First Demeter Biodynamic Tea Garden in the world
Makaibari Tea Estate
Premier Organic Tea Estate
Eco Friendly
Makaibari Tea Estate is one of the finest tea gardens of Darjeeling, first tea garden in the world to get Biodynamic Certification.
Makaibari Tea Estate
Makaibari Tea Estate spans six hundred and seventy hectares, in four separate ridges. The tea covers two hundred and seventy hectares. The woodlands cover twice the tea area. The tea was ensconced, between the forests. This made supervision difficult. Normally the tea in other plantations is a contiguous carpet. Though difficult, Makaibari Tea Estate strikes a balance with all the flora and fauna, a beautiful nature’s balance.
Under Swaraj Kumar Banerjee’s (Rajah Banerjee) role, Makaibari Tea Estate’s “Silver Tips Imperial” tea was sold at Rs 1.17 lakh per kg in 2014. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Queen Elizabeth at the Buckingham Palace in 2016, he had gifted her a packet of Makaibari tea.
New Tea arrivalsMakaibari Tea Estate Discovery
Discovery of Makaibari Tea Estate (the maizefield), one of premier Darjeeling Tea Estates, by Captain Samler as he marched with his band. The military outpost at Tetuliya, though outwardly spick & span, was two-tiered. The British officers, enjoyed all the trappings of conquering rulers, whilst the natives – externally impeccable in Khaki and Gurkha hats, where herded in barrack dormitories, adequately nourished in bland rice and lentil and bullied to execute all the dirty work. From menial drudgery to ferocious fighting in the battlefield. He bore this stoically for five years – then something snapped. One moonlit evening, he broke free Together with ten Gurkha “Sepoys” he raided the armory and decamped.
The group headed for the hills, 150 miles north. It took them a week to arrive at an unknown spot, densely wooded, teeming with wild animals, birds and insects. This was at the start of the monsoons, so they cleared a patch and planted maize (Makai in the local dialect). It was to be a future food source, and another amazing use, as they were to discover shortly.
The first batch of military police, wended their way up to the maize patch, when the corn was ripening. The Samler community, forewarned by their bustle, lay in wait in the maizefield (Makaibari). Unsuspectingly the troops, puffed their way to the clearing, next moment, they were in full flight as a volley of musket fire sailed over the heads.
Two or three more unsuccessful sorties – resulted in lowering troop morale to such an extent, that Captain Samler was left alone to pursue his own destiny. The road he had hacked his way with his band was later to be named Pankhabari, and of course the outpost he homesteaded bore the legend “MAKAIBARI” or cornfield, now Makaibari Tea Estate. This was in 1835.
Meanwhile Dr. Campbell, with the blessings of the British raj, opened out to nurseries at Kurseong and Darjeeling in the 1840’s. Captain Samler, who believed in the spirit, rather than the letter of law – quietly pinched a few and brought the first commercial tea plot into being in the district. Nobody, tampered with him, but no official recognition was forthcoming either, not that it bothered him in the least. This to date is called “Paila Khety” or the First Plantation.
Beginning of Makaibari Tea Estate Miracle
A young lad, Girish Chandra Banerjee (G.C.), living in an affluent “Zamindari”, landholding, Borai, a hundred miles from Calcutta had a dream. He had by the age of 14, mastered English and French. He desired to sail to London to be a barrister. Born and raised in the lap of luxury, yet was sensitive to the poverty and injustice around him. He desired to redress it in his own way. Stating his case, lucidly and confidently to his older brother and patriarch of the principality, their family controlled, resulted in a virulent scolding from his guardian. Early, the next day, he jumped on his favourite horse, from the stables, and fled with a few possessions. A fortnight later he arrived at Tetuliya, weak, hungry and dishevelled.
The British commandant, noticed the unusual fire burning in the stripling’s eyes and offered him refuge. A week later, G.C. was the unofficial correspondent, for the entire garrison, on account of his command of English and wonderful writing. Two years later, at the ripe age of sixteen, G.C.Banerjee, had cornered the entire pony express services and effectively the communication for the region. The area boomed, and G.C., was canny to corner the prime locations at Kurseong (also known as “Land of the White Orchid”) and Darjeeling. At twenty, he was the wealthiest man in the region. He was shrewd to underplay this wealth, living simply, and assisting the needy. CaptainSamler and G.C. inevitably became good friends. In the late 1850’s as Samler lay ailing, he summoned the young G.C., and bequeathed Makaibari’s official registration in 1859. This was the beginning of the Makaibari Tea Estate miracle.
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Our Affinity with Makaibari Tea Estate
Makaibari Tea Estate has always remained a part of Thunderbolt Tea’s initial launch days. It’s when Benoy met Mr. Swaraj Kumar Banerjee, widely known as Mr. Rajah Banerjee. He inspired Benoy regarding tea in numerous ways via which Benoy was able to build the foundation pillars of Thunderbolt Tea. Benoy met him first when we had gone to Makaibari Tea Estate to buy one of Makaibari Darjeeling Premium grade “Makaibari Silver Tips Imperial”. There is a short encounter blog post Benoy has written which you can read – Encounter with Mr. Rajah Banerjee
MAKAIBARI TEA ESTATE – First Demeter Biodynamic Tea Garden in the world
STEINER EFFECT ON MAKAIBARI DARJEELING
Visiting buyers in London, Swaraj Banerjee (S.K. aka Rajah Banerjee) met Kiran. On learning of Makaibari’s sustainable practices, she asked, “why don’t get organically certified? It’s big bucks”.
S.K, replied that he was not interested in big bucks. She smiled at this with understanding.
She took him to an organic convention, and then to Dornach. Returning to London, he headed straight for the Steiner bookshop. He read Steiner, for the next three days and nights. It was a revelation. Steiner, was many Light years, ahead of mankind’s current evolution. Steiner, revealed that the mystery of manuring, could not be understood by natural science. Only by reaching with our thoughts into the spiritual worlds, could one have access to the secrets of manuring. He put agriculture in the complete context of human evolution, upto the current ciuilization. The cosmic rhythms, overlap the emergence of various civilizations.
Steiner’s works, moved S.K, to the core of his being. The most importdnt questions of his life – Where do we come from? What are we doing on Earth? Vhere do we go from here? Had a key at last. Returning home with a bag full of a Steiner’s books – S.K devoured them day and night, for a year. The patterns began to emerge.
The bio-dynamic work added a fresh impulse at Makaibari Tea Estate. Herb growing was integrated to make the preparations. Steiner had created nine preps from herbs. He numbered them BD 500, through n BD 508. This was an extension of homeopathic preparations, which number 499. Wat dre these preps? Most of the preps are made from herbs, encased in specific animal parts, mostly of the cow. These are then buried and lifted, from the ground, following seasonal cosmic rhythms, to create active ferments. The yarrow flower is dried and filled in stag bladder and buried and lifted in specific seasons. The ferment thus activated, corresponds to the secretary organs – symbolic of the bladder. Minerals, as well are supplemented. Similarly, Chamomile flowers, sausaged in cow intestines, creates a prep that represents the digestive tract of the compost, when added in miniscule quantities to it. The nettle prep – regulates the temperature of the heap, whilst the Oak bark – made in cow skull becomes the brain of the compost. The dandelion flowers, encased in mesentery, imparts the breathing and circulatory functions.
The cumulative effect of these seven preps – converts the compost to a dynamic organism, which eats, secretes, breathes and thinks, akin to a human body. Application of this living manure imparts a personality to the farm, which is vibrant and ever evolving. Just as individuals have specific personalities, so does every bio- dynamic farm evolve to its own individual organism.
Makaibari Darjeeling after being organically certified in 1988, was finally accorded DEMETER Biodynamic status in 1995. Makaibari Tea Estate is the first Demeter biodynamic tea garden in the world and this achievement attaches a rare honor not only to the tea estate, but to the whole Darjeeling area.