Darjeeling - „Queen of the hills and Kanch as the crown"
Darjeeling is a district and also a city of the Indian federal state West Bengal. It is situated between Nepal and Bhutan. Darjeeling city is located at an altitude of 2185 m and called Queen of the hill stations English people from the Bengal lowlands went to Darjeeling to escape from the hot monsoon to enjoy the summer-resort. They were the first to cultivate tea on the steep hillsides. Darjeeling tea is now world-famous.
Kanchenjunga, the world third highest mountain (8,598 m) towers above the landscape of Darjeeling. There is a viewpoint in Darjeeling city called Tiger Hill. It offers a great view of the Kanchenjunga. In case of good weather conditions it is even possible to see Nepals giants of the Himalayas like Mount Everest, Lhotse and Makalu far away. But there is monsoon during summertime. Strong rainfalls, clouds and fog often inhibit viewing the giants. Monsoon can interfere public life strongly (e.g. landslides) or even stop it for some time.
Population and religion
The Darjeeling district has about 128,000 inhabitants. Most of them are Nepalese people. Tibetans and Indians from the lowlands are the minority. The Nepalese people came to Darjeeling during colonial time, because they were hired by the British to build up the first tea plantations. The predominant language is Nepali. In Darjeeling city and its surroundings there are people with different religions (Hindu, Christ, Muslim, and Buddhist). One can find Buddhist monasteries as well as Hindu temples, Christian churches or a mosque.
Way from the lowlands to the hill station.
If you like to visit our small school and the beautiful landscape of Darjeeling city, you will have to make a long but worthwhile journey. There are domestic flights from Delhi or Kolkata (Calcutta) to Bagdogra, which is situated in the Bengal lowlands. There you can take a jeep or the train to get to Darjeeling city. It takes about 8 hours for a distance of 80 km to go to Darjeeling by train. This train is called toy train. It is a narrow-gauge steam train connecting Darjeeling with the lowlands since 1882. Sometimes you can buy a cup of tea on the roadside while the train is climbing up the hill.
Tea and Tourism
Many tourists visit Darjeeling and Sikkim (the neighboring federal state of India) during spring and autumn. They are Indians coming from the low lowlands or foreign tourists choosing Darjeeling as a starting point for a mountain trek. Porters and kitchen staff accompany tourists in case of organized treks. Tee production and tourism are the main economic sectors of Darjeeling. The trekking season, however, is short and the incomes low. Many people do not have enough money to earn a living. Our school is located in an area where many families depend on trekking tourism. We hope that some of their children will have a chance to get a good basic education in our school with our support. The unemployment rate is very high in Darjeeling. For this reason a good school education is of particular significance.
