Dehradun, Sept. 22 -- The acquisition of the Doon Valley by the British as a result of the Anglo-Gorkha War of 1814-15 opened up a Pandora's Box for them. They not only got possession of a region that was in many ways unsurpassed in natural charms with a climate that was salubrious and congenial to the European constitution, but also opportunities opened for a range of profitable ventures.

Of the many cultural preferences that the British had, for long enjoyed and also bequeathed as a pleasant legacy, was tea drinking - the virtues of which were extolled by Cooley Cibber, the poet:

"Tea! thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable liquid,. thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wind-tippling cordial, to whose gloriou...