Chitose Sashida 🇯🇵

Starting 2011 when we met in Foodex Japan we have been carrying the cross of Darjeeling and with a moral responsibility towards tea garden workers who have been left to the mercy of free market and overproduction. Nigel predicted the doom as early as 2015 but real damage got apparent in 2020 and now it is in full fury.

Tibet is the third pole of earth – north and south are two ends of its axis but Tibet holds 60% water of earth and we are sitting at its watershed. It is important as ecosystem which is natural habitat of tea – a cosmic substance. Chinese travellers walked here from all directions – tea was their fuel.

Nalanda became a centre of Buddhist studies and teachings and water channels were highways alongwith human settlements started civilizations. We are here at a focal point. Not many people in tea talk about this. Pusa Institute which existed since 1708 in one form or another from a stud farm to premium agriculture research station made us slightly closer to Patna which has been the seat of power ever since time immemorial and this ultimately led us into Buddha circuit which has entire north east India under it’s indulgence.

We met Raj Basu – an authority on this area and realised we have to develop a tea culture for our teas – weather from Darjeeling or from Assam or from Bihar. We performed our maiden trial at his place where he let’s people meet culturally as Sunday Hat and exchange views.

This day changed our lives as now we know what we have to do – and we are set on course. Chitose San left for Japan today and me to Doke tomorrow to do our bit. Pranab Mukhia now has his vision come on ground too.