Ravi Medical Hall

Being a passionate Darjeeling tea over for more than 2 decades now, I had not really given much thought to tea gardens in Kangra region. However, during my last week's vacation at Palampur/Andretta, I was driving past the tea gardens area, and saw the inviting board of "Welcome to Wah Tea Estate". The name called out to me somehow, and I decided to check it out.The next 2 hours were pure bliss :) We (Me and my Dad) walked in to the main office, and were happy to know that they had a tea garden and factory tour available. Luckily for us, Surya, the scion of the family who owns the estate was gracious enough to offer us a personal tour. I was instantly drawn in by his warmth and the passion with which he spoke about the history of tea plantation in India, his family heritage and the history of the charming Wah Tea Estate. I was also very impressed with his candour about the intricacies and challenges of tea business, and how Wah Tea Estate is trying to address those. To see a person so young, so articulate and so committed to the art of growing tea, and bring in modern thinking, sustainability, yet being rooted in legacy - was just refreshing...as refreshing as the green tea that was offered to us during the tea tasting session (would have appreciated a bit more variety in green and black teas though). The factory production was closed, but I could see the rigour with which maintenance and upkeep work was happening during off-season. Surya and his staff were patient enough to answer all our questions. Felt very impressed at their effort to maintain the "Chaiwala" family legacy, and add on to it.