colonists and instead treat them as equals? Can we not let them for once feel that it is their land and it is their life? Can they not be empowered to take the work of development in their own hands?
The hills are the most beautiful place one can imagine and the people their complement this beauty. They are the ones who take care of the hills and make them more beautiful. They work hard so that people all over the world can enjoy their morning cuppa. They welcome with arms wide open so that people all over India and the world can have a holiday that they cherish all their lives. Respect and acknowledgement is all they want and the freedom to grow and develop is something they deserve.
So next time you see someone with Mongolian features, before you categorize him as a foreigner, ask him where he is from. He could be a Gurkha. Ask him about the hills and you may learn about a land that is still not polluted, a place where the mighty Kanchenjunga wishes you a good morning, a place where people can still trust each other.
Find out where your morning cup of tea comes from. Take a trip to the tea gardens of Darjeeling and meet those men and women who toil hard to give you the perfect flavored leaves for your perfect cup of tea every morning.
The Darjeeling Tea Industry still follows the original tea producing methodology unlike the current "CTC" type adopted in many tea gardens. They produce a wide variety of teas such as black, oolong, white, green and different blended and flavored tea.
But things are not well in the hills and the people are suffering. The region has been neglected and development has been a far cry. The local people living in the hills have been going through an identity crisis for time immemorial and the lack of growth and development have pushed their patience to a breaking point. The people are in a dilemma. They belong to West Bengal and yet they are not Bengalis. They have nothing common with the Bengalis. They speak Nepali and yet they are not Nepalese. They are patriotic Indians who are proud to be Indians, as is evident by the 15th August celebrations in the hills. They are by far the most extensive celebration that one can imagine. And yet when they move down to the plains, people often mistake them for foreigners. They are often confused as Nepalese.
All this has led them to come out on to the streets and demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. They are India's ethnic Gurkhas and they want to be known as that. The demand for a different state is not in our hands and it is a decision that must be taken by the government after due consideration. However we can definitely recognize them as Indian Gurkhas and give them the same respect that each Indian receives. We can take a step forward and try to understand their culture and heritage.
The local political parties' call for indefinite strikes are crippling the area. Even though the tea industry has been kept out of the strikes, production continues but the processed tea remains in the factories as there is no way to get them to the market. There is no way to get coal and other raw materials required in the factories. The workers there cannot be paid as the banks are closed, rations cannot be brought in and soon a time will come when the tea estates must be shut down.
In the fight for an identity, the people are sacrificing their economy, peace, health and education. Can we not acknowledge them and treat them as brothers? Can the Bengalis for once not behave as colonists and instead treat them as equals? Can we not let them for once feel that it is their land and it is their life? Can they not be empowered to take the work of development in their own hands?
The hills are the most beautiful place one can imagine and the people their complement this beauty. They are the ones who take care of the hills and make them more beautiful. They work hard so that people all over the world can enjoy their morning cuppa. They welcome with arms wide open so that people all over India and the world can have a holiday that they cherish all their lives. Respect and acknowledgement is all they want and the freedom to grow and develop is something they deserve.
So next time you see someone with Mongolian features, before you categorize him as a foreigner, ask him where he is from. He could be a Gurkha. Ask him about the hills and you may learn about a land that is still not polluted, a place where the mighty Kanchenjunga wishes you a good morning, a place where people can still trust each other.
Find out where your morning cup of tea comes from. Take a trip to the tea gardens of Darjeeling and meet those men and women who toil hard to give you the perfect flavored leaves for your perfect cup of tea every morning.
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