We at NAPP are saddened by the demise of Mr. Prem Tamang on the 10th of August 2020. He had served as a NAPP Board member from the inception of NAPP and represented the Tea Producers on the Board. He was a great supporter of the Fairtrade ideology and at several forums, he had wholeheartedly shared the positive impact it was having on the lives of workers.
Having been born in a Tea plantation worker’s family, he was a true ‘son of the soil’. His father served at Chongtong Tea Estate in Darjeeling (a Fairtrade certified Estate) and actively participated in representing the voice of the workers and later was also elected as the Member of Parliament from the District of Darjeeling.
Voicing and supporting the rights of workers and their well-being was always in him, for his childhood.
Mr. Prem Tamang was among the first from his community, who progressed through the ranks with his sheer determination and hard work and became a Tea estate manager. With his demise, the workers of Darjeeling Tea Estates have lost a leader, an elder brother, and a mentor who always cared for them as one extended family.
I did not get an opportunity to know him personally, but what I hear from his associates is that he was full of life and a determined fighter for just causes. We at NAPP have lost a great supporter and friend of Fairtrade and would always remember you, Mr. Prem Tamang, as the Champion of Fairtrade for the region.
Rest in Peace – Sir!
Sanjeet Singh Khurana
COO, FT NAPP
