Tea auction revival at fest - 17-day Darjeeling tourism festival begins on December 20

TT;VIVEK CHHETRI Darjeeling, Dec. 5: The Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival that will kick off on December 20 will have a tea auction for the first time after two decades. Sources said more than 10 gardens would take part in the auction and would sell a few hundred kilograms of brew. The last such auction at the Darjeeling tourism festival was held in 1991.

 “The proceeds of the tea auction will not be taken home by the planters but will be handed over to a social organisation. We will also felicitate tea gardens labourers who contributed to the growth of the industry, along with prominent people of yesteryear,” said Binay Tamang, Morcha leader and general secretary of the festival organising committee. 

 The GTA, the state government and the “people of Darjeeling” have decided to organise the festival by remembering the history of the land and felicitating the sons of soil who made contributions in different fields. Not to speak of Bollywood celebrities, many of whom won’t charge a single penny for their participation. 

 “The history of Darjeeling is intertwined with the history of tea gardens. During the festival this year, the Indian Tea Association will be organising a tea auction at Chowrastha in Darjeeling where the brew from the gardens will be directly sold,” Tamang said. Last year, the festival was conducted by the Darjeeling district administration and the “people of Darjeeling”. 

“The GTA will actively take part in the festival this year in an effort to improve the image of the hills,” said Bimal Gurung, the GTA chief executive and also a patron of the festival. Saumitra Mohan, the principal secretary of the GTA and also the president of the festival organising committee, said talks were on to ensure the participation of prominent personalities from Bollywood and sports. “We are trying to get in touch with Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and a host of other celebrities.

 A lot of celebrities have confirmed their participation in the festival and it is heart warming to know that many of them are not charging for their appearance.” The festival will end on January 5 next year. Apart from dances, traditional cultural shows, art and fashion shows, the organisers will try to create a record of sorts by lining up 7,000 guitarists who will strum the song Imagine by John Lennon. “This is an effort to create a unique record,” said Tamang. Although he didn’t elaborate, the sources said the performance by the 7,000 guitarists would be part of an attempt to enter the Limca Book of Records. 

 The organisers want to ensure that the benefits of the festival go beyond glamourous celebrations and are looking at tying up with Olympian and world boxing champion Mary Kom to set up a boxing academy in the hills. “We have started talks with Mary Kom’s representatives to set up a boxing academy in the hills. The GTA is exploring the possibility of earmarking land for her to establish an academy but no final agreement has yet been reached,” said a member of the organising committee.