Final Report: Malnutrition of Tea Workers

November 2nd, 2005 | By Joshua | 15 Comments »

We have completed our report on the malnutrition of workers on six Indian tea gardens. This is the reason we came to West Bengal, answering the call of a local... [Read this entry]

Going Organic in Darjeeling

October 29th, 2005 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I’d planned on being a plain old tourist in Darjeeling: Nothing to do but eat, drink, trek the Singalila, and visit the sites my guidebook told me to, (Snow Leopard... [Read this entry]

A Fuller, Warmer Cup of Tea: Fair Trade 101

October 23rd, 2005 | By Joshua | 5 Comments »

October, I just learned, is Fair Trade Month, conveniently coinciding with my travels in Darjeeling and my discovery of a kinder, gentler side of India’s tea industry.
Where does... [Read this entry]

Crumpets and Coal: Our First Proper Tea

October 22nd, 2005 | By Joshua | No Comments »

In Paris, we stayed with a French-Moroccan couple who fed us mint tea (at midnight, after dinner) in traditional gold-inlaid glasses; sweet mint tea followed us to the hookah bars... [Read this entry]

Outstanding Article about the Indian Tea Crisis

October 7th, 2005 | By Joshua | No Comments »

“A Machete, A Uterus, and Indian Tea,” by Charles Norman Todd, is an excellent breakdown that explains why the workers are starving.

Tea Time 4: The Survey Continues

September 27th, 2005 | By Joshua | No Comments »

The final phase of fieldwork for our tea worker nutrition survey has been frustratingly slow. Our work has been hampered by access problems in the form of both permission issues... [Read this entry]

Are Starving Photos Inappropriate?

September 12th, 2005 | By Joshua | 10 Comments »

After yesterday’s post regarding starvation deaths, a creepy feeling gripped my shoulder, and I decided to ask this question out loud. Maybe some of you will respond.

Pictures of people starving... [Read this entry]

Empty Cups

September 11th, 2005 | By Joshua | No Comments »

These photos were taken by Debasish yesterday, during his visit to a garden which has experienced more starvation deaths in the last two months than any other. The garden was... [Read this entry]

Map: India’s Tea Belt, North Bengal, and Birpara

September 7th, 2005 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

Some will find a hint of the exotic exuding from the place-names and mountain ranges in this latest cartographic creation. Others will see the map-maker’s psychological travails, his attempt to... [Read this entry]

Cha: Pouring the Perfect Cup

September 3rd, 2005 | By Joshua | 3 Comments »

The suffering of the Dooars tea workers notwithstanding, tea remains a perfectly tranquilo topic. I’ve been focusing on its production (or, in the closed gardens, the lack thereof) but now... [Read this entry]