Join The Learning Tea for an authentic Indian dinner at Dr. Bombay’s.
You aren’t going to find Indian food like this any where in Atlanta!

The Learning Tea’s monthly Indian dinner returns to Dr. Bombay’s on Monday, April 30th 2012!!! This month, we’re featuring a Mumbai Street Food inspired menu. Come enjoy the tastes of Mumbai’s infamous street vendors and help us enroll our Darjeeling girls into University this semester. $20 buys you an authentic Street Vendor style Indian meal and enters you into a trivia match. 100% of proceeds go to The Learning Tea’s House in Darjeeling, India!

Tickets are available on The Learning Tea’s website (http://thelearningtea.com/events) as well as at Dr. Bombay’s.

Dr. Bombay’s is located across from the Candler Park Market at the intersection of McLendon & Clifton.

Join us for a wonderful time and help those less fortunate in Darjeeling!

Thanks for your support!

Monday, April 30th 2012. Doors open at 6:30pm. Dinner served at 7:00pm.

$20.00. Prefer RSVP on Facebook page too:

Facebook Event Page

Tickets are limited, so be sure and get yours. You can purchase tickets in person at Dr. Bombay’s; located in the heart of Candler Park. Buy your tickets here!

Hosted By English Nick with DJ Alex Mizell
Saturday March 5th, 2011 – 8pm til ?
$5 Cover

Vintage Vinyl and Collectibles Auction
The Jahara Phoenix Dance Company
DJs Slumberjack and Merlot

Hearth Atlanta
317 Nelms Ave
Atlanta, GA

Parking on Arizona Ave

Proceeds to Benefit The Learning Tea

“I am 7 backpacks in Darjeeling India” reads one of the many tea packages at Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party, a quaint little tea house in Candler Park, Atlanta. Owner Katrell Christie, who recently won the GIACC Chakra Award presented to a Georgia firm that has made major contributions to trade with India, hopes to change lives, one tea cup at a time.

After her trip to India, Christie who already was on a mission to promote women’s education there, returned more motivated to pursue her cause. Learning Tea came into existence to support the schools and orphanages in India through the sale of the flavorful Darjeeling Green and Black teas and by selling photo prints of her journey. Christie’s background in art restoration shows in the deco of the teashop and also probably helped capture India and all its diversity in her photographs. 100% of the profits from The Learning Tea will fund several projects for downtrodden children in India.

A seemingly unlikely philanthropist, Christie was approached by National Rotarian society a year and a half ago about going to Hyderabad, India to help a group of women start a handicraft business stringing pearls to make necklaces and sell them. Committed to the idea after much thought, Christie says she planned the trip for about a year, talking to other Rotarians and having conference calls. With her ticket in hand, Christie was also designing a service project to give back to the Indian community from where she got tea- Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiris. Women’s Education was her top priority. “About two months before I was supposed to go, the funding fell out from the Rotarians due to recession. But I already had the trip planned, and done a lot of research on tea regions, so I knew I wanted to go over there, purchase tea, bring it back and fund some sort of education program. I landed in Mumbai and went to Darjeeling.” The trip that Christie made gave her the opportunity to experience the journey of a lifetime.

Having made a mental connection with the women in Hyderabad, “just thinking about what they needed”, as she puts it, Christie visited the women there even without the funding. She learnt more about pre-arranged marriages in India during her time there and decided to help orphans instead of dealing with family members who wanted to marry off their daughters before educating them. In Darjeeling, Christie found an English speaking man and asked to visit the orphanages, which landed her at the Buddhist Girls Orphanage, which, among others, she is currently committed to. Three girls at the Buddhist Girls orphanage received scholarships for college education along with new uniforms, shoes and books. She also rented them a “dorm” room at the girls’ hostel and furnished it with basic necessities. She has signed them up for computer classes, also providing them computers, compliments of Alex Mizell / DirecPath. In addition to sending the girls to college, she also bought new uniforms for the elementary school children and had a working toilet installed in the school, also providing shoes, books and some minor medical supplies this year.

Her current focus is scholarships. “My grandfather, who was a professor, gave away scholarships. He and his wife raised money for the same. And I think that was always at the back of my head” Christie says when asked about her inspiration. Christie has a new project in Calcutta- five girls from the slums- that she plans to put into college this year. In order to ensure that her help is actually availed well by the recipients, Christie has a contract with the Scholarship program with some stipulations. The inspiring aspect of her stipulations includes giving back to the society. The recipients have to keep up grades. If they fail a class, they are on probation, and if they fail again, they can no longer accept the scholarship. They have to put in 10 hours into a primary school in community and 10 hours into a community service project that they volunteer for and does not bring money to them or their family.

Since the five girls in Calcutta have parents, along with the mentioned stipulations, she made the family sign off that they won’t get the girls married till they finish school and that they will help the girls finish school, mentally. Christie says a steward in Calcutta helps her overlook her project there.The director for the Buddhist girls’ orphanage is her contact in Darjeeling. She hopes to do the same in Tamilnadu. Christie says it cost about $1000 per year to sponsor a girl and that includes school, books, boarding, all meals, school supplies and pretty much all living expenses.

“Nick Parsons runs the business while I’m not here. I could not do this without his help” Christie tells about her partner. She is also very thankful to her community that supports her cause to the fullest. Christie hopes that some day, exchange students, women that want to be teachers, will be able to go to India and work with the girls in co ordination with some universities like Emory or Georgia State. Her goal is to create projects for scholarships and to have hostel/boarding house for the girls to stay while they are going to college. She also wishes to build a healthy learning center. “I do good, I feel good. I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion” Christie quotes Lincoln and feel good, she should. With truly inspired ideas, humanitarian goals, Christie is raring to go and welcomes help from anyone who is interested in supporting the cause.

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The spirit of the Mahatma prevailed through the evening. The Georgia India-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) held its 11th annual gala on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, the 141st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, prompting the keynote speakers and guests at the event to pay glowing tributes to the father of India. The gala, which was held at the Sheraton Atlanta hotel, was graced by the presence of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, President and CEO of Woodruff Arts Center Joseph Bankoff, Consul General of India in Houston Sanjeev Arora and visiting dignitaries from India, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Chairman Dr. A. Chakrapani and Andhra Pradesh Sarvodaya Mandal’s GVVSDS Prasad.

In his address, Mayor Reed acknowledged the diverse and significant contributions of the Indian American community in Atlanta, adding, “With your help, we are going to turn Atlanta into the leading city of the world.”

He spoke about the newly commissioned $1.4 billion international terminal at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. “When the terminal is completed, it will increase the global competitiveness of Atlanta,” he assured.

Mayor Reed paid glowing tributes to Gandhi, adding that it was befitting that the great leader’s birth anniversary be honored by the United Nations as the International Day of Non-Violence. He spoke about his first trip to India in 2007 when he felt deeply inspired after visiting the Gandhi memorial in New Delhi. “A Gandhi memorial in Atlanta will someday be a reality,” he said, adding that a street would be soon named after the Mahatma.

The mayor said his doors were always open to members of the Indian community not only for commerce, but also for genuine friendship and appreciation of each other’s cultures.

Woodruff Art Center’s Joseph Bankoff, in his keynote address said Atlanta was a community of communities, and a creative one at that. “There is a move from being successful to being useful,” he said. “There are great expectations to participate in and improve the (local) community. And in no area is this truer, than in the arts.”

Earlier, Consul General Sanjeev Arora, in his address, reflected on the year that has been, and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Promoting business between India and the US is a top priority for the consulate, he said. The GIACC was a great idea that was born in the 1990s and its growth has mirrored the growth of the consulate, he added. He commended the several companies in Georgia that are actively engaged in business with India.

Consul General Arora reminisced about the two high profile visits of Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar to Atlanta earlier in the year. He said the proposed GIACC business mission to India in 2011 had the full support of the consulate.

Earlier in the evening, GIACC president Danielle Fernandes, welcomed the guests and members to the gala and provided an overview of the chamber’s activities through the year.

The GIACC 2010 awards were presented by chairman Ritesh Desai later in the evening. Bhupendra Patel of DIJP won the GIACC member of the year award (individual), while member of the year; corporate went to General Electric. Rajas Pargaonkar of Waddle Works, LLC took home the Friend of GIACC, individual award, while in the corporate category, Georgia Power won the honor. The Peach award, which is presented to an Indian company that has made major contributions to trade with Georgia, went to The Chugh Firm while the Chakra Award, which is presented to a Georgia Firm that has made major contributions to trade with India, went to Katrell Christie of The Learning Tea.

Dr Arti Pandya performed the national anthems of USA and India while The Pulse and Karma dance teams showcased Indian culture. The Syl Spann Jazz trio entertained with their jazz performance. Dr Raj Pandya and Ms USA Petite 2010, Sabrina Nooruddin coordinated the evening’s program with their able emceeing.

Unshakeable Belief In Gandhi: AP Speaker Dr. Chakrapani

Speaking to this reporter, chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, Dr. A. Chakrapani who was a guest at the banquet, said during his month long tour of various countries, he saw that Gandhi was still remembered everywhere. “There is still an unshakeable belief in Gandhiji and his values,” he said. “The global peace march must continue.”

Dr. Chakrapani’s tour began with the 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Nairobi in September, and included a visit to the Gandhi statue in Durban, besides several cities in the US.

The Atlanta visit included a visit to the King Center where met with Martin Luther King III. The group paid tributes to Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Chakrapani presented his book ‘Sonia Gandhi- Future of India’ to the legendary civil rights leader’s son, who, he said, appreciated the fact that Sonia had played a big role in getting the United Nations to recognize October 2nd as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Dr. Chakrapani said he was proud of the success of the NRI community in the US. “NRIs have reached great heights of success with their hard work, sincerity, intelligence and charisma,” he said, and exhorted the community to visit India more, invest in its future, and impact its commerce and tourism industries.

“Bring delegations during our major festivals to learn more about our traditions and culture,” he said.

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Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party

The owner of Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party, Katrell Christie, is a lot of things to many people. She is also a retired Atlanta Rollergirl, a humanitarian and a photographer. Her project, the Learning Tea, helps to fund education in a poorly funded government school in India.

When most people visit Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party they buy ice cream, sandwiches, tea or look through the many books displayed in the tea room. The tiny shop has a charming décor furnished like a 1940s tea room and music that mirrors that era. The shop offer 65 types of tea, breakfast, and lunch/dinner, plus assorted fruit smoothies. Free Wi-Fi is also available. Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party is also open to private events such as baby showers, bridal parties, or birthday parties.

Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party
1645 Mclendon Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-474-1402
drbombays.com

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Atlanta Rollergirl L.O.R.D (Lady of Retired Derby) Takillya Sunrise, also known as Katrell Christie, is changing lives in India, one tea party at a time. After travelling to India in 2009, Katrell returned to the States with a new mission to help the girls of the Darjeeling Orphanage through education.

She started The Learning Tea, a project to raise money to support the Darjeeling school and orphanage through the sale of the flavorful Darjeeling Green and Black teas she handpicked through hundreds of varieties, and by selling photo prints of her journey. 100% of the profits will benefit several projects for these children. Visit and learn all the details and help better the lives of these precious girls. And grab yourself some tea at our next bout. The Learning Tea will have a booth in the courtyard at Yaraab Shrine Center.

The Project: The Learning Tea started as a personal project of Dr. Bombay’s coffee shop owner Katrell Christie after one of her trips to India, in July 2009.
Photography: In order to document her journey, Christie took magnificent pictures, capturing the soul of the Indian people.
The Tea: Taste the most unique leaves from India and help children in Darjeeling have a better future. Shop

For these Darjeeling children living in poverty, education is simply the only method of rising beyond their situation, which in most cases is dire.

Darjeeling is world famous for its beautiful tea gardens and flavorful teas, but it harbors a darker side as the region’s hub for forced labor and sex exploitation, as well as child trafficking and child labor. Without education, young girls are forced into prostitution in the area, or even transported to work in brothels in other regions of India when they leave orphanages at 16 or 17, with no viable alternatives in the area without a university education.

Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party

Tea, Coffee, Books, Pastries, Desserts, Ice Cream, Sandwiches & Free Wifi
1645 McLendon Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Ph: 404.474.1402

Darjeeling Elementary School (The students in this Elementary School all received new shoes thanks to the Learning Tea. In July they will have their floor repaired and a toilet installed.)

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Posted by: sarahbesky | April 18, 2010

Fantastic and thoughtful project by Atlanta tea shop owner, Katrell Christie.

Check out the project’s website: www.thelearningtea.com

Quoted from the website:

The Learning Tea lets Atlanta reach out to India one cup at a time

While it’s not uncommon for people to find a new perspective while traveling, Candler Park resident and Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party shop owner Katrell Christie found herself in India during Summer 2009 with a growing new purpose and a strong determination to help better the lives of the children she’d met while spending time at both a Darjeeling orphanage and a elementary school, one of the oldest schools in Darjeeling.

For these Darjeeling children living in poverty, education is simply the only method of rising beyond their situation, which in most cases is dire.

Darjeeling is world famous for its beautiful tea gardens and flavorful teas, but it harbors a darker side as the region’s hub for forced labor and sex exploitation, as well as child trafficking and child labor. Without education, young girls are forced into prostitution in the area, or even transported to work in brothels in other regions of India when they leave orphanages at 16 or 17, with no viable alternatives in the area without a university education.

It’s also equally important for young boys in poverty to receive a good education. The area surrounding Darjeeling is known for being open to insurgents, drug traffickers, or terrorists. Recruitment begins early with the poor, young boys whose families are lured by the promise of education, food, and shelter, but in reality the education simply involves brainwashing and the creation of a future generation of terrorists and drug peddlers.

Accepting any of these futures for these children was simply not an alternative in Christie’s eyes, and The Learning Tea was born as a result. It didn’t take long for her to develop a two-fold plan to raise money to support the school and orphanage through the sale of the flavorful Darjeeling Green and Black teas she had handpicked through hundreds of varieties, and by selling photo prints of her journey.

100% of the profits from The Learning Tea will fund several projects for these children.

For 2010, Christie has pledged to buy uniforms and put a working toilet in at elementary school. The school needs drastic help in terms of basic hygiene, as well as food and clothing for the students. They rarely receive a lunch and there is currently no bathroom facility or running water available there.

The students are so thankful and pleased to receive an education there that they continue to attend during monsoon season, despite the fact that their classroom has dirt floors that flood and require them to sit atop their desks.

She also has committed herself in 2010 to fully funding the education of three orphan girls a year at a nearby Darjeeling university; for $500, each girl can receive one year of university education, empowering them towards a much brighter future than the alternative available for the women that have left the orphanage before them. No girl from the orphanage has previously ever had the opportunity to attend higher education.

It takes so little financially to make a huge difference in the life of these children. The Learning Tea is simply a catalyst for change, one cup at a time shaping their lives towards a much brighter future!

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Katrell Christie is a thoroughly modern do-gooder. The former Atlanta Rollergirl—skate name: Takillya Sunrise runs a funky teashop in Atlanta that sells 50 cent books for charity and serves high tea every afternoon. If you ask her to sponsor your bake sale, car wash or dog wash she’s always ready with a “yes” and a plate of cookies.

In the summer of 2009 she went to India looking for tea. What she found in Darjeeling is the darker side of the region: a hub for trafficking girls into forced labor and child prostitution. Not wanting to be consumer profiteer, Katrell came up with a plan: The Learning Tea. Through the sale of Darjeeling tea from a Fair Trade tea plantation Katrell hopes to create a sustainable system that supports jobs in the community and the education for orphaned girls. The question is—can this simple plan work?

Filmmakers Phoebe Brown and Charlene Fisk will follow Katrell back to India in July 2010 to document Katrell’s return to India and introduce you to the young woman bravely transitioning from the orphanage to university. These girls—many of Nepalese origin— age out of the orphanage at 16 and face the grim realities for young women lacking opportunity and education: a life of forced prostitution, hard labor or servitude—too often under abusive conditions. While there are numerous NGO’s committed to improving women’s lives worldwide and addressing human trafficking and sexual slavery—on a wide scale the problem is still epidemic. There is not nearly enough media addressing the issue of the systematic inequality keeping women in poverty and in jeopardy.

What I hope audiences will get out of this film is a sense of how important education is in raising the status of women and that something as simple as a consumer choice can make a real impact. In addition, as a global community we can no longer stand by as our sisters are held back by lack of opportunity, education and, in many countries, brutal oppression. Change is possible when we stand up and make it.

Please visit: www.indiegogo.com/The-Learning-Tea

to see how you can help.

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Christie intends to repair the basic infrastructure of an impoverished and dilapidated Darjeeling elementary school, and provide students with basic school supplies (books, uniforms, shoes, desks, etc). These funds will also benefit girls from Darjeeling girl’s orphanage, ensuring that they have access to continuing college education in an effort to avoid child trafficking or prostitution trade. “With these tea sales, we are truly saving lives. The elementary school currently exists under very dire conditions. The Learning Tea has pledged to repair the school, put in toilet facilities, purchase new uniforms and shoes for the children and make sure propane is available for cooking midday meals,” explains Christie. “We also plan to provide girls in the local orphanage with a college education, so they can become self-reliant, productive members of their community. For these girls education is the only hope of rising above a life of forced labor or prostitution. The oldest three girls starting college next will be the first orphaned girls in this community to ever have had the opportunity. Thank you to The Meaning of Tea®, by shining a spotlight on our project, you are really saving lives.”

In order to truly open the world’s eyes to The Learning Tea’s journey, Christie will return to India in July 2010 with a film crew to document the conditions of the Darjeeling community and her work there. Considering that The Meaning of Tea’s® mission is to document the role that tea plays in renewing our modern world through tea inspired music, film, books, and more, we are honored to support this project that will raise awareness and document life changing efforts. “We can only hope that other tea institutions band together to support causes such as this, and sincerely use tea as a force to help create needed change to better the lives of the communities that are all around us,” says filmmaker and director of The Meaning of Tea®, Scott Chamberlin Hoyt. Above all, Katrell Christie notes that she has compassionately developed The Learning Tea to be “a sustainable way to provide tea to people who love it, to support jobs for workers in India who desperately need them, and to improve the lives of girls who have no other support.”

For more information about The Meaning Of Tea®’s charitable role in The Learning Tea project, please e-mail Alexis Siemons at Alexis@TheMeaningofTea.com.

To support The Learning Tea Project, please purchase tea in their online shop, donate Delta Skymiles, or make an online monetary donation through PayPal. In addition, all proceeds of Katrell’s photographic prints of her journey through India go towards The Learning Tea Project.

The Meaning of Tea® project is an ongoing, tea-inspired journey that celebrates the history, rituals, spirituality and simple pure enjoyment of tea through the eyes of tea lovers from many places around the world. Our vision is to use tea and tea-inspired films and music, as well as books and blogs, conversation and ritual, to open the hearts and souls of those who are seeking fresh insight into the art of living authentically in today’s increasingly virtual society. The Meaning of Tea® project’s aim is to bring to light the mysteries of the world’s favorite beverage to larger audiences, and, as tea has done for 5,000 years, to stimulate health, friendship and community. Learn more at www.themeaningoftea.com.

The Learning Tea is a humanitarian project started by Katrell Christie to help impoverished children of Darjeeling India. Raising funds through her photography and the sales of Darjeeling green and black tea, this project will put three orphaned girls through college per year. It will also repair an elementary school in Darjeeling and buy uniforms, supplies, books and food for its students. Learn more at www.thelearningtea.com.

Scott Chamberlin Hoyt is a filmmaker, photographer, painter, budding tea connoisseur and director of The Meaning of Tea® project. His longtime interest in tea increased when he began studying various alternatives to orthodox modern medicine and learned that tea, and the enjoyment of tea, is one of the cornerstones of living life well. His perspective is augmented by years of world travel, and deepened by decades of exploration into Eastern thought. Scott is on the board of directors for Global Learning Across Borders, is a member of the American Botanical Council’s Director’s Circle, and he is president of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York. He holds an MBA from New York University.

By H.M. Cauley

Katrell Christie seems like an unlikely philanthropist. She isn’t independently well off; she has no deep pockets to finance her charitable urges. She isn’t an A-list Junior Leaguer whose photo is apt to appear in the society news. But what this petite blonde does have is a passion for changing the world, one cup of tea at a time.

Drop into a soft armchair or a comfy booth at Christie’s Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party, order a ceramic pot of the Learning Tea Darjeeling tea, and you’re immediately part of her plan to provide clothing, shoes, supplies and support to some of the poorest children in India. For almost a year, Christie has been selling 3.5-ounce bags of the fragrant loose tea and funneling all of the funds back to a school and an orphanage she visited in India’s Darjeeling area last summer.

Even the story of how Christie got to such a remote and impoverished section of the world has an unlikeliness to it. She was approached by a local Rotarian chapter that wanted her to be part of a program in India, which encouraged women artisans to develop their own businesses. Christie accepted and decided to stay for two months to work on her own service project. She set up contacts over the phone and made flight arrangements before learning that the Rotarian program was scrapped for lack of money. But after planning the trip for more than a year, she decided to go anyway.

Christie did spend time working with women in the Rotarian program, but being in the tea business, she couldn’t wait to get to Darjeeling, one of the country’s leading tea-producing regions.

“I had planned to go there the minute I got off the plane, but the city was closed,” she recalls. “It took almost a month for me to work my way back there. By then, all contacts I had made were gone. So I went by myself, even though I had no contacts and didn’t know anybody.”

What Christie did know was that an orphanage she’d heard about had a number of girls who were in danger of being tossed out when they turned 18. “I knew girls were treated very poorly over there, but I didn’t know the extent until I got there,” she says. “If there’s no dowry or family, they’re not going to get married, and they usually end up in people-trafficking or brothels.”

Undaunted by not knowing the language or the area, Christie wandered for four days, asking for information through a combination of charades and fractured Hindi. She finally met a man who spoke a little English and agreed to take her to an orphanage and a school. What Christie saw on the way stunned and shocked her.

“There are things there you, an American, are not prepared to see at all,” she says. “There are people sleeping in the streets, dying and starving to death before your eyes. It’s hard to wrap your mind around what’s going on over there.”

Conditions for the 54 girls in the Buddhist orphanage were only slightly better than the street. The girls lived with no running water or electricity and slept on mats on the floor. At the school, children 3 to 7 years old walked miles to school, where they didn’t have a toilet or food for lunch.

Christie immediately got to work. She took the school students shoe shopping, and for just $30, replaced the kids’ sandals with sturdy shoes that stood up to the cold and weather. She then cut a deal with the orphanage director to keep three teens in the home while she paid $500 each for them to attend college. “These are girls from the lowest caste, so going to school is a big deal for them,” she says.

By the time Christie got back to Atlanta last fall, she had arranged to sell a fair-trade plantation’s Darjeeling tea in her shop, with all of the $12 cost going toward tuition costs. The brightly wrapped packets in the Learning Tea line remind buyers that they’re getting more than tea: One purchase covers the costs of 10 pairs of shoes, 20 notebooks, seven school bags or two uniforms. She’s also been talking to two other plantations to set up similar programs, with the money going back to poor girls in the community.

The colorful tea packets and their message were created by students from Melissa Kuperminc’s graphic design class at the Portfolio Center in Buckhead. Kuperminc, her husband Gabriel and her kids live within walking distance of Dr. Bombay’s and have been big fans even before Christie kicked off the tea project.

“Her shop is an extension of my office and living room,” says Kuperminc with a laugh. “I am a huge coffee and tea fan, and I’m so thrilled with the Darjeeling project. It’s an amazing project that’s really helping girls who would never had gotten to college.”

Kuperminc also has participated in Christie’s book exchange by donating and purchasing books from the shelves around the shop. The 50-cent charge supports Noah’s Ark, an animal rehabilitation center in Locust Grove.

“The books are fabulous and add to the atmosphere in the store,” says Kuperminc. “Everybody in the neighborhood takes books there. All of Katrell’s projects are hugely supported by the neighborhood.”
In early June, Christie heads back to India to follow up on promises to bring supplies and uniforms, as well as support. This time she won’t be alone: She’ll have independent Atlanta filmmaker Phoebe Brown and a crew in tow. Brown, head of the award-winning Unblinking Eye production company, has known Christie for eight years, and consulted with her on spreading the word about the tea project last year.

“I really thought she needed to make a full documentary about what she’s doing and the issues involved,” says Brown. “It was an issue that also interested me, and I’ve done other films about women’s issues. I can’t wait to go.”

Brown, Christie and the crew will spend a month together, tracking the progress of the soon-to-be college girls and the students at the local school. But Brown expects it will take a few years to complete the film.

“I see this as a three- or five-year process—that’s the nature of documentary filmmaking,” says Brown. “We’ll want to follow Katrell and at least one of the girls from the orphanage, which will probably mean going back a few more times. Immediately, we can use footage to raise money about the issues of education for girls in India, but I’d really love to look at the struggle of getting one of the girls into and through college. And that will take some time.”

Meanwhile, Christie is charging ahead with plans for her next trip and garnering as much support as possible. Her enthusiasm has spread beyond the store, to one supporter who has volunteered 10 laptops for the project. In mid-May, she sold reps from the Whole Foods Market in Buckhead on the idea of selling the Learning Tea’s Darjeeling, to raise even more money.

While Christie encourages and inspires buyers in her shop, she doesn’t consider herself a big-time philanthropist.

“Look,” she says honestly. “I didn’t make this goal of trying to save the whole world. I’m very specific about it. It’s a tangible goal I can make happen. And after what I saw in India, I believe there’s a reason I got to that orphanage.

Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party is located at 1645 McLendon Ave. 404-474-1402. www.drbombays.com.

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