Tourists are drawn to the East Jalpaiguri Jaigaon Region’s gorgeous tea plantations and forests, grandiose palaces and temples, lovely weather and famed tiger reserve.
But to the 3.5 million inhabitants who live in this region, the soil is their main interest. More than 65 percent of the population are farmers or tea-garden laborers. The area’s vegetable market is known across India. Some people gather sticks in the forests or stones from the river to sell, and others create bamboo and jute handcrafts.