The Louis Mandelli Saga – Continued!

Hello again, dear friends! 

Here’s the second of the three stories I promised you this birthday month! Two years ago, Sarita Dasgupta told us the story of Louis Mandelli, the nineteenth century Italian tea planter and ornithologist from Darjeeling. Today she tells us more about the Mandelli family…in another era!!

Thank you, Sarita😀!!

by Sarita Dasgupta

 
When I wrote my story about Louis Mandelli, little did I dream the amount of interest it would arouse and what it would lead to!

I decided to write about Louis Mandelli because firstly, I was intrigued by the fact that he was the only Italian tea planter I had heard of, and secondly, being a bird-lover myself, I was impressed by the fact that as an amateur but enthusiastic ornithologist, he had discovered hitherto undocumented Himalayan bird species which were subsequently named after him. And now, what the article led to…

Firstly…

Louis’ great-great-grandson, Jason Mendelli, based in Japan, came across my story while researching his lineage. He emailed Gowri, our editor, who forwarded his email to me, and I replied. This led to a further exchange of information, which, with his permission, I am now sharing with the readers.

Louis Mandelli and his wife, Ann, had two sons and three daughters. One of the sons, Louis Hildebrand Robert, joined the Railways as a travelling ticket collector, and rose to become Station Master in Darjeeling. He and his wife, Alice, had a son in August 1893, and christened him Louis Herbert Francis.

Not much is known about Louis Herbert Francis, except that he was a Commercial Traveller (travelling salesman) and lived in Kolkata during the latter part of his life. There, he had a relationship with a lady called Nora, and a son was born to them on 3 October 1923. He was baptized Norman Melville Louis Mandellie on 5 January 1924 at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Dharmatala, Kolkata.

Jason with his father Norman

Norman grew up in Kolkata and went to school in Lucknow. He joined the police force as an officer, and was stationed with a group of Gorkhas in an outpost on the northern border of India. Norman told Jason about being attacked by around a hundred horse-riding marauders wielding knives. Fortunately, he survived but was haunted by the memories of this traumatic event for the rest of his life.

Norman left India for the USA in the early 1950s and lived there for some years before moving to London. He worked for an aeronautical company in his earlier years, and then managed a psychiatric hospital. He married a lovely lady called Yvette, and they had seven children, Jason being one of them.

Jason grew up in London, and worked in the film industry. He then moved to Japan with his wife, Yoko, and daughter, Emma, and is currently writing his first book.

Jason, Emma and Yoko

Secondly…

The Consul-General of Italy in Kolkata, Dr Gianluca Rubagotti, was researching Italians who had contributed in some way, or made a mark in the eastern states of India that come under the Consulate-General of Italy in Kolkata. He read my article and was interested in knowing more about Louis Mandelli. This led to an event held in Kurseong on 3 November 2021, to honour the 19th century tea planter’s contribution to the region. The event was organized by the Italian Consulate-General in partnership with the Kolkata-based NGO, FREED (Force for Rural Empowerment and Economic Development).

Mr Adya and Mr Pyne of FREED, Sarita Dasgupta, Dr Rubagotti, Dr Spadoni

 I was invited to be part of the panel comprising Dr Rubagotti, Dr Massimo Spadoni (Scientific Officer at the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, and avid bird-watcher) and myself, and asked to acquaint the local populace with Mandelli’s life as a tea planter and naturalist, which I did through a visual presentation. I also played them an audio-visual message from Jason Mendelli.

The next day, we drove to Darjeeling and paid our respects at Louis Mandelli’s grave at the Catholic Singtom Cemetery.

Louis Mandelli’s grave at the Catholic Singtom Cemetery

It is true that one can never foresee the consequences of one’s actions. I can only be glad that my ‘action’ of writing Louis Mandelli’s story led to my acquaintance with Jason Mandelli and Dr Rubagotti, and to a renewed interest in, and recognition of, Louis Mandelli’s contribution to the tea industry and the natural history of the region in which he chose to spend his life.

Meet the writer: Sarita Dasgupta

Sarita enjoying a warm cup of Kawakawa tea in New Zealand.  

Read about it here

"As a ‘chai ka baby’ (and grandbaby!) and then a ‘chai ka memsahab’, I sometimes wonder if I have tea running through my veins! 

I have been writing for as long as can remember – not only my reminiscences about life in ‘tea’ but also skits, plays, and short stories. My plays and musicals have been performed by school children in Guwahati, Kolkata and Pune, and my first collection of short stories for children, called Feathered Friends, was published by Amazing Reads (India Book Distributors) in 2016. My Rainbow Reader series of English text books and work books have been selected as the prescribed text for Classes I to IV by the Meghalaya Board of School Education for the 2018-2019 academic session, and I have now started writing another series for the same publisher.

More stories by Sarita here : https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/search/label/Sarita%20Dasgupta

Is this your first visit here? Welcome to Indian Chai Stories! Do you have a chai story of your own to share? Send it to me here, please : indianchaistories@gmail.com. 

My name is Gowri Mohanakrishnan and I'm a tea planter's wife. I started this blog in 2018 because one of the things that I wouldn't want us to lose in a fast changing world is the tea story - a story always told with great seriousness, no matter how funny - always true (always) - maybe a tall tale, maybe long, short, impossible, scary, funny or exciting but never dull. You will find yourself transported to another world! 

This is the link to all the stories on this blog: https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/ 
Be sure to add it to your list of favourites! Happy reading!! Cheers to the spirit of Indian tea!