Swaraj Kumar Banerjee - aka Rajah the penniless king, schooled at prestigious Darjeeling institutes, graduated from London University and joined Makaibari 1n 1970 as the fourth generation tea planter. Pioneered alternative energy substitute in 1971 by building BIO GAS digesters for Makaibari village ladies, and providing cows, as a non-polluting renewable fuel substitute. This virtually empowered the ladies-refer story in the book The Rajah of Darjeeling Organic Tea-Makaibari Published by Cambridge University Press, 2008. 1973 Pioneered mulching practices with integrated permaculture. 1975 Pioneered sustainable use of compost for global tea. 1988 The first garden to be certified Organic. 1990 Speaker at the first Organic tea and Coffee conference/Fraunfeld/Suisse. 1991 Pioneered biodynamic practices for the tropics and the first tea garden certified Demeter. 1996 Speaker at Hohenheim University/Stutgart - on Ethical Trade and Sustainability. 1997 Speaker at Ertfries Convention/Koln/Germany. 1998 Speaker at San Francisco Organic Food Fair/Muscovy Centre/USA 1999 Speaker at Fairtrade Company/Tokyo/Japan 2001 Speaker at World Phytosnitary and SPS standards seminar hosted by UNCTAD World Bank/SAARC countries at New Delhi. 2001 Speaker at the seminar jointly held by EEU and India at New Delhi for Fair-trade and sustainability, an essential for the future. December New Delhi. 2002 Presentation to Starbucks board for Fair-trade Practices in Feb at Portland,USA Tazo's offices, which galvanized them to create the CHAI initiative , under Mercy Corps at Darjeeling 2002 Awarded the Rashtriya Ratan Award, for outstanding individual achievements and distinguished services to the Nation by Former Governor of Tamil Nadu at New Delhi. 2004 Nominated by The Nobel Committee for the Right Livelihood Award (Green Nobel) /Sweden. 2006 Film made by India's celebrity TV journalist Veer Sanghvi Matter of Taste , featuring Makaibari teas as the finest tea in the world and a wonder of India. 2006 Film made by famous filmmaker by Xavier de Laussane /Paris “THE LORD OF DARJEELING” on Rajah’s life has won a number of global film festival awards 2007 Film made by the BBC on behalf of the British Government to commemorate India's 60th year of Independence- features Sanjeev Bhaskar(Kumar's at No. 22 serial fame) discovering Makaibari'S sustainable practices as a win win for all in the future, in MYSTIC RIVER. 2008 Time Magazine's Cover story on May The Best of Asia features Makaibari Teas as One of Asia's Top Ten produces not only for flavor but also for the working philosophical practices. 2009 Jan 2009 Business Economics magazine features Rajah's work at Makaibari as a dynamic solution for politics, economics and the environment as a way out for the world on the brink of the Great Eco Bomb-in their cover story. Buy Now The Rajah of Darjeeling Organic Tea