Death is unpredictable. It is sad that Dr Man Bahadur Tamang, a nationally-recognized eminent tea scientist and pride of Darjeeling Hills, breathed his last in Delhi on 30 July, 2020, at the age of 74.
His demise is a great loss as he could still have played a key role in reviving and rejuvenating the Darjeeling tea industry. Born to a British army veteran hailing from Second Division, Soom Estate, Darjeeling, Dr Tamang had his early schooling from Malaysia, and later completed Higher Secondary Education from St Robert’s School, Darjeeling.
Dr Tamang had been one of my students in the B.Sc and M.Sc class in Botany at the Darjeeling Government College.
He bagged the silver medal from the University of North Bengal in the B.Sc examinations. Though tea was outside the syllabus, science teaching provided some sort of platform to broaden his outlook and showcase his hidden talents in botanical study.
After completing B.Sc (Hons) in Botany, he was absorbed as a Tea Research Assistant at the Clonal Proving Station at Ging Tea Estate in Darjeeling, one of the research wings of the Tocklai Tea Experiment Station, Jorhat, Assam.
Here, he lost no time to do a marvel. By using his own scientific skill that was still in the budding stage, he tripled the quantity of annual yield of plucked tea. The news spread like wildfire and created a stir among official circles and the public.
He was immediately picked by the Toklai Tea Experimental Station with a higher post at Jorhat where he was able to continue his research programme.
As time passed by, Dr Tamang made a big name for himself at Jorhat too as he unearthed new findings in tea science. Meanwhile, in view of his scientific aptitude, I asked him to complete his Masters degree in Botany, which would next enable him to pursue a doctoral degree programme in tea that nobody from the hill region had yet achieved.
I also assured him of all the guidance and help in my capacity as the Head of the Undergraduate and postgraduate Department of Botany at the Darjeeling Govt College. Having completed his Masters in Botany, his next target was to complete his doctoral degree, for which he had already amassed huge scientific data on the basis of his own research findings.
Dr Jain, Director of the Toklai Station, had been pleased to instruct Dr Tamang that just one, namely, Development Morphology of Tea, out of four sets of new research revelations on tea found out by Dr Tamang was sufficient enough for his PhD thesis.
Soon, he was conferred upon with a PhD degree by the Guwahati University. Dr Tamang won laurels when he became the first Toklai official to write a two-volume Training Manual for Tea Garden Managers who undergo training in Tea Management at Toklai.
This work was of considerable help in acquiring knowledge on both theoretical and practical aspects of tea science and management. Dr Tamang stood first amongst scores of candidates who applied for the post of Tea Advisory Officer on an allIndia basis at the interview conducted by the UPSC, New Delhi. Unfortunately, he was forced to quit this job by the Assam Movement for removal of outsiders from the state. Around 1984, the CSIR, New Delhi, requisitioned his services as a tea scientist in expanding tea cultivation in Palampur district of Himachal Pradesh.
The ailing Kangra tea gardens got new lease of life under his able supervision.
Meanwhile, as a senior and capable officer, he was to be promoted to the post of Director but was superseded by his own junior. The event was as much shocking as it was insulting.
Dr Tamang resigned and came back to Ging Tea Estate where he held a managerial position for some time. Soon, in the wake of formation of the new State of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand Tea Development Corporation invited Dr Tamang and offered him the post of Tea Expert and scientist.
As many as seven districts of Uttrakhand came under tea cultivation under the guidance of Dr Tamang. He served there for several years till 2010.
The Uttarakhand Government wanted Dr Tamang to continue indefinitely, but time was ripe for him to return to Darjeeling for domestic compulsions.
However, he continued helping local tea gardens as the Principal, Darjeeling Tea Management Centre and as Consultant. He is largely responsible for establishing tea gardens in Uttarakhand on a firm footing and for taking the economy of the region to a new high. When the Darjeeling tea industry wanted a tea scientist of his calibre to come to its rescue, it is a tragedy that he failed to get appropriate support in his own home state of West Bengal.
One of the best tributes to Dr Tamang would be to document his ideas and innovative achievements in tea science and continue to do what he had been doing for the benefit of the nation.
In consideration of his indepth knowledge of tea science, research capability, his significant contributions to tea production, both quality and quantity wise, and the name and fame he had earned as an authority on tea, the West Bengal government should have provided a suitable space for Dr Tamang with a view to fully utilising his hidden invaluable potential in the larger context of improvement of regional economy and unfolding countless opportunities for further growth and development of the deteriorating condition of the tea industry.
As the quality and quantity of tea continue to decline on the one hand and there is a consistent increasing demand for the world famous Darjeeling tea on the other, Darjeeling tea industry also holds enormous career opportunities for the hill youths. Dr Tamang is survived by his wife and two sons, the elder one is a senior officer in the Indian Air Force.