10. The Dinner
Rajesh Thomas, a planter like his father, writes from the beautiful tea estates of the Upper Nilgiris. He serves up a feast in this story from his days as a young ‘Sinna Durai’.Read the story
Indian Chai Stories
What started off as an exciting new collaboration with Indian Chai Stories as part of the Chai for Cancer Season 8 Campaign, has only grown from strength to strength.
Indian Chai Stories is a blog by Gowri Mohanakrishnan with almost 200 original stories from 58 contributors from the tea gardens of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka!
Season 8 Campaign tagline was “Ek Chai Zindagi ke Naam”, and it was felt that there was no better way to take the campaign forward than to showcase the real life stories of tea planters. As Gowri herself puts it, “Back in the tea gardens, our motto has always been “Ek Zindagi Chai ke Naam”.
So, while our tagline changes Season wise, the sentiment remains the same!
When Gowri got married to a tea planter in 1986, she had to leave her city life behind and experience first hand life in the “Dooars”. Amazed by the incredible stories people shared at the tea garden clubs, she decided to start a blog and share their stories with the world! “Life here is a celebration of the human spirit. Indian Chai Stories is all about the people who live here!”
Tune in to Chai for Cancer every Friday for stories of elephants and leopards, of people and of ghosts; some stories so vivid and amazing, they beggar belief!
9. Back in the Day
Shipra Castledine writes from in Australia. She grew up in the tea gardens of the Dooars. Her stories will make you wish you too had spent your childhood in the wonderful world she brings to…
4. Pulga Primate and Pooches
“We’ve had stories from the tea planter and his lady, so now it’s time for one from a ‘cha ka baba’ – someone who grew up in a tea garden! Alan Lane takes us to…
8. The Gracious Hostess
Sarita Dasgupta’s ‘The Gracious Hostess’ gives you a little peek into what goes on behind the scenes: just what it takes to give the visitor that ‘perfect’ experience of staying in a tea bungalow. Read the…
7. Freshly Brewed and Packaged Beautifully
Ranu Singh Taragi’s ‘Freshly Brewed and Packaged Beautifully’ was the first story to go up on Indian Chai Stories. Ranu puts her finger on the very thing that makes this life so unique and so…
6. Blazing the Scholastic Trail
Story by Roma Circar, a tea planter’s ‘mem’ who brought up her children in the tea gardens.Read the story
5. The Bridge of No Return
Story by Madhumita Neog, a ‘cha ka baby’Read the story
3. Oh Assam
Simran Sandhu writes about her early days in the tea gardens of Assam when she was a young bride. This brand new world was filled with several wonders, some terrors and some hilarious misadventures.Over to…
2. Another Land Another Age – My Memories of Tea
Venk Shenoi, who says, ” It was a hell of a life in 1962: I would have been poorer without those experiences and my memories of those days,” writes about his first days as a…