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MAINS 2014
GS1
10 marks

Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain.

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7 min
150 words
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What the examiner wants

Explain why British tea plantations in the western Himalayas failed to match Darjeeling's success.

ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Climate: rainfall from the Bay of Bengal branch of monsoon declines westwards; Darjeeling gets heavy, well-spread rain, high humidity and mist; west is drier with winter frost≈30 words
  2. 2Soil and slope: deep, acidic, well-drained forest soils in Darjeeling≈30 words
  3. 3Economic factors: cheap migrant labour from Nepal, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1881), proximity to Calcutta port and auction market≈30 words
  4. 4Western shocks: Kangra earthquake (1905) damaged plantations; land fragmentation and competition from other crops and orchards≈30 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Answer plan

Tea's requirementsPhysical factors (rain, humidity, soil)Economic factors (labour, transport, market)Shocks in the westConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Only physical factors and missing labour, transport and market
  • Ignoring that some tea still grows in Kangra and Dehradun on a small scale

Draw this

  • Map of Himalayan belt with rainfall gradient from Assam to Himachal, marking Darjeeling and Kangra

Value addition

  • ExampleDarjeeling tea was India's first product to get a Geographical Indication tag (2004-05).GI Registry
  • ExampleThe 1905 Kangra earthquake devastated the Kangra valley, including its tea estates.Historical records