The Tea Deva
by Rajah Banerjee
The Tea Deva was first found in 1991 
in Makaibari and baffled entomologists worldwide. It looked like an insect, but no matching insect could be found in the textbooks. What was remarkable about it was that it was the exact replica of a tea leaf - in every aspect and detail. In the summer, it carried the typical signs of a fresh, new leaf, while in the winter, it showed the natural blisters that affect tea leaves. Indeed, when in 1995 a hailstorm devastated one section of the tea plantations at Makaibari and left large patches on the tea leaves there, the same injury marks were seen on the Tea Deva in a different and undisturbed section of the estate.
While scientists at the Zoological Society of India and the University of Hohenheim conducted research, I decided to call this unique life form, the Tea Deva. For me, it was a divine manifestation. It was one that had made its appearance, or perhaps reappearance, as a result of the religious diligence with which biodynamics was, and continues to be, practiced at Makaibari. As Rudolf Steiner - the father of biodynamic agriculture - has stated, if all agricultural practices are truly holistic, then the principle crop will be reflected in mimicry. Clearly, we must be doing something right at Makaibari.
Finally scientists from Calcutta University and the Zoological Survey of India gave their verdict, identifying the Tea Deva as a member of the Phillidae family, which is adept at mimicry. This family includes 'walking insects' that resemble sticks, twigs and deadwood, among many other forms. However, none replicating a tea leaf had been recorded until the discovery of the Tea Deva in Makaibari.
The Tea Deva is picked up ten or so times in Makaibari each year. Indeed, each time a Tea Deva is spotted and picked up by a worker, he, or she, is handsomely rewarded - especially if one is picked up for visitors staying on the estate to see firsthand this miracle of Makaibari. This incentive has resulted in a habit of looking at nature more closely among members of the community - young and old.
In spite of the many pairs of eyes looking for it, the Tea Deva is not easy to find. It is, after all, very difficult to spot, as its green colour and tea leaf shape act as excellent camouflage against the tea fields. Each time it is found and picked up, the Tea Deva is also released back into its tea habitat (after its habits have been studied). And each time it is released it literally vanishes in front of our eyes, so perfect is its mimicry.
The Tea Deva remains a miracle of Makaibari.
Reprinted with the permission of the Rajah Banerjee from his book, The Rajah of Darjeeling Organic Tea. Those interested in learning more about Makaibari are invited to visit makaibari.com.