The History of Darjeeling

As you might already know, the scholars whose educations The Learning Tea funds live in Darjeeling, a Himalayan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. 

Darjeeling gets its name from the Tibetan words, 'dorje,' meaning "thunderbolt" and 'ling,' a place or land meaning, "the land of the thunderbolt." The etymology of Darjeeling’s name also dates back to the notion that its original name was 'Taaji Lung' meaning "fresh gossip" that came to be pronounced by the British as "Darjeeling."  

Even though Darjeeling is known worldwide for its lush, beautiful landscape and for its tea, it has also been in the throes of political instability and a collapsing socio-economic infrastructure, the roots of which can be traced back to the British colonial rule.    

Originally, Darjeeling was a part of its neighboring state Sikkim whose king was engaged in an unsuccessful warfare against the Gorkhas, a tribe from Nepal who made inroads into Sikkim from 1780 onwards. However, the British East India Company was interested in Darjeeling because of its strategic location as a British outpost in the Himalayan region. The British wanted to develop Darjeeling as a summer resort to escape the Indian summer. So, the British joined hands with the king of Sikkim in curbing the military advances of the Gorkhas eventually annexing Darjeeling to the British empire in 1835. 

Post-independence, the demand for a separate “Gorkhaland” by certain separatist groups continues to haunt Darjeeling as part of its social and political conflict. 

Within this context, our scholars have also forged an up-hill battle, often literally, to procure an education. Most of them are orphans, have been abandoned by family members, and have no opportunities available to them beyond their 10th grade educations. Knowing the immense difference that our life scholarships will make in their lives, young girls sometimes walk for days to submit applications for admittance into The Learning Tea program, hoping that they too can improve their circumstances, obtain an education, and impact their communities for the better.