 |
| Happy Valley Tea Estate .Darjeeling mobsea.org |
 |
| A view of Happy Valley Tea Estate, Darjeeling. en.wikipedia.org |
Nothing gives me more pleasure than enjoying a nice cup of hot tea in the chilly morning, while browsing through the morning news paper and picking up sensational scoops here and there. It rejuvenates and helps me prepare for that particular day's usual mundane life. Drinking tea is part of every culture world over. First introduced in China, it was Dutch East India company that introduced Tea in Europe and it was a fashionable drink in the Hague in the Netherlands. Only in the 18th century, tea became a popular drink in Britain before that it was not affordable by the commoners. Tea was introduced in India in 1840s as a challenge to Chinese monopoly. Cultivation of tea began in the NE state of Assam by the British. In India, popularity of tea began in the 1950s and now India is one of the largest producers and consumers of tea. Here tea from Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri is widely used.
Darjeeling town in the Indian state of West Bengal is a picturesque place and a popular tourist destination. Located in the beautiful Lesser Himalaya at an elevation of 6,700 ft (2,042.2 m) it is known for its tea industry which has been there since the colonial days. Here the other attractions are the majestic view of Mt. Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by the British. Presently the town enjoys partial autonomous status within the state of West Bengal.
 |
| Happy Valley Tea Estate overlooking Darjeeling. en.wikipedia.org |
There are many old tea gardens in and around Darjeeling and the Happy tea garden that was founded in 1854 is Darjeeling's second oldest tea estate, covering over 437-acre, at an elevation of 6,400 ft. (2,100 m) above sea level. It is about three kilometer from the town and roughly 1500 people are employed in the estate.The first oldest tea estate is Steinthal Tea Estate which was established in 1852. At a height of 6800 feet, it has one of the highest tea factories in the world. Its founder was one David Wilson, an English man who named the garden as Wilson Tea Estate and began tea production in 1860
 |
| The Himalayan Black Bear, . 123RF.com |
 |
| View of the Himalayan peaks from the estate. krishnaresidencydarj.com |
In 1903 for unknown reason, the tea estate changed hands and was bought by one Tarapada Banerjee, an Indian aristocrat from Hoogley. Later in 1929 he bought the Windsor Tea Estate nearby and merged the two estates under the name of Happy Valley Tea Estate. Later it was managed by the descendants of Banerjee.
After 2007, the tea estate experienced slump and fell on hard time and it was bought out by S K Bansal, of Ambotia Tea Group, which built a new factory with modern machinery on the same premises. He modernized the farming process and switched over to organic farming. As for the old factory, it has become a museum and old machines with single piston slow-speed engines, and the shaft machines, etc., are on display.
 |
| Happy Valley tea factory. Tenka Tea - WordPress.com |
Ref:
"India Brews a Stronger Cup". TIME. 15 November 2007.
"Tea factory to be open to tourists". The Hindu. 25 March 2008.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
"Harrods to sell hand-rolled Darjeeling tea". Indian Express. 31 May 2008.
"Happy Valley Tea Estate". Lonely planet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Valley_Tea_Estate
.jpg)
.jpg)
