THE MEDICINAL VALUE OF TEA, and the best way to drink it, is something that has exercised aficionados of the beverage for long. However, now it's the very fate of the Rs 20,000 crore tea industry in India that is in need of some of that attention. Sixteen tea gardens in West Bengal have had to close since September on account of depressed prices in the domestic market and sluggish exports. Eight of these gardens-Ambotia, Moondakotee, Rongmook Cedar, Chongtong, Mullootar, Nagari, Pandom and Peshok-are situated in Darjeeling district, while another three-Kathalguri, Bamandanga-Tondu, Samsingare in Jalpaiguri district. The remaining five-Kalchini, Raimatang, Dalsingpara, Dalmore and Ramjhora-fall in Alipurduar district. The closure of these gardens has impacted the lives of over 10,000 tea labourers since the start of the festive season in October.
Planters' groups, such as the Indian Tea Association (ITA), say that poor price recovery and a dip in exports have forced garden owners into a debilitating cash crunch. However, labour unions such as the Hill Terai Dooars Plantation Workers' Union, which is affiliated to Anit Thapa's Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, claim that the closing of the gardens was premeditated since the owners didn't wish to pay workers the festive bonus, thereby depriving "the workforce of their rightful dues". Union president J.B. Tamang alleges that planters always cite 'poor business' as an excuse to default on payments to labourers.
A DEPRESSED MARKET
Denne historien er fra November 27, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra November 27, 2023-utgaven av India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
