Makaibari Tea Estate: Wonderful People amidst the Wonderful Nature

And the journey begins with tons of excitement and a belief to discover a new place and meet new people. The engine of our car roared as it made its way through the foggy roads from Siliguri to Kurseong’s Makaibari Tea Estate. It was a splendid experience amidst the unpredictable weather. Thanks to ‘BABA’ for planning the stay at Makaibari Tea Estate. It was really a memorable one.

“With arms wide open”, they welcome their guests, so were we. No not guests, we became a part of their family on the first day of our stay in Makaibari. Pranay (in the picture) the owner of the homestay had been our guide and our friend during our stay at his place. He won over our hearts with his cheerful behaviour and we found a home far away from home. We reached in the afternoon travelling through the steep curves and the hairpin bends. After reaching there and freshening up, Pranay’s wife Deepika served us chicken for lunch and tasting it, we could hardly stop ourselves from licking our fingers. A walk to the tea plantation awaited us after the elegant lunch…

Nature’s beauty is incomparable. It has magical powers to heal a troubled mind. This photograph had been captured from the tea plantation where the beauty acts like a spell.  Lost in the beauty of the wild and strolling down the hilly paths observing the nature’s wonders, time generally becomes the most unimportant factor and is left unnoticed but unfortunately, it was getting dark and we had to head back to our homestay.

Coming back from our walk we found Deepika busy preparing noodles which we had requested them to provide us for dinner. It was the moment when we got a chance to talk to her and got to know her from close. Her story inspired me and I realized how lucky I am. 

Deepika, a simple girl belonging to a poor family in Mirik was married at the age of fourteen. Since then she lives happily with her husband and helps him to support the family. We were told how actually the girls belonging to such backward families were treated and how the male-dominated society neglected their existence.

After the dinner, rubbing the tears Deepika thanked my parents saying that, the love she had seen in the eyes of my parents for us had really moved her. She had never seen girls being valued and respected so much like this before. She was really happy to see that and thus thanked them. It is the most memorable moment for me and my sister. Though I may not thank my parents for everything but I daily thank God for gifting me with the two most Precious Jewels and a Star that is my sister.

I opened my eyes and found Deepika already done with the cleaning of the room, preparing tea for us. Getting her children ready for school she goes out for the purpose of plucking leaves. This helps them get some extra income and makes their life a little easy. It was a day to witness the sheer hard work of Deepika.

The two adorable kids of Pranay and Deepika, almost ready for school. Like all other parents, Deepika and Pranay want a better future for their kids and so they work really hard uniting day and night. Renting the homestay and Deepika working as a tea plucker is not enough to support the family. Pranay works as a guide in the day and as a security guard in a nearby construction site at night.  

The guests were taken care of, breakfast had already been served to them, children were made ready for school and now it’s time for Deepika to leave for the tea plantation. This is a regular routine for Deepika and many others living in the tea estate. 

This beautifully made bamboo hut is the place where all the tea pluckers gather in the morning to keep their belongings and from where their journey begins.

Keeping the belongings here Deepika straps across her forehead from where the basket hangs on her back. 

Tea leaves picking is not at all an easy task. One needs to be extremely careful and patient to perform this. The leaves being picked should be whole, undamaged and the top two leaves along with the bud must be picked. As soon a leaf is picked and kept in the basket, reach for the next bud. This process continues throughout the day.

How much do you pick and how much do you get paid for this?

On asking this I was shocked to hear that they are paid very less on a daily basis for picking 15 to 20 kilograms of leaves. Yes, such a strenuous job yet being paid so less.

So much struggle for survival yet Deepika wears a beautiful smile on her face all the time and never complains. 

The end of the whole day’s tedious work is marked by the weighing of the tea leaves collected by tea pluckers like Deepika.  

The day is over. Now it’s time to return home and serve the guests. Visitors come and go, some are motivated by the struggle they do, some are moved but I was greatly inspired to see Deepika struggle so much. Makaibari Tea Estate was a trip for me but it ended up teaching me the various lessons of life.

The smiling face that never learnt to complain, struggling so much hard might not be that much difficult but doing so with a broad long-lasting smile is difficult. The trip will always be the most memorable one that would not have been possible without the efforts of my Dad and his continuous support. The photo story was planned by Baba and I am really thankful to him for being so much understanding and supportive. Thanks for having faith in me and never letting me down.





pHoTo StOrY - NEHA MAJUMDER

nArRaTiOn - RISAV BOSE

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