"My family has been here for more than 36 years working at Happy Valley. My husband works in the factory and the rest of us have all done our fair share in the fields," our tea Dadi (Grandma) Kusum explained to us of her time living on this Darjeeling tea plantation. "I was born in Nepal but came over and have lived here ever since."
Farms, and this plantation was no exception, have always seemed to me to be the greatest source of family tradition. It is a culture, economy and livelihood which directly sprouts from the ground, and will always be a part of a farmer's life. Their world.
The vastness of the tea plantations is immediately felt, and it engulfs you in its still tranquility. All of a sudden, you begin speaking more quietly, thinking that everybody in the whole valley can hear you. Women busily pick away at the crops, and gather in groups with huge bundles of tea on their heads.
You can already taste the flavor of the tea.
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