Probably very few will agree with me, when I tell them that the monsoons are a good time to visit Ooty. My reasons for enjoying monsoons in Ooty, have to do with my very first visit to this lovely hill station, that despite the pressures of modernity, is still steeped in old world charm. I have been back on many visits since that first time, but somehow most of these have been between May and July - a period when one does not have to be a weather expert to predict showers almost every day.

This is also a very good time to visit the 100 year old Centenary Rose Garden, among the most popular, tourist attractions in Ooty. Built on 3 levels , here you can find and is roses named after important personalities who have visited India. This was where I came across a pretty pink variety named after stage and cinema actress Felicity Kendal.

Much of the green cover that one sees in Ooty, consists of tea bushes located at tea estates dotted all over the Nilgiris and I had decided that on my next visit I would definitely visit the museum at the Doddabeta Tea Estate. This is a museum that allows visitors into the museum for a small price, including a cup of tea. A bit extra is charged for those who plan on taking photos.

There was already a long queue of visitors waiting to enter the Museum, with pictorial panels depicting the origin of tea and how it came to be grown in the Nilgiris. The tea factory and sales counter were on the ground floor, but visitors were directed to climb up a flight of stairs and enter the Tea Musuem from the top floor.

The well-designed panels, began with a welcome to the museum and went on to tell the story of the discovery of tea – as represented in Chinese mythology. It is said that story of tea begins 5000 years ago with Emperor Shen Nung and how he discovered tea, when some leaves fell into a pot of boiling water.

Another panel speaks about the English discovering the idea of tea gardens. These were open spaces where ladies and gentlemen are said to have sipped their tea in pleasant outdoor locations, sometimes to the accompaniment of music.

Tipping as a response to proper service is said to have developed in these Tea Gardens of England. Small locked wooden boxes were placed on tables throughout the garden. Inscribed on each were the letters ‘T.I.P.S.’, which stood for ‘To Insure Prompt Service’. If a guest wished the waiter to hurry (and insure that his pot of tea, came fast from an often distant kitchen), he dropped a coin into the box on being served.

Another bit of information that I gleaned from one of the panels was that ‘Tea Mania’, swept across England and became popular enough to replace ale as the national drink. The entry of tea into the Nilgiris, covered in a couple of panels also makes fascinating reading: “In 1834, unaware that the tea plant was found wild in Assam, Lord Bentick, then Viceroy of India, sent a Commission to China to fetch seed and expert tea makers to India. “This resulted in the distribution of tea plants to various area including South India for experimentation.

By now we have covered all the panels and are guided to see how the tea is actually processed. As we move on down the stairs, we reach a counter where we are served cups of tea. On the other side are shelves stocked with boxes of teas of all varieties - ideal gifts to take back home for friends and family