Guys this is serious. Recently, I met one of the regional directors of Tea board of India in NBU guest house. Over breakfast and tea he told me, “You should be proud of Darjeeling Tea” with a sense of pride. Much to his surprise I replied politely, “ Sir, I am not. I am not proud precisely because of the following reasons:
1. There are about 87 tea estates in Darjeeling and since it is a labor driven Industry, more than 90 percent of the people in tea gardens are in reality underpaid labors. They could have been perhaps someone more economically sound (e.g. banker, bureaucrats, teachers, doctors, engineers, businessman, farmers etc.)had there been no tea industry.
2. Darjeeling is a big name in the tea world. But people in the gardens are paid poorly. One of the antidotes to their unending misery is the ‘pride’ card played by their masters higher up the hierarchical ladder. Pride is like; you know a puff of air, just to keep your chest swollen. At the end of the day what you need is financial stability.
3. Most people working in the gardens do not have the lands registered to their names. It technically belongs to Tea garden. Even to fell a tree oin your own backyard, you have to ask the manager for permission. Can you imagine that the tea industry started in Darjeeling in 1850s when even India was not India? Our forefathers didn’t cross the border, but the border crossed them. And now their granddaughters/sons do not have a land of their own technically. Perhaps they were too naïve. Perhaps they were too busy in the gardens. God knows.
4. Human Development index of Kalimpong (where there are no/less Tea Gardens) is higher than that of Darjeeling/Kurseong. This proves that tea is a chained economy and people do not really have better living condition in these places as indicated by HDI.”
How long our people (majority) will continue to have an idea of ATM as ‘dui pat ek suiro’ that refuses to shoot in winters or stops yielding money because the management in kolktata fared a bad auction. Our brothers and sisters cannot do anything at such times, because as far as his/her eyes can reach only green carpet of tea garden is seen, and those are the times a Narayan Gopal’s classic sounds more sarcastic than Bhupi Serchan had probably ever dreamt, “aljheccha kyare pacchayauri timro chiya ko botaima...”
Source Sudarsan Tamang
2. Darjeeling is a big name in the tea world. But people in the gardens are paid poorly. One of the antidotes to their unending misery is the ‘pride’ card played by their masters higher up the hierarchical ladder. Pride is like; you know a puff of air, just to keep your chest swollen. At the end of the day what you need is financial stability.
3. Most people working in the gardens do not have the lands registered to their names. It technically belongs to Tea garden. Even to fell a tree oin your own backyard, you have to ask the manager for permission. Can you imagine that the tea industry started in Darjeeling in 1850s when even India was not India? Our forefathers didn’t cross the border, but the border crossed them. And now their granddaughters/sons do not have a land of their own technically. Perhaps they were too naïve. Perhaps they were too busy in the gardens. God knows.
4. Human Development index of Kalimpong (where there are no/less Tea Gardens) is higher than that of Darjeeling/Kurseong. This proves that tea is a chained economy and people do not really have better living condition in these places as indicated by HDI.”
How long our people (majority) will continue to have an idea of ATM as ‘dui pat ek suiro’ that refuses to shoot in winters or stops yielding money because the management in kolktata fared a bad auction. Our brothers and sisters cannot do anything at such times, because as far as his/her eyes can reach only green carpet of tea garden is seen, and those are the times a Narayan Gopal’s classic sounds more sarcastic than Bhupi Serchan had probably ever dreamt, “aljheccha kyare pacchayauri timro chiya ko botaima...”
Source Sudarsan Tamang
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ReplyDeletesolution?
ReplyDeleteAn overall Development of these areas is the first and the foremost requirement.Quality educational arrangements I guess will play the vital role in the Development.All these are possible only if they get a good chunk form the tea industries they work their ass off... Awareness of the parents to give their children a better education is a must...
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