Dooars Tea Kids get help from United Kingdom

Alipurduar: To Sudipto Sarkar, New Land Tea Estate was second home.

A software engineer based in London, Sarkar feels it is time now for him to give back to the Dooars what it had once showered on him: lots of fun-filled days.

So when he saw articles on the starving garden children, Sarkar decided to do something that would bring back the smiles on their faces. He donated Rs 1 lakh. And the beneficiaries were the students of the closed and abandoned gardens. Incidentally, New Land, 65 km from here, is still open.

Sarkar’s maternal uncle, Kamal Gun said a few weeks ago the 35-year-old engineer had contacted him over phone from London. “He expressed the desire to do something specific and we picked on students who have passed this year’s Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations,” Gun said.

A clerk with the Birpara state general hospital, Gun said it took him only a few days to draw up a list of beneficiaries. “We concentrated on Ramjhora, Dheklapara, Kanthalguri, Red Bank and Chamurchi.”

Yesterday, at a programme organised at Birpara Mahabir Hindi High School, textbooks were distributed to 156 students who have passed Madhyamik this year and Rs 500 was given to each of the 18 students as admission fee for studying in colleges. The books and cash were handed over by Joachim Buxla, MP, Alipurduar and Kumari Kujur, the local MLA.

After the distribution Gun called his nephew last evening and told him that many more students needed help but could not be covered. “He said he will send more money soon,” Gun said.

Gun explained that Sarkar’s father was a senior engineer with ONGC and was posted in many different countries. “My sister Malati and her son Sudipto spent several years with us at New Land tea estate where our father was a clerk,” Gun said.

An impressed Buxla said: “This proves that the crisis in the tea industry has become an international issue. I thank the thoughtful youth on behalf of the benefactors.”

Source: The Telegraph