Treat this as a Dispatch from Darjeeling. Here you will find tales about your teas, fables about the tea estate, legends about its birds, trees, and animals, and stories about the people who work so hard to prepare it.
The life cycle of the flower is fascinating. At a point, these aerial lotus buds start resembling small birds with a beak and an eye. Can we fly out of this life painlessly and attain Nirvana? The crescendo is building up to the climax. And the climax arrives in the after-bloom. The bud opens out resembling a flower with 5-6 large white petals. Folks from Bengal would immediately identify them with their hand made, dried sola flowers.
As wildlife enthusiasts, we have often visited sanctuaries and seen big cats whose whereabouts were scoured aforehand by forest rangers. Visiting a forest as a tourist and living in the forest as an inhabitant are two entirely different things. There is no aphrodisiac which gives you a high such as a chance and surprise sighting of a wild animal and that too a big cat!
When you buy Whole Leaf tea, the packaging cost is 10% of the total Cost of Production. When you buy tea bags, The packaging cost is 80% of the total cost of production. Which means you are for paying more for the packaging, (including stapler pins) than for the actual tea itself.
Every Tea Garden Bungalow must have its own resident ghost. I was a little disappointed that Second Chance House (only 150 years old) at Selim Hill Tea Gardenhad no ghosts and visiting friends and family could not be enthralled with hair raising stories.
This painting, in fact, resonates with the essence of Dorje Teas. It is our intention to remind people of the importance and hypnotic beauty of Darjeeling and bring it back to its former glory using techniques ancient and modern.
If only there was a way to experience the brisk, unheated mists ofDarjeelingorDorjeling. We all long for a tall glass of cool and healthy something to hydrate ourselves with. Something that is completely non - hassle and can travel with us on a hectic day.
They tolerate arrogant human follies up to a point. When angered, both flex their muscles and showcase their actual clout. Amazingly, the ocean and the mountain hide many stories and many rivers in their bosom. It is beautiful how the mountain births the river and the ocean makes it immortal. How then are the two different? They are the beginning and end of the same story. They are contradictory, yet complimentary.
In the mad rush of life, filled with stress and difficulties, everyone wishes there was an easy way to wind down. Keeping this in mind, Dorje Teas has come up with a cup of tea that heals and invigorates - the Dorje Chamomile Tea
What is life without love and luck? Orange peels are said to be packed with abundance, love, luck, clarity and divinity. Darjeeling has a deep connection with oranges. They are the golden fruit in the orchards of the Gods and the hills of Darjeeling. Dorje Teas, in keeping with these thoughts, has come up with the Dorje Orange Tea.
Recently Dorje Teas was showcased on Shark Tank’s Season Premier. Obviously, it was a proud moment for Sparsh and Ishaan, their families and friends. A few days later, we had a special screening for the people of Selim Hill at the Selim Hill Heritage factory. After the evening was over, I realised that Selim Hill, the tea that grows there and even Shark Tank belongs not to us, but to the permanent residents of the people who have been living there for generations.
These direct descendants of the dinosaur are a constant reminder that adaptability is the only way to survive. As I wake up and pour my cup of Dorje Second Flush Tea, I love hearing the sound of the rooster crowing. I do believe in the saying, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. However, I also believe if the rooster is crowing, night must be changing into day!
The cheerful, friendly daisies are like pearls strung together and they adorn the Darjeeling Hills. They beckon you to take some time out to pick daisies and make a daisy chain, bedeck your hair with it and lie down on the grass staring at the clouds floating by. The daisy chain wont last but the priceless memory will be with you for a long, long time.
Squirrels as a species are diurnal, however the flying squirrels are nocturnal. A little like humans, don’t you think? Dorje Teas is for the for those who drink by day and for those who drink at night. We have many different types of flavoured teas for all the different human sub species.
The tall grass that grows untamed in forests which is tall enough to hide an elephant is in fact known as elephant grass. The ingenuity of nature is that the same grass that feeds the deer, hides the tiger that is to hunt the deer. Who is the hunter? Who is the hunted? What is fair and what is unfair?
Dorje Tea brings wellness and health in a cup. The earth is a mix of green and blue. Green Tea replicates the earth and fills you with hope and happiness.
Age old and yet completely new. Drinking Dorje Green Tea is like spring cleaning for your body. Apply it on your face and you will see the inner beauty glow visibly on your face. You will experience fresh, cool, goodness of Darjeeling
Conspiracy Theories apart, these creatures seem to be perfect characters for a Whodunnit, Cliff-hanger or suspense thriller. Also, a reminder that people may not always be what they project. When in doubt, it is good to dig deeper or inspect closer.
As I drink my calming cup of Dorje Chamomile Tea, I think to myself the difference between a mountain or a mole hill is just a matter of perspective.
If you are scared of creepies and crawlies, specially spiders, Selim Hill is not a place for you. This is an enigmatic world of spider webs. You can see looms of them spun thick and hugging the hill sides, you can see them hanging in midair on invisible threads or even huge creative works where the artist sits right in the middle.
Kashmir is called 'Paradise on Earth' because of itsamazing landscape and scenic beauty. It has beautiful snow-covered mountains, green valleys and natural lakes. This exotic place has a drink that is fit for the Gods – The Kashmiri Kahwa
How should I describe the experience of seeing a firefly? It is similar to being tickled. Anyone who comes to Darjeeling, comes with the hope of seeing the Kanchenjunga in all its whitewashed glory. To me, the golden light of the firefly reminds you of warm fireplaces and hot cups of fragrant tea.
Hidden inside these trees of Darjeelingare age old secrets. Spend time under their boughs and they may slowly whisper them in your ears. The lightning struck tree, which is neither alive nor dead, is intertwined with many youthful and energetic whippersnappers. The fresh green merges with the brown such that even birds are unable to distinguish between the ‘was’, ‘is’ and ‘will be’. Enlightenment is the interlinking of the past, present and future.
Yet, the most fascinating slice of light comes as a magnificent flash across the sky. Accompanied by Dorje (thunder), it shakes you out of your stupor. The flash of lightning is a reminder of the strength and potential of Selim Hill and the Land of Thunder - Dorje Ling.
Scientifically explained tears are just hydrogen and oxygen with some sodium, but anyone who has laughed and cried knows that tears are much more. In the same vein, scientifically the halo around the moon may be a regular occurrence, but I believe every co-incidence is a small miracle. Therefore, this moon, with its halo seems to put Dorje Teas in the spotlight and encourages us to dream on.
The tea that is made at Selim Hill uses NO FERTILISERS and NO PESTICIDES. It is organic and chemical free. As I drink my cup of Second Flush Dorje Tea with NO MILK and NO SUGAR, my belief is re-affirmed that true wealth is good health!
Neither the moon, nor the tea garden belongs to anyone on this earth. As a sentinal of Selim Hill Tea Garden, it is my pleasure to enjoy it all, dance with it, drink deeply into the cup of life, protect it and leave it pristine for generations to come.
Lo and behold! As if on cue, completely out of nowhere, this huge creature glided in and sat on one of the elm trees. The Hornbill is as large as your largest travelling suitcase and yet it skates across the sky effortlessly. Its plumage seems to be out of the Vogue magazine - black and white in abundance and then a shock of yellow and orange at the neck and the bill.
The Kanchenjunga is extremely private in nature. It reveals itself only when it wants. A little different from the social networking groups of today when we are always under scrutiny. The aura of mystery around oneself, the ability to have a public persona which is different from the private one are quite possible.
Yet, if you really want to get intimate with the hills, you must walk to reach its secret, secluded spots. Armed with an umbrella to combat weather and other elements of nature, I learnt once again, the art of walking. The Hills seem to beckon me downwards, upwards and always onwards.
The Dorje Team is something like that – there are the Selim Hill folk, some others from North Bengal, those from the plains of Kolkata and some idealistic youthful people from all over India and the world who are working hard together to help Selim Hill Tea Estate survive.
I listened to his good advice and the bees remained where they wanted. In return, every sunny day, exactly at noon I hear their loud, busy buzzing which lasts for around 40 minutes. We do not interfere in each other’s lives. During winter, the beekeeper was called back and he extracted some of their fine honey which we all enjoyed.
I added some honey to my cup of Roasted Dorje Tea and realised that I had found my treasure among the floorboards of my house!
“India makes some very good things from the earth. However, we don't have very much that is world-class. Indian wine is now more drinkable than it used to be, but no it's not world-class. Indian coffee is much better than it used to be, but no it's not world class. But when it comes to Tea, Darjeeling Tea is, in my humble opinion, the best tea in the world.”
What or who can preserve something as dynamic and magnificent as the Selim Hill Tea Estate from becoming a thing of nostalgia? A lot of passion, patience and commitment is required - a collection of people from different fields have come together to for the Selim Hill Collective. In collaboration with Dorje, we hope to provide Selim Hill Tea Estate with a stable and sustainable future.
