JANUARY 2010

“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a

going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill
in us.” (Hal Borland)
Two years and four publications on, the Company’s heritage is
reflected in an abundance of material, encouraging
The WM Times to continue its voyage of discovery through the
contributions of many.
We are pleased to include the narration of Moran Tea Company in our treasure chest and have
travelled to different ‘Corners’ of the North East to explore places and lifestyles inherent to this
profession and its individuals. In ‘Outlook’ we reiterate our commitment to the protection of the
natural world through Rain Forest Alliance; co-incidentally the issue portrays the temporary
sanctuary provided to leopards on Company terrain prior to being released to their natural habitat
by the authorities.
We elaborate on Time Management, so essential in today’s frenetic way of life. ‘Rainbow’ highlights
the achievements in diverse fields of two of our own very talented young individuals.
There is an untapped wealth of anecdotes with a unique twist intrinsic to Tea, frequently heard at the
club bar in the course of a convivial evening and these will be brought to you through the kind auspices
of our retired ‘Sahabs’; the Planters’ Punch -- bitter-sweet nostalgia?
The other new feature shall include our talented ‘Memsahabs’ sharing ideas and suggestions on nurturing
the profusion of greenery we are fortunate to be surrounded with.
The Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir, a landmark of Guwahati, is a sanctuary of peace and tranquility. May the
temple bestow its benediction for the New Year.
On behalf of the Editorial Team I conclude with a Zen Haiku translated by Gary Crounse -

Strange how a teapot

Can represent at the same time
The comforts of solitude
And the pleasures of company.

Salaams.

Vidya Kaul

FEATURES

Cover : Happy Hands at Koomsong 01 02

Editorial & Features

Narration 03 Treasury 05 The Memsahab’s Guide 15 Outlook 18

Cameo 21 How Does Your Garden Grow? 27 Requiem 30 Melange 31

Beneficence 34 Reminiscence 36 Management Mantras 42 Rainbow 44

Treasury 45 Planters’ Punch 55 Playing Fields 56 Health Watch 58

Moot Point 60 Bagaan Patois 62 The Last Word 63 Tea Break 64

02
 Moran Tea Company
- Vidya Kaul

The Sivsagar district of Assam, seat of the powerful Ahom dynasty which reigned for
nearly six centuries, includes several architectural wonders which embody this glorious
era in the history of the state. Today, this region contains an expanse of verdant
plantations producing high yields of the ‘green treasure’. The erstwhile Moran Tea
Company Limited, established in 1864, features as one of the benchmarks for quality
tea in the district.
Under the appropriate laws of the United Kingdom, the Registered Office of the
Company was incorporated at Brook’s Wharf, 48 Upper Thames Street, London. The
Memorandum of Association established the administrative centre to look after their
business interests in India at 65 Clive Street, Calcutta. Their object was to “purchase
land, the clearing thereof and the cultivation and manufacture of tea and the doing
of such things as are incidental or conducing to the attainment of the above object.”
The Managing Agents were M/s James Lyall, Thomas Rannie Grant and Charles
Frederic Burgett. At inception, the company included 207 acres of tea cultivation
under Moran Tea Estate. In 1876, land was purchased at Sepon increasing the total
area to 980 acres. The Company
realized a crop of 17440 kg in 1894. By the Fireside
Attabarie T. E. joined the fold in
1946 ensuring a potential yield of
nearly four lakh kg of high quality
leaf per annum and in 1951
Lepetkatta T. E. added a further
808 acres of cultivated land.
Thus the ‘Sterling Company’
comprised the four estates, nearly
four thousand acres of tea cultivation
producing a crop of 18000 kg.
Director's Bungalow

03
 Sepon Burra Bungalow
The sale of teas, The amalgamation proceedings of Moran
maintenance Tea Company (India) Ltd with McLeod
and finance Russel India Ltd was initiated in 2007 and
were the on 16 May 2008 the companies merged
responsibility of Moran with retrospective effect from the
Tea Holdings Ltd, UK. appointment date, 1 April 2007.
After Independence, the
Government of India
introduced legislature to
ensure that companies
incorporated in the UK
had to allow for share
Sahabs capital in the Indian
market. In 1956 The Moran Tea Company
(India) Ltd was established, with the
Registered Office at Four Mangoe Lane,
Calcutta and Head Office at Moran T. E.,
Moran, Assam.
Retired Engine from Lincolnshire
Modern plantation policy and scientific
methods increased the crop considerably in Consequently, the Company, which was
the following years. Sections with low yields incorporated in 1864 with a cultivated area
were replanted and all available land was of 207 acres, controlled at the close of
commissioned with tea; installation of new 2007/2008, 5284.31 acres producing
machinery in the factories encouraged forty-two lakh kg of both Orthodox and
higher output. Green leaf was also CTC tea from the four estates--Moran,
purchased from small tea growers; this Sepon, Lepetkatta and Attabarie.
policy was introduced in 1995 to maximize Thus, the MRIL family grows and prospers;
total crop. may their ‘Treasury’ always reap a successful
harvest of The World’s Cup of Tea.

Old ‘Banger’

04
 -Vidya Kaul

Moran T. E., the flagship plantation of the erstwhile his home for two decades. The Ahom dynasty ruled for
Moran Tea Company, was established in 1864 on a tract nearly six centuries; it may be mentioned here that a ten
of land which bordered a dirt track known as Sologuri
Road, linking Khowang, Moran, Sepon and Mohukutee
and onward to Nazira. A major part of this road is today
NH 37, bifurcating the town of Moran between Sivsagar
and Dibrugarh districts in Upper Assam.
The native inhabitants were the Moran tribe. The name
‘Moran’ comes from the ‘Old Kingdom’, which was
occupied and ruled by this clan and spread over a vast area
covering the present Greater Moran region. In December
1228 the Ahom king, Chaolung Sukapha, traversed the
Patkai Range and entered Assam. He married a Moran
princess, daughter of King Barosar, and made this province
New Factory

05
 In 1890 the Moran Post Office was established on the
estate and the first telegram sent is dated 9 December,
1901.
The district clubs are the heart and soul of the community
and in 1914 the Moran Polo Club was inaugurated on the
property. Soon, polo and tennis became popular sports for
both players and spectators. A brass plaque inscribed with
the names of those who sacrificed their lives fighting for
the Allied Forces
during the two
Main Office Great Wars is
proudly displayed
kilometre stretch of road from
within the premises.
Sepon ‘tinali’ (three way crossing)
These brave soldiers,
to Moran Police Station is still
Capt. B.M. Rooney,
known as ‘Raj Ali’, having been
Capt. Edward Lee,
commissioned by King Bhoja
Capt. D.C. Crole,
Raja, who ruled from 1641 to
Lt. C. Le Mesurier,
1644.
Capt. S. S. Haire,
Records confirm that Capt. G. Featherstone,
the cultivation of tea Capt. R. Ball and
began in 1864 and a Lt. G. Jackson remind
property of 207 acres us of the contribution made by so many to
with an annual the cause of freedom.
production of 8419 kg
A new factory complex was constructed in
was established. The
1939. There is an intriguing sculpture on the
colonial influence is
outer surface of the main building denoting
evident in the
a ‘tiger head’. It is believed that the presence
architectural design of
of these ‘Royal’ beings in the vicinity terrified
the office building, Plaque
the work force and thus a ‘puja’ was
located close to the
performed to appease the Gods and a likeness of the beast
historic ‘Khargoria Phukanar Pukhuri’, a tank dating from
mounted on the wall to keep them safe.
the Ahom era and part of their capital city. It is said that
the ‘Gharphalia’ army, which in alliance with the Ahom
fighting force under King Gamdhar Konwar led an
offensive against the British, camped near this pond. One
of their brave men belonged to the Khargoria Phukan
family, giving the water body its name. A memorial with
an inscription in Thai was built in their honour but this was
destroyed just before the Second World War.

06 Mr & Mrs H.S. Bell (tenure:1928-1948)

 to secondary schools in the nearby town. Recreation
facilities for all are provided by five Labour Clubs. The Staff
Club celebrated its Golden Jubilee earlier this year.
The estate is proud of its talented footballers; late Bina
Bawri represented her state and country from 1981 to 1987
and the men’s football team has won accolades at the
district level. Staff and workers of Moran are pioneers in
Polo Players the sport of archery.
In 1942 the estate had to tackle a major disaster. The Thus the community thrives. We wish them long years of
manager’s residence, a thatched ‘chung’ bungalow, caught fire. prosperity in their ‘green’ haven.
This building was situated at the site of the original palace of
the Ahom rulers, adjacent to the ‘Pukhuri’. Subsequently, a
part of this structure has been converted to a Labour Club
and a new residence built for the General Manager.
Today, Moran T. E. includes an area of 617.93 hectares,
projecting an expansion of 31.75 hectares under
rehabilitation. The estimated crop is 1.2 million kg. The
estate has a well equipped hospital to care for its labour
force and two dispensaries at the out division with First
Aid services. A total of five primary schools are responsible
for the education of the workers’ offspring till they transfer

Standing: (L- R) Dr M.K. Das, M.Kander, M. Barhoi, A. Dutta, P. Tirkey, B. Bordoloi ; Seated : P. S. Dowerah (General Manager)
07
 PUKHURI
Khargoria Phu
kanar Pukhu
ri
The Ahom dynasty was responsible for the creation of
numerous ‘sagar’ or water bodies, in memory of an
important personage and also as a source of drinking water.
These reservoirs were conceived and created at specific
locations after intense scientific study. The
preliminary survey of the site was
conducted by the ‘Mati Seleka Baruah’ or
the ‘soil taster’. He confirmed the
possibility of underground water in
sufficient quantities. The second stage was
initiated by placing earthen lamps filled
with oil at different points in the
designated area and lighting them. Guards
were positioned over these ‘diyas’ to keep
track of the ones which extinguished their
flame, in spite of sufficient oil in their
containers and no disturbing currents of air. These
indicated the presence of the water spring which gushed
08
out on digging the earth. The final step in the process was
the installation of the ‘nagmari’, a tall pole with a carved
snakehead placed on a copper plate with a liquid called ‘roh’
at the base. The ‘mari’ (pole) had slots which regulated the
flow of water and these were placed at
the mouth of the spring for this
purpose. The earth removed to make
the pond formed the embankment or
dyke. Any excess was drained through
underground canals and the volume
and level of water in these tanks
remained constant.
The ‘Khargoria Phukanar Pukhuri’,
located near the estate factory
complex, is a fine example of this
ancient wonder. The temple at its edge,
dedicated to Lord Shiva, is a modern shrine, popular with
the garden work force.
 -Sarita Dasgupta

At latitude 26.4° North, longitude 93° East and an altitude
of 76 metres above sea level, covering 1167.28 hectares of
land, lies Monabarie – the Company’s largest estate –
whose HACCP certified factory produces approximately
three million kg tea per annum.
but another division, Kathonibari, was entirely washed
away by the Brahmaputra when it changed its course as a
result of the great earthquake of 1950. Records of 1956
state that only two acres of land remained but this, too,
disappeared into the river soon after.

The name derives from ‘Manaipukhuri’ or ‘Manaivakat’, Mr J.M. Trinick was having dinner with an Assistant
which the area was earlier known as after the seer Manai Manager (Mickey Kidwai) at Monabarie when the
who lived there near a large water tank or ‘pukhuri’. The earthquake occurred. The ground shook with tremendous
estate is bounded by two rivers – the Burigaon on the west force making Mr Trinick, his host, hostess and the other
and the mighty Brahmaputra on the south. To the east guest run out on to the lawn holding on to each other.
stands the Gang Mou Than, a famous pilgrimage centre, There was panic among the workers who could be heard
where the great saint Shankardev is believed to have lived shouting, “Hey Bhagwaan!” The birds, tucked inside their
for some months; and away to the north rise the foothills nests for the night, flew out of the trees in confusion.
of the Himalayas. Kaziranga lies across the Brahmaputra
and when the river floods its banks denizens of the
National Park such as deer, elephants and even rhinos float
across, seeking sanctuary on the high land of the estate’s
Behupukhuri division. The old thatch ‘bari’ in the division’s
Section no.26 was one such place. This is now the favourite
spot for the executives of the estate to relax in, with its
restful atmosphere and a ‘machaan’ named ‘Niribiri’
overlooking the wide expanse of the Burigaon and, beyond,
a glimpse of the Brahmaputra. On a clear night, the lights
of the town across the mighty river twinkle in the distance.
Behupukhuri division has lost some land through erosion
Sri Birsing Rajgore

09
 Young Tea
The ominous rumble of landslides could be heard and the
smell of sulphurated hydrogen (like rotten eggs) soon
permeated the air, emanating from the river bed. Hundreds
of fish lay dying on the river bank, adding to the stench!
Sri Birsing Rajgore, the oldest retired worker at ninety-
three years, also remembers the earthquake and the
devastation it wrought. He lamented the lost Kathonibari
division and waxed nostalgic about the steamer ‘ghat’ which
used to be located there, though never in the same place!
The location kept having to be moved according to the
shifting course of the river. Eventually it was relocated to
Biswanath Chariali. All the tea was sent out from the estate
and stores brought in on steamers plying between
Guwahati and Kathonibari/Biswanath ‘ghat’. From
Guwahati, the tea was sent on to Kolkata. Less perishable
cold stores and bulky items which could not be
accommodated on the aircraft landing at Kolapani
(Mijicajan T.E.) were brought in from Kolkata by steamers.
Sri Jogesh Das, now deceased, charged a small fee for
keeping all the stores in a godown near the ‘ghat’ until they
were collected by the respective estates or individuals.
The steamers also ferried passengers between the two banks
of the river. Sri Tarini Kumar Borah, retired staff member
of Monabarie, whose father Late B.R. Borah was a Jamadar
Babu ( JB) at the estate, went to school at Kaliabor on the
south bank of the Brahmaputra. During the vacations, he
10
would cross over by steamer. He remembers a co-passenger,
a ‘shikari’ called Mr Hussain who used to be the Fitter
at Monabarie, getting the steamer to stop mid-stream so
that he could shoot birds! Mr Hussain later joined
Baghmari T. E. as an Assistant Manager.
An eminent Assamese littérateur, Sri Mahim Bora, who
has been honoured with both the Assam Sahitya Academy
Award as well as the Assam Valley Literary Award (in
1998) wrote a book called ‘Kathonibarir Ghat’ based on his
own experiences when he used to cross over from
Nowgong to visit relatives living near Monabarie.
A Sahitya Sabha branch affiliated to the Assam Sahitya
Sabha was established at Monabarie in 1998. This institute
encourages local writers and poets to develop their talent.
A young poet, Mahendra Tanti, who was born and brought
up on the estate has had many of his poems published –
an ode to Monabarie being one of them. In this, he praises
the estate for being not only a place of work but also a place
in which an individual is given help and encouragement in
developing his intellectual, sporting and cultural talents.
Monabarie has been and still is, in fact, the hub of many
sporting and social activities.
While the estate was with the Jardine Henderson group in
the 1960s the youth of Monabarie were encouraged to join
the Scouts. Tarini Borah became Scout Master in 1963 and
along with his best scouts participated in many Jamborees,
which were held once in four years over a period of five
days, in places like Allahabad and Kalyani (West Bengal).
Scouts came from all over the world to attend these
Jamborees. Six members from each contingent cooked for
their own team. The squads competed for honours in
setting up tents, cooking, cleanliness, drills, marching and
other activities. Three scouts from Monabarie, Late Brojen
Gwala, Basanta Pana and Purander Sabor, were awarded
the President of India’s certificate.
Tarini Borah worked at Monabarie until his retirement
while his younger brother, Deepak, is presently Head Clerk
of Mijicajan T.E. Their father, in addition to serving as JB,
was also President of the local ‘Panchayat’.
Tarini Borah was an excellent volleyball player and
represented the district at various tournaments. He was also
a member of the estate’s football and badminton teams.
In fact, sports played an important role in the lives of the
senior staff members of Monabarie. The present Head
Clerk, Sri Asit Baran Goon, who hails from Rangapara (a
town near Tezpur) worked for the Railways and used to be
the wicket keeper of his local cricket team. He also played
football for Netaji Sports Club, Rangapara. Mr D.C.
Roberson, then Manager, Tarajulie T.E., watched him play
and was impressed enough to offer him a job at Tarajulie.
He was later transferred to Monabarie. Sri Goon is an
excellent ‘Bihu’ dancer too and was crowned ‘Bihu Kunwar’
(Best Male Dancer) at the Inter-Estate Bihu Competition
which used to be an annual fixture in the 1980s.
The typist, Sri Loke Nath Hazarika, was so good at carom
that, many a time, he would pocket all the carom coins one
after the other even before his opponent got a chance to
touch the striker! He was District Champion for many years.
Sri Hazarika is also a ‘dholak’ virtuoso who was adjudged
‘Best Dholia’ at the Company’s very first Inter-Estate Bihu
Competition.
Incidentally, the Monabarie Bihu Group won this
competition for four consecutive years.
The present factory Supervisor, Sri Sunil Chandra Dutta,
started his career at Corramore in 1964 but came to
Monabarie in 1965 and has been there ever since. He won
the McIntosh Smith Trophy for badminton four years in a
row. This was a Company tournament, named after an
erstwhile Visiting Agent.
Football has been very closely associated with Monabarie.
Mr Justice Lyngdoh, an extremely talented football player
who played for the Services team while in the army on a
short service commission and captained the Assam team
in prestigious tournaments such as the Bordoloi Trophy,
was posted there as Senior Assistant before his transfer to
Papua New Guinea.
Veterans (L-R) A.B. Goon, S.C. Dutta, T. K. Borah, L.N. Hazarika
The WM Football Academy was established at Monabarie
in 1991 with the objective of finding and training talented
football players among the local populace. Internationally
renowned football star, Shyam Thapa, joined the Academy
as Technical Director and Coach. The WMFA team
participated in several tournaments in Assam, Manipur and
Sikkim, winning many laurels. Some of the players were
inducted into leading Indian club teams such as
Tata Football Academy, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mohan
Bagan and East Bengal. The Academy eventually closed
down in 2004.
A keenly contested inter-line tournament is still held
among the estate’s workforce every year.
11
 Bihu. The ladies of neighbouring estates are invited to
judge the competition.
The Pragati Mahila Samiti was launched in 1978 by
Mrs Kalpana Bordoloi, wife of Mr T.C. Bordoloi who was
an Assistant Manager at the time, and later retired as
Senior Manager, Monabarie. She was given every support
by Mr R.A. Eastment who was the Manager. It is a
voluntary organization set up to help members learn or
develop skills such as the use of knitting machines and to
encourage social work.

Sri Raghu Tongla The Samiti also looks after the New Horizon School, an
A retired worker, Sri Anu Bauri, now eighty-two years old, English medium institution established by Mrs Kalpana
joined the estate at the age of sixteen when Mr Adams was Bordoloi in 1992. It started off with twenty-five students
Manager. His earned a ‘hazra’ of four annas! under the Principal, Mrs Mitali Choudhury, wife of
Mr Prabhakar Choudhury who was Senior Assistant of the
Sri Raghu Tongla was the main Sardar of New Lines
estate at the time. The school, presently headed by
division who was involved in planting out the thousandth
Mrs Kalyani Borah, now has five teachers and a student
hectare of land under tea. A cement structure marks the
body numbering eighty.
spot where Sri Ashok Saikia, Deputy Commissioner,
planted the first bush on 2 June 1982 in the presence of
Mr N.N. Atal (Head Office), Mr R.A. Eastment (Visiting
Agent) and Mr D.C. Roberson (Manager). Sri Tongla has
now retired but his son works as an artisan at Monabarie.
In addition to the annual Jhumur Competition in which
teams from different Lines, divisions as well as from
neighbouring estates participate, Monabarie has been
holding an annual traditional Bihu function for the last
forty-four years! Not only is it a platform for the young
people of the estate as well as the locality to showcase their
talent but renowned artistes like Dr Bhupen Hazarika,
New Horizon School
Sri Khagen Mahanta, Smt Manisha Hazarika,
Smt Sandhya Menon, Trishna Devi, Sri Surya Das, Each division of the estate has its own Lower Primary
Sri Ritu Bikash, Sri Rakkibuddin Ahmed and one of the school. The M.V. School, now run by the provincial
‘heart-throbs’ of Assam, singer-composer Zubin Garg, have government, previously relied on contributions from the
also performed over the years. There is an old photograph staff and workers of Monabarie, further augmented by
of Mr Eastment standing next to Dr Bhupen Hazarika as funds from the Tea Board.
the latter sings onstage. Apart from Behupukhuri, the other divisions of the estate
As part of the Bihu celebrations, the Pragati Mahila Samiti are Old Lines, New Lines and Lahorijan. The present office
of Monabarie organizes a ‘Pitha’ Competition every year, in at New Lines was the location of a dairy farm called Lagden
which the members (mostly wives of the clerical staff ) Memorial Farm in the 1960s. A board letter states that the
participate. There are several categories of the Assamese cattle on the farm numbered the following as on 31.12.1962:
delicacies called ‘pitha’ which are specially made during Bull-1, Cows-16, Heifers-15 and Bull calves-11.

12

The total milk yield for the year was 28,305 lbs, averaging
77.54 lbs per day. Milk, butter and cream were sold on the
farm bringing in an annual profit of Rs 3099.51, a princely
sum in 1962!
Lahorijan division was established in 1976. The name was
suggested by a staff member, Sri Munin Borkotoky, in
honour of the Manager, Mr R.A. Eastment’s fondness for
the ladies! Mr Eastment accepted the suggestion in good
spirit and christened the division thus!
The lyrical Sri Munin Borkotoky had also composed a
special song which the staff sang at Mr H.W. Scallon’s
‘farewell’ when he retired. Mr Scallon was the estate’s
Manager from 1969 to 1974.
An endearing tradition at Monabarie, started by Mr M.M.
Singh when he was Manager, is the group photograph of
executive and clerical staff, hospital staff of all the divisions,
artisans and drivers taken on New Year’s Day. They all get
together at the main office, share a cup of tea and sweets
and have the photograph taken. The Burra Sahab then
wishes everyone a happy New Year. The tradition had fallen
by the wayside for a while until the present General
Manager, Mr Sam Masood, revived it.
Another tradition at Monabarie is the ‘Bagaan Puja’ held
every year in each division in honour of ‘Ban Devi’ (an
incarnation of Goddess Durga) for her protection from evil
in the form of calamities, diseases or snake bites. The
workers themselves contribute towards the expenses of the
‘puja’. There is a small ‘pucca’ structure to house the Deity
and a designated ‘priest’ or ‘deo’ to perform the ‘puja’ from
among the workers themselves. ‘Bagaan Puja’ is held only
Shiv Temple
on a Tuesday in July-August. All the executives and staff
attend the ‘puja’ held in turn by each division.
The divisions also celebrate other ‘pujas’ such as Lakshmi
Puja (Lahorijan), Kartik Puja (New Lines) and Durga Puja
(Old Lines). The whole workforce attends the ‘pujas’.
One year during the Durga Puja celebrations the Factory
Assistant, Abhimanyu (Mani) Shaunik, found that no
workers had turned up to start the factory at night. He took
a tractor and trailer to the field where the Puja was being
held and started rounding up people. Among them was a
person whose pleas that he wasn’t one of the workers but a
‘paan wallah’ fell on deaf ears! Mani managed to get quite
a few people onto the trailer but they kept jumping off
en route! However, he did start the factory with the
remaining few.
Several years later another Factory Assistant, Jitu
Chowdhury, hit upon a novel scheme to lure workers to
the factory during Durga Puja. He set up a TV and VCR
on the lawn adjoining the factory and locked the gate as
soon as some curious souls came in to watch the film! The
workers appreciated their Sahab’s innovative technique,
shared a hearty laugh, watched the film and went good-
naturedly to work.
Monabarie has quite a few places of worship such as the
Hari Mandir built by the workers of Old Lines with the
money collected from among themselves. ‘Akhanda Hari
Kirtan’ is performed here every year.
There is also a ‘Namghar’ and a Shiv temple. The latter was
inaugurated on 19 May 2009 by Mr B. M. Khaitan,
Chairman, MRIL and consecrated by the local priest.
13
 The letter ended thus, “Monabarie was you and you were
Monabarie.”

Jatropha

Jatropha was planted on five hectares of land in the main

division. These plants have already yielded seeds which have
been harvested and sent to D1, the company that processes
them into bio-diesel.

Every Manager, along with his team, has done his bit for
Monabarie but the man whose name remains synonymous
with the estate’s in recent times is the late Royston Arthur
Philip Eastment. When Roy Eastment, as he was popularly
known, left Monabarie to take on the responsibilities of Royston Arthur Philip Eastment
the Visiting Agent in March 1979, the clerical staff of the 29.11.1925 - 23.07.2004
estate wrote him a letter thanking him for all that he had
done for them and wishing him all the best in his new post. The estate won the Performance Award (North Bank) for
They extolled his ‘inspiring leadership, planning, foresight the year 2007. Long may the Company’s largest estate –
and devotion to duty’, saying, “What you have not done at the second largest in Asia – continue to ‘perform’ to the
Monabarie was not worth doing.” best of its potential.

Team Monabarie (L - R): A. Tandon, R. Purohit, S. Kalita, H. Chettri, S. Masood (General Manager), A. Chetia, R. P. S. Tanwar, Dr P. Hazarika, Dr B. Tucker
14
Fruit And Vegetable Carving
- Junali Tirkey, Halem T. E.

The art of fruit and vegetable carving is one of the greatest and most interesting that a
lady can develop in Tea. How and what she tries to carve and make depends on the lady.
First, she has to think what she wants to make and from which vegetables she can create
the items. Then she has to put those creations together to form a pleasing arrangement.
Vegetable arrangement is totally different from flower arrangement. In the case of a
flower arrangement a lady simply uses any kind of flower and variety of leaves. It is not so with vegetable
carving. A lady has to gather a wide range of vegetables and fruit; see the possibilities; then trim, cut, shape
and sometimes even colour them to bring them to the level of perfection required. Though time consuming,
it is interesting, great fun and gives as much pleasure to the creator as to the viewer.

15
 In this respect I would like to share my own experience. It was June 2004. I suddenly wanted to try carving
vegetables although it was summer and vegetables were not easily available. I took a pineapple and started
carving it. I made a beautiful duck and arranged it on the lunch table, complete with eggs! That day, my
husband came home looking troubled and preoccupied, as he had done for the past few days. After washing
up he came to the table and, to my great joy, his expression changed. He smiled and exclaimed, “Wow! Today’s
lunch is quite extraordinary!” His tiredness and tension disappeared and he became cheerful. Thus I came to
realize that a little act of love and kindness can bring a lot of happiness in our day-to-day life and that was the
day I began to carve vegetables as a hobby.
Here are a few of my creations. I hope you get as much pleasure as I do from trying them out.

1. Salad container from a bottle gourd:
Take a gourd 12 inches in length. Cut it diagonally and
carefully scoop out the inner flesh of the gourd. It looks
like a container now. A stand is required so make one
out of the upper part of the gourd. Then, fix the
container to the stand.
To decorate the top of the container you can make a
spider chrysanthemum out of carrots.
2. Spider chrysanthemum from carrots:
Take five or six carrots around 15cm in length. Slice each
lengthwise into two. Thin down the wider end of the
slices to the same thickness of the top end. Cut thin
strips lengthwise but leave these attached at the base.
Cut off alternate strips from the base leaving the others
intact. Then take another big carrot, 5cm by 5cm in size,
for the base which should be about 1cm thick. Now
twist up the strips and pin each slice on the round 1cm
thick base. A beautiful and perfect spider
chrysanthemum is formed! A round ball of white radish
(2cm in diameter) can be placed at the centre.
Note: You may use radish for carving a chrysanthemum
but then you must use a plum, grape or blackberry for
the centre.
The leaves of the spider chrysanthemum: Take four
cabbage leaves. Trim them and cut the edges to the
shape and size you want.
Arrangement: Pin the prepared leaves facing four sides
7 inches from the top of the gourd container, leaving a
margin of 1 inch on the narrow sides. Now place the
chrysanthemum flower at the center. Then keep the
arranged container on a wooden tray. Your gourd
container is ready to hold your chopped salad.
Tips: In case you are using white gourd, you may take
dark green leaves from a cabbage but if you are using
green gourd, you have to take the light green leaves. This
contrast of colours is more attractive.

3. Ginger flower from a carrot:

Take a large or medium-sized carrot. Trim out the
carrot with ‘v’ shapes all over from top to bottom to form
the petals. Then make diamond-shaped grooves on each
petal. Take a skewer and pierce through the ginger
flower from the bottom and insert the other end of the
skewer into the stem of an umbrella plant.
A Spider Chrysanthemum

16

Ginger Flowers
Arrangement: Take at least five or six of these ginger
flowers and arrange them with some pineapple leaves on
a wooden tray with some pebbles. You can add lemon
twigs with tiny pieces (florets) of cauliflower on the
thorns, for decoration. This will add some extra beauty.
4. Rose from a beetroot:
Shape the beetroot into a cone and flatten the top. With
the help of a knife mark and carve five or six scallops
around the base of the cone. Now turn the vegetable so
that the scallops look like petals. Carve similar scallops
all around the vegetable right to the top. As you come
closer to the top, the number of scallops reduces. Trim
the scallops into petals and immerse the beetroot in ice-
water. Pierce a skewer from the base of the carved
flower to form the stem.
Daffodils, Lillies & Roses
5. Poppy from a beetroot:
Slice the beetroot into roundels of medium thickness.
Bend the widest slice slightly in the centre to form a
shallow cup and pierce the wire stem through the side.
Do the same with the other slices, overlapping them to
form the petals of a poppy. Pierce the point of the stem
into a large pod of garlic or a small piece of cauliflower
to form the centre.
Some vegetables suitable for carving:
a) Carrot & Radish: Flowers such as daffodils, poppies,
peonies and gladioli.
b) Beetroot & Turnip: Flowers such as daffodils, roses,
anthuriums, poppies and gladioli.
c) Onion: Swans, and flowers like water-lilies, dahlias,
chrysanthemums, roses and tube-roses.
Points to remember:
C Choose the vegetables according to what you want
to make.
C After washing, dry the vegetables. If kept in water,
they will be hard to carve.
C Try to keep the carved vegetables in ice-water for at
least half an hour so that they remain fresh.
C If a skewer is to be fixed it is advisable to fix it before
dipping the vegetables in ice-water. Once they are
dipped in ice-water, they become hard.
C If you want to colour a vegetable, take it out of the
ice-water, wipe it with a soft cotton cloth and paint
it with the desired colours using a small, soft brush.
Keep it away from the other vegetables.
C To keep your carved vegetables for a week you can put
them in polythene bags and keep them in your
refrigerator. Take them out of the bags and put them in
water for 15-20 minutes before using them again.
Basic equipment:
1. A sharp knife 2. A slicer 3. Scissors
4. Pins 5. A brush 6. Scoop 7. Peeler
Once you have the basic equipment and raw material
ready, go ahead…carve your dreams!
17
 Rainforest Alliance -Rajeev Mehrotra, Behora T. E.

Abstract: This article aims at explaining the importance of Sustainable

Agriculture Standard & the Sustainable Agriculture Network. The idea behind
the compilation of this article is to bring to the forefront the environmental
evils that plague the agricultural industry and highlight the appropriate course
of action that the Sustainable Agriculture Network has been taking in order to
ensure Sustainability. The article explains the essence of SAN and traces its
growth from its inception. It defines the structure followed by SAN and the implementation policy
adopted by our Company. The underlying objective is to foster a sense of understanding about the
circumstances behind the formation of the SAN and the need to adopt its policies.

The Rainforest Alliance's agriculture programme supports
the international secretariat of the Sustainable Agriculture
Network (SAN), a coalition of leading conservation groups
that links responsible farmers with conscientious
consumers by means of the Rainforest Alliance Certified
seal of approval. The collective vision is based on the
concept of sustainability, recognizing that the well-being
of societies and ecosystems is intertwined and dependent
on development that is environmentally sound, socially
equitable and economically viable.
The SAN is made up of environmental groups in Belize,
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, with a watchdog group
in Denmark and many associated academic, agriculture and
social responsibility groups around the world. The SAN
seeks to transform the environmental and social conditions
of tropical agriculture through the implementation of
sustainable farming practices. Conservation and rural
development groups that manage the certification
programme understand local culture, politics, language and
ecology and are trained in auditing procedures according to
internationally recognized guidelines.
The history of SAN and Rainforest Alliance takes us back
to the banana industry which, in the early 1990s, was
enjoying good financial times but was under scrutiny from
environmentalists and human rights activists. The activists
complained about the indiscriminate use of pesticides,
water pollution, deforestation, poor conditions for workers,
mountains of trash and other problems all clearly evident
in the banana growing regions.
The Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based NGO
dedicated to the conservation of the world’s tropical forests,
grew concerned about deforestation for new banana farms
in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Between 1988 and 1994, the
land area planted with bananas in Costa Rica expanded by
160% as producers prepared for the anticipated opening of
the European market. Rainforest Alliance members and
staff joined local environmentalists in denouncing the
banana industry’s environmental record.
During that period of plantation expansion, there was
abundant criticism of the banana growers, but almost no
dialogue between the growers and the ‘greens’. The
Rainforest Alliance had experience in bringing intransigent
industries to the bargaining table. The proposal was to
create standards for eco-friendly management of banana
plantations that would take into account all the major
issues and create a comprehensive programme that would
effectively change the way bananas were grown. Local
conservationists, frustrated by their inability to affect the
industry through protests, lawsuits and denunciations,
knew that a fresh approach was needed. The banana
growers assumed that any concessions to the environment
and workers would come at the expense of production
and profits.

18
 Environment Protection Awareness Programme
Study Teams were formed to look for sustainable solutions
to the problem, one objective being to create a forum for
mutual education and solution-oriented thinking. The
teams comprised representatives from NGOs, government
agencies, research organizations and the banana companies,
as well as community leaders and, of course, the banana
farmers themselves. The process took place during 1991
and 1992. The groups discussed pesticide management,
waste management, forest conservation, protection of
wildlife and rivers, soil conservation, worker conditions and
benefits, and other issues. Their challenge was to make
practical, feasible and concrete recommendations.
The recommendations were forged into nine general
principles and a series of farm management standards. The
principles and standards support the widely accepted
definition of sustainable agriculture as consisting of
practices that are ecologically sound, socially responsible
and economically viable. Within the programme these
pillars of sustainability are called Community, well-
managed Cultivation, and Conservation – in other words,
the famous ‘Three Es’ of sustainability – Economy, Ecology
and Ethics.
After years of working together in a loose association trying
to solve environmental issues, four groups involved in
conservation certification for agriculture products founded
the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) in 1998. The
founding groups were the Corporacion de Conservacion y
Desarrollo in Ecuador, IMAFLORA in Brazil, the
Fundacion Interamericana de Investigacion Tropical in
Guatemala and the Rainforest Alliance in USA.
The SAN awards the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of
approval to farms that meet the standards and commit to
continuous improvements. The initial ‘ECO-O.K.’ seal
was retired in 2001.
The Rainforest Alliance has certified more than 10 million
acres of forests worldwide, as well as agricultural products,
and brings international recognition and credibility to
SAN’s certification efforts and eco-label. Producers ranging
from large agribusinesses to smallholder cooperatives have
joined in this campaign to reduce environmental impact
and increase community benefits of agriculture.
The real mission of Rainforest Alliance is to protect
ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on
them by transforming land use practices, business practices
and consumer behaviour. Companies, cooperatives and
land owners that participate in the programmes meet
rigorous standards that conserve bio-diversity and provide
sustainable livelihoods.
SAN promotes efficient agriculture, biodiversity
conservation and sustainable community development by
creating social and environmental standards.
19
 It also fosters best management practices across agricultural
value chains by encouraging farmers to comply with the
organization’s standards and by motivating traders and
consumers to support sustainability.
The objective of the standard is to provide a measure of
each farm’s social and environmental performance and best
management practices. Compliance is evaluated by audits
that measure the degree of the farm’s conformity to
environmental and social practices indicated in the
standard’s criteria.
The Rainforest Alliance launched its tea certification
programme in 2007. The first Rainforest Alliance Certified
estate was Kericho, in Kenya.
Like any tropical crop, tea raises a number of
environmental and social issues, each with a cost/benefit
balance that can be tipped in a positive way. Tea grows
year-round, employing a lot of people, especially pluckers
who carefully pick the top two leaves and a bud from every
branch on the bush. That makes tea an important employer,
and there are challenges around wages, labour organization,
housing, health care and other rights and benefits.
Tea farming replaces biodiversity-rich tropical forests with a
beautiful but single-species monoculture. Soil erosion,
competition for water and pollution from fertilizers are some
20
of the main environmental concerns. By following SAN
standards, estates can proactively address the social and
environmental challenges. The Rainforest Alliance organized
multi-stakeholder meetings in Kenya to gather input on the
standards, ensuring that they are as effective for tea as they
have been for coffee, bananas and other crops.
The standard structure for SAN consists of ten principles,
each composed of various criteria. The ten principles are
social and environmental management system; ecosystem
conservation; wildlife protection; water conservation; fair
treatment along with good working conditions for workers;
occupational health and safety; community relations;
integrated crop management; soil management/
conservation; integrated waste management.
In order to fulfill environmental and social
responsibilities, our Company has adopted the SAN
certification. Under its requirements the Manager of
each estate has to monitor continual programmes in
improvement and training, ecosystem and wildlife
conservation, water conservation, drinking water
analysis, environmental and hygiene education,
occupational health and safety, integrated pest
management, soil management and integrated waste
management.
Along with this, the company has also adopted SAN
compliant policies in Employment, Environment, Health
& Safety, Social Welfare, Wages, Water Conservation,
Wildlife and Community Welfare.
The purpose of SAN can be summed up in one word –
Sustainability. This is a political choice not a technical one.
It's not a question of whether we can be sustainable but
whether we choose to be; and being a part of the SAN
programme is our little contribution towards Tomorrow.
A failure to address the environmental problems when the
means are available to do so is, to put it very bluntly, murder
on a large scale. If we do not deal with the issues seriously
then, as a result of negligence, one in eight humans will die
many years before they should… simply because we have
failed to ensure that they have an ecological system that
supports their existence.
 Rimi Dowerah - a profile

- Priya Shekhawat, Attabarie T.E.

Srabana Dowerah, fondly known to us in the tea fraternity posted at Monabarie T. E., he was an eminent tennis player,
as Rimi, is undoubtedly a lady of diverse talents. Be it being the champion of the Assam state team. Both being
sports, art & craft, gardening or interior decoration – Rimi interested in sports, they made a very compatible couple.
has excelled at all and she is adept at cooking too; her forte, They got along like a house on fire. The courtship lasted for
of course, being table tennis. She represented the state of six years and they tied the knot in 1981.
Assam for a period of eight years. By then Partha had been transferred to Hunwal T. E. Being
Rimi spent her childhood at Tezpur. She studied at the first garden for the newly wed bride, Rimi feels quite
St Joseph’s Convent and later graduated from Darrang nostalgic talking about her Hunwal days and fondly
College (Tezpur). Motivated by her father Rimi began reminisces about how every evening all the executives of
playing table tennis at the tender age of ten. Showing the garden would go to Mariani Club (which was on the
promise she was trained by a coach from Patiala. Her estate premises) to play squash and billiards. Again, her
father’s desire to see her do well impelled him to take her father played a pivotal role in urging her to pick up tennis,
to Guwahati for better prospects and competition. Here at which she soon excelled.
she trained under a Korean coach and her game improved
by leaps and bounds. She played at the university and state
levels. Rimi was a member of the team which won the
Table Tennis National Championship for the first time in
the history of Assam. She was an invincible player and
gives full credit to her father for her success. He made many
sacrifices to ensure that his daughter got what she desired.
He offered encouragement at every step. Because of him
she was able to pursue her dream and managed to procure
a niche for herself in the field of table tennis in the days
when girls were seldom allowed to venture out for outdoor
activities.
Rimi met Partha (presently General Manager at Moran
T. E.) for the first time at a cricket match between planters
and the Tezpur District team. Then a young bachelor
Miniature Garden

21
 She became a formidable player winning all the
tournaments that she participated in. She was one of the
best lady tennis players in tea. Surprisingly, she never played
a mixed doubles match with Partha!
She adjusted beautifully to her new lifestyle. The bungalow
at Hunwal, being a bachelor’s pad, was very bare; except for
the prizes won by Partha there was nothing. Rimi, being
aesthetically inclined, began creating exquisite embroidered
panels to adorn the walls of the empty house. Being a
homebody by nature and not too fond of watching
television or reading, Rimi spent her spare time
embroidering and setting up her new home. Her collection
of exotic plants which now abounds with rare varieties,
started here.

Embroidered Picture
Rimi’s love for gardening grew and at Addabarie she
entered a flower show for the first time. To everyone’s
surprise she won the Overall Trophy. She received applause
from all as she was just a young assistant’s wife. After that
there was no looking back. She was the overall winner in all
the flower shows that she entered subsequently, beating
many a stalwart. While at Dufflaghur T.E. she participated
in the East Boroi Club Flower Show and won by a
phenomenal margin – this is when she decided to call it
quits. Her motive: to give an opportunity to the younger
ladies.
Rimi
Being friendly by nature and a congenial
personality, she has no qualms about giving
expert advice to the younger ladies, who benefit
tremendously. She is very generous in giving
away plants and seedlings to all and loves going around
judging flower shows.
Though not formally qualified in interior decoration, Rimi
has that intangible quality, good taste. She has transformed
all the bungalows where she lived into beautiful homes. She
keeps an immaculate garden – be it summer or winter it is
always a riot of vivid colours. She is interested in
landscaping too and has made a beautiful miniature garden
in one corner of her well manicured lawn, which is a delight
to the eye.
Like a true artist, Rimi is moody. She will work diligently

22
 involved after she had to give up tennis because of
spondylitis. Perfection being an obsession she keeps
improvising till the most delectable dish is produced. She
pays a lot of attention to the table decoration as well. Rimi
does not find cooking a chore and one never sees her
getting flustered.

Partha and Rimi are blessed with two beautiful daughters,

Priyanka and Anushka, both presently studying at
Bangalore. Priyanka is studying for an MBA degree from
IIPM and Anushka is a second year student at Christ
College. Having inherited their mother’s talented genes
Priyanka is good at painting and Anushka at embroidery.

Rimi, apart from being a committed mother to her girls

and a supportive wife to Partha, is indeed a multifaceted
personality who relishes a challenge and always emerges a
winner.

We wish the family good fortune, always.

night and day and finish the

most intricate piece of
embroidery in a span of two
days – and take months over a
simple one. Here, a white
Mekhla Chaddor with blue
embroidery all over needs a
special mention. The needle
work has been done so deftly
that it looks machine made.
Cooking is yet another
accomplishment; she is
passionate about it. Though
interested since her college
days she became more

23
 AMIT GURUNG - The Emerg

Amit and his Band

- Deepak Barbora, Chuapara T.E.

Friends, meet Amit, a young Assistant Manager presently
posted at Bhatpara T.E. who, after setting the world of rock
music afire in Darjeeling, has now settled comfortably into
the ‘half-pants’ of a planter.
Amit hails from the beautiful Glenburn T.E. which was
once a part of our Group.
He studied at Green Lawns School, Darjeeling and
graduated from Darjeeling Government College.
Amit started his career with the Company as a young
intern posted at Jainti T.E. for a brief period of four months
under the guidance of Mr N.S. Thapa, the Manager of the
estate. On completion of the training period, he left for
Darjeeling to pursue his graduation. During his brief

24
ging Rock Star
tenure at Jainti, he was so captivated by the work culture
and life style of a planter that he left making a promise to
himself to return one day to the career he always thought
he belonged to. In August 2004, armed with a college
degree, he applied to the Company and was appointed a
trainee Assistant and posted back at Jainti T. E.!!
Amit ‘s association with the Company did not begin with
his joining as a young trainee but dates back over two
decades, with his father Mr D. K. Gurung serving
Mr B. M. Khaitan as his personal assistant loyally for more
than twenty years.
Love for music is inborn in all the people living in the hills
so Amit’s passion was no exception. Being a natural singer
and a talented guitarist from his days in college, he was
very popular and was called upon to perform at all the
college musical shows. On one such occasion, a member of
a band awed by Amit’s stage performance, asked him to
audition on 20 July 2003. Amit crossed the hurdle easily,
which did not surprise his family and friends. The initial
period of forming a band was riddled with difficulties.
Acquiring funds, in particular, for purchasing instruments
was the major problem. All the members of the band had
to make tremendous sacrifices and literally lived on a shoe-
string budget. After many trials and tribulations, Amit and
his band crystallized into reality. After all, as the saying
goes, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’.
This led to the formation of the present band in 2003
named ‘ASYLUM’ – signifying an institution for the care
and upliftment of the down- trodden people living in the
hills. The members of the band are Amit Gurung (lead
vocalist), Dipendra Basnet (lead guitar), Roshan Thapa
(rhythm guitar), Pancham Lama (bass guitar) and Ranjit
Gurung (drums). ASYLUM is still one of the most
popular and sought after rock bands in and around the
Darjeeling hills. They have won several Rock Competitions
held at Darjeeling and Siliguri. In 2003 the band stood first
at the Rock Contest held in Darjeeling and in
2005/2006 won the Rock Contest at Sukhia which
was organized by Global Social Vision. Leading his
band as the frontman, Amit went on winning the
hearts of his many fans, particularly of the fairer sex,
with his soothing voice.
We, in the Dooars, had the privilege of having the
band play for us during the New Year’s Eve Nite at
Chuapara Central Dooars Club, followed by a jam
session for the children the next morning. We all
jived through the night to the pulsating music till
the wee hours of the morning. The Chuapara
‘Supper Nite’ was as enjoyable.
During his annual leave in 2008 Amit and his band
cut an album in Nepali called ‘Sapana Mero’ which
means ‘My Dreams’. It was amongst the most
popular Nepali albums released that year.
25
 for Chuapara in 2007/2008.

He is a man who loves adventure and has a soft corner for

all wild animals. While on ‘kamjari’ one day he found a
leopard cub in his Division. He rescued the cub and handed
it over to the forest officials.

Amit’s two most prized possessions as of now are his ‘Job’

and his ‘Red Devil Gypsy’, in that order. His love for the

His childhood dream, to be counted amongst the stars,

eventually came true. Inspite of getting lucrative offers to
be a lead singer in Kathmandu for a famous band there, he
stuck to his ‘Sapana Mero’ of being a tea planter.

Amit is also a born sportsman, having won several laurels

for his school and college in various sports such as soccer,
cricket, badminton, table tennis, volley ball and pole vault.

He still plays excellent soccer, cricket and tennis and is a

permanent member of the Dooars teams. He has also
proved himself at the John Morice cricket. While posted at
Chuapara he had taken up golf with real gusto and has
performed very well at the T - Up Cup held at Margherita
and Bishnauth. Playing with a handicap of 18, he is one of
the most promising golfers in the Dooars and colour red signifies his
has already won several competitions held here, flamboyant and dashing
like the P.K.Roy Cup in 2006/2007. He personality with a ‘Give
emerged Champion in the Dooars inter-garden me Red!’ attitude towards
‘Elizabeth Barbora Tennis Trophy’, winning it life.

An active member of the

club, Amit enlivens the
‘Dos’ and get-togethers
with his charm, charisma
and his musical talent, of
course!!

Amit – emerging rock

star, ardent sportsman
and diehard planter –
cheers to you!

26
 The Begonia
- Nidhi Singh, Pertabghur T.E.
I am sure everybody will agree that the view of greenery –
whether huge trees with or without blooms; boundless lush
fields in various hues of green spread as far as the eye can
see; or one’s own patch of soft lawn and neatly arranged
potted plants in verandahs and porticoes – is an absolute
treat to the beholder.
I, for one, consider myself very lucky to have been treated
to this feast for the last thirty years coming, as I do, from
the starker terrain of the Aravali hills and sand dunes. The
drive from Dibrugarh airport to Itakhoolie T.E. in March
1980 was awesome and the sight of Ghanshyam’s prized
possessions – precisely twenty potted plants of which seven
were begonias (as Ghanshyam informed me... I had no
clue!) – was impressive! It was inevitable that I should
develop a soft corner for begonias.
Over the years I gradually learned a lot about them from
books, tips from Burra Memsahabs and through trial
and error.
The plant, which has an extensive family comprising over
two thousand five hundred varieties, derives its name from
Michel Begon, a seventeenth century Governor of French
Canada. Although it is indigenous to tropical places,
extensive hybridization between species has resulted in a
wide range of ornamental plants adapted to different
climatic conditions, which can now be grown even in places
like Mt Abu in my native Rajasthan!
Fibrous Begonia
Classification:
Begonias are a grower’s delight as they develop rapidly and
are eager to bloom. They are as popular for their ornamental
leaves as they are for their flowers. Although begonias are
difficult to classify because of extensive cross breeding, the
plants are divided into three main categories – Tuberous,
Rhizome and Fibrous – according to the kind of roots they
possess and the texture of their leaves. They all share a
number of characteristics, such as asymmetrical leaves
growing alternately along the stems and new leaves
emerging from the stipules; Fibrous begonias however
differ from the other two kinds as they have different
growth cycles and cultivation requirements.
Rhizomatous begonias have thick, succulent stems which
creep over the surface of the soil, sending roots down at
27
 Iron Cross
intervals and long-stemmed leaves at their ends. These
plants are prized for their colourful foliage. For example,
the Boweri or ‘Eyelash’ begonia has emerald green leaves
with purple-brown marking, while the Masoniana,
popularly called the ‘Iron Cross’ has bright green leaves
with a distinct dark brown cross in the middle, resembling
the German military medal. The rex begonia includes a
wide range of plants bearing brilliantly coloured leaves with
a silver sheen. Among them, the Green Silver, Salamander,
President and Silver Queen are the most popular with Tea
‘memsahabs’. Interestingly, the original rex begonia was
found growing with a potted orchid in 1856.
Tuberous begonias comprise a wide variety of flowering
plants with watery stems and pointed leaves. Some are
compact and ideal for both beds and pots, such as the
Multiflora which bears small single flowers and the
Multiflora Maxima with large double blooms. The
Grandiflora varieties have very large flowers and should
only be planted in pots while the trailing Pendula plants
are usually grown in hanging baskets. Weltoniensis or the
Grapevine is a semi-tuberous begonia with erect, multi-
branching stems. The tiniest of its single-layered flowers
28
growing in clusters makes an excellent choice for a
miniature flower arrangement.
Fibrous begonias have tall, bamboo-like succulent stems
which need stalks for support. The most popular among
these is the Corallina de Lucerna. It has green stems which
turn brown and woody in maturity. The flowers, ranging
from deep pink to bright red, hang on the branches like
beautiful pendants.
Wax or Semperflorens begonias include a wide genus of
compact flowering plants such as the Pink Pearl, Red Pearl
and White Comet. These can be grown in pots or in raised
beds protected from excessive rain and the afternoon sun.
Among the hybrid begonias, the range of Cheimantha with
their showy foliage and attractive flowers are the most
popular. These are winter-blooming and remain completely
dormant in summer. The Maple-leaf begonia or Cleopatra
is an attractive hybrid with its translucent yellowish-green
maple-like leaves.
Conditions for growth:
Begonias make excellent indoor plants as they don’t need
continuous bright sunlight. In fact, they thrive in the mild
morning or late evening light rather than the strong kept in bright filtered light and its surface kept moist.
afternoon sun. They require moisture but cannot tolerate Another method of propagation is to lay a mature leaf flat
wetness. Less water can cause the plant to get discoloured on the same mixture with its main vein slashed. New
or shed leaves and flowers at an early age but wilted plants growth will appear along the cut vein. Once these are
recover when watered. Over-watering or faulty drainage, strong enough they can be removed to a prepared pot.
on the other hand, can kill them. Ensure that each new plant bears a bud.
My home remedy for a plant which is wilting is to immerse Since most begonias are shallow rooted, they grow best in
the whole pot in a tub full of water till the bubbles stop pots that are half or three-fourth as high as they are wide.
forming on the surface of the soil. Then I place the pot The best soil mixture is equal quantities of loam, moss peat
where there is plenty of morning sunlight. In 3-4 days’ or leaf-mould, vermicompost and sand. One tablespoon of
time, the plant begins to look cheerful again! limestone and two tablespoons of bonemeal should be
Begonias dislike dry air, so do not keep them under a fan added to a bucketful of this mixture.
or in an airconditioned room! Although they are sensitive
Care:
plants they have an uncanny sense of survival.
Propagation: Overcrowded begonias
lose their colour so
Almost all begonias are propagated from cuttings taken
these should be thinned
immediately below a leaf. The cuttings should be coated
out and repotted.
with hormone rooting powder and planted in a mixture of
Repotting of these
sand and moss peat or leaf-mould which is always kept Begonia Semperflorens
hardy plants can be
moist. To propagate a rhizomatous begonia, a 2-3 inch
done at any time of the year. However, spring is the best
piece should be cut from a rhizome and planted in the
season. The pots should be prepared with the same mixture
sand-peat moss mixture. For the tuberous variety, a tuber or
of soil as given above.
bulbil should be detached from the leaf axis and planted in
the mixture. The pot with the cuttings should always be Established plants can be fertilized at two-month intervals
in spring and summer but newly planted begonias should
not be fed before six months. A standard house-plant
fertilizer can be used.
Begonias are susceptible to attack by powdery mildew
which initially shows up as small powder-coated spots on
stems and leaf stalks. Surface fungicide can be sprayed at
regular intervals as a preventative measure. Antifungal
powder should also be applied to the wound on the stem
caused by a broken leaf.
I pen off with this assurance to
all young ladies who have
joined Tea and are keen on
potted plants – any begonia,
with its rapid growth,
colourful leaves and eagerness
to flower, will only enhance
the beauty of your collection.
Begonia Border
‘Pendant’ 29
 Requiem

DR P. C. BORDOLOI
1951 – 2009

“God’s finger touched him,

and he slept.”

30
 ‘Spotted’ at Tingri
The leopard, panthera pardus, is a fearsome animal to trap the beasts. Two animals were caught and
belonging to the cat family, usually having a tawny immediately handed over to governmental
coat spotted with black. Presently data available agencies who released them into the Jeypore
on their surviving numbers in India is Forest in Namrup District.
controversial; however a count in 2001 claims
Civilisation spurns these handsome wild creatures.
9844 numbers. Threats to their disappearance
May they thrive amidst the flora and fauna of the
could be attributed to habitat decimation, loss of
jungle, their natural environment.
wild prey, human persecution and hunting for
trade. Statistics reflect 161 and 113 numbers were As Rudyard Kipling says in ‘How the Leopard Got His
killed in our country in 2008 and 2009 Spots’ :
respectively.
“Now you are a beauty!...... You can lie
During the preceding summer workers and
management at Tingri Circle were at the mercy of out on the bare ground and look like a
these wild animals as their presence was felt heap of pebbles. You can lie out on the
during ‘kamjari’ hours especially where the
majority of the workforce was deployed, i.e.
naked rocks and look like a piece of
plucking. They appeared to be enjoying the pudding-stone. You can lie out on a
company of humans though understandably the
leafy branch and look like sunshine
feeling was not reciprocated! In most cases the
animals had the uncanny knack of following the sifting through the leaves; and you can
estates’ plucking round, especially in highly dense
lie right across the centre of a path and
populated sections.
After seeking approval and advice from the Forest
look like nothing in particular. Think
Department cages were fabricated on the estates of that and purr!”

31
 of
eet, son
Manpr h,
R a m an Sing
r &
Ravinde E . wed Si
mi
r i e T.
hant a Rupankar and Addaba 009
kita Ma ugust 2
& A n Kasture Sarma on 23 A
Dulal ri T. E.
Philloba 09 Phulbari T. E.
0
5 May 2 1 June 2009

Jiaul and Riju H

oque
Bhaskar and Sh Nya Gogra T.E
raboni Pal .
of Biman
Tarajulie T.E. Amlan, son 20 March 2009
Mukherjee
4 Februar y 2009 & Susmita
ed
of H. O. w
Sudipta on
2009
10 August

beena
te r o f A z am & Zu
gh
Anushree, daughter Zaira, dau f H. O. wed Zuheb
Mo nem o
of Anil & Meenakshi ber 2009
Pandit, Bordubi T.E. o 0 Octo
n 3
Pradipta and S
wed Raj on omdutta Ghos
h
17 April 2009 Jainti T.E.
10 August 2009

aroj &
d a u ghter of S
Man is h a , T.E. wed
u m a r Jh a of Jainti 09
Dr Indra K mar on 17 April 20
u
Abinash K

32
 Births
1

1. Anjali (Angel), daughter of Ratnesh & Jugnu Krishna,

Mathura T. E. 11 April 2009

2. Rishikesh, son of Krishanu & Binita Deka, Hunwal T.E.

2
14 March 2009

3. Archita, daughter of Nabaratna & Raku Saikia,

Raidang T.E. 21 March 2009

4. Nadia Nicole, daughter of Jacqueline Sharon Khanna of H.O.

& Clinton Francis Khanna. 24 July 2008

33
 - Sakina Hussain

THE PURVA TIRUPATI SRI BALAJI MANDIR

responsibility of making it possible for people to pray and

seek the blessings of the Lord by building the
Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Temple in Guwahati. In three
years the structure was ready and ‘Kumbhabhishekam’ was
performed by His Holiness on 4 June 1998 to consecrate
the temple.
The Dravidian architectural style of the complex is unusual
for the North East region and gives the structure a distinct
identity. The Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir is the
creation of Sri Ganapati Sthpati, the eminent temple
architect. His vision was translated into reality by Larson
& Toubro, the well-known construction engineers.
A visit to the complex is a treat for the eyes, the heart and
Utsav Murtis of Lord Balaji and His Consorts the mind. One drowns in the serenity of the surroundings
The 21st century has its own philosophy of life which can and above all the atmosphere of peace created by the sacred
be summed up in one word: ‘Materialism’. What counts aura. The white stone structures – set amidst emerald green
most to Man is ‘matter’ in the shape of wealth, property lawns, flowering trees and shrubs, against the backdrop of
and goods. Fortunately this situation is not all-pervasive.
Good values, morality and human kindness do exist in
society. There are people who, although in the business of
producing goods and thereby creating wealth, also uphold
the finer values of life. They believe in the poet’s words:
“More things are wrought by prayers than this world
dreams of.”
His Holiness Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Sri Kanchi
Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram, was concerned for the
people in the North East suffering from the upheaval
prevailing in the region. He felt that they greatly needed
the blessings of Lord Balaji.
Mr B.M.Khaitan, a devout believer, took on the

Durga Temple
34

gentle hills – are a majestic sight; appropriate
sanctums for the idols of Venkateshwara
(Lord Balaji), the Goddesses Durga and
Padmavati (Lakshmi) and Lord Ganesh.
Intricately carved ‘gopurams’ soar above the
wooden doors leading to the courtyard in
front of each temple. The shrines of Goddess
Padmavati and Goddess Durga flank the
main temple dedicated to Lord Balaji. The
temple of Lord Ganesh is at the entrance to
the complex while the Lord’s ‘vahana’
(vehicle), the Bird God, Garuda, occupies a
small shrine opposite the Lord’s sanctum.
Each temple has steps going up to a large
pillared verandah or ‘mandapam’, a smaller
inner chamber called the ‘ardh mandapam’
which in turn leads to the sanctum sanctorum
or ‘garba-griha’ which houses the ‘maula
murti’ (main idol).
The ‘Munir Kutir’ provides accommodation
for scholars and spiritual leaders who visit the
temple. Religious discourses are held at the
imposing ‘Ashtanamandapam’, the walls of
which are adorned with frescoes of scenes
from the Bhagavad Gita.
Daily worship in the temple begins at dawn
with ‘Suprabhatam’ – waking the Lord with
the chanting of sacred ‘shlokas’. There is a
break at midday and rituals resume in the
evening. The temple doors are finally closed
at night when the Lord is put to sleep in an
elaborate ceremony called ‘Ekantseva’. For a
small fee a devotee may have ‘archana’, ‘puja’,
Balaji Gopuyagyasala
‘abhishekham’ and ‘yagnas’ performed. A
‘bhog’ (offering) of items like ‘ghee’, sugar and
‘sooji’ may also be offered.
The famous ‘laddoos’ prepared by experts
from Thirupathi and blessed by the Lord, are
available as ‘prasadam’.
Carved Door
Brahmotsav is celebrated at the temple over a
period of ten days with the advent of spring
in the North East. Other festivals such as
Ganesh Chaturthi, Janamashtami, Durga
Puja, Diwali and Saraswati Puja are also
celebrated.
The complex is maintained privately through
the temple’s Seva Samiti. All donations go
into a trust fund to be used for charitable
purposes.
In this day and age of moral decay, war, civil
insurrection and larceny, providing a haven of
peace and tranquility is a service to humanity.
The Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir is one
such haven for all.
“By whatever name you call Me, I will
answer.”
The Temple by Night
35

Dulal & Jayootie Sharma
- Sarita Dasgupta
I had the pleasant task of meeting with Dulal and Jayootie
Sharma and listening to them reminisce about their life in
Tea. After a warm welcome (including a friendly bark from
their dachshund, Chelsea) we sat in their elegant drawing
room at Bungalow No.1, Pertabghur and got talking about
their long innings… thirty-six years for Dulal but longer
for Jayootie as she was born and brought up in Tea. (Her
father, Late K.C. Bardolai, was with the erstwhile Assam
Company, Lord Inchcape Group.)
36
Arjun, Jayootie, Amrit & Dulal
After getting his postgraduate degree in History from
Guwahati University, Dulal went to London and joined
Thompson, Lloyd & Ewart as a trainee tea taster and tea
marketing executive in 1972. This firm, one of the biggest
broking houses in the world, had offices on the fourth floor
of Sir John Lyon House. The offices of Williamson Magor
were situated on the third floor, while the tea auction centre
was on the ground floor – making the building the hub of
the Tea world.
Dulal had the opportunity of tasting the finest teas from
around the globe. He also had the opportunity of meeting
one of the best tea tasters in the world – Mr John Trinick.
The latter would go up to the fourth floor every Friday to
taste the WM teas. He struck a rapport with the young
man from Assam, a place close to his heart. As the
Company’s British executives were encouraged to visit the
London brokers when they went home on leave Dulal met
and came to know most of them, including the Senior
Visiting Agent, John Oliver. Mr Oliver, who had spent
most of his career in the Mangaldai district of Assam, was
very happy to meet Dulal, who hailed from Mangaldai
town. L to R: Mr Tim Carter(Director), Dulal and Mr J Thompson
(Managing Director)
Dulal stayed at the Victoria League Students’ Hostel in
London. His amiable nature along with his innate courtesy the girls (mostly Australian) that they were soon vying with
and charm made him quite a favourite among the girls who each other to do his ironing! Incidentally, Dulal had the
formed the majority of the boarders. Every Sunday, he and honour of dining with the late Princess Margaret Rose,
the other men played football while the girls cheered them sister of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who had a
on. Sunday was also ‘laundry day’. As Dulal had an aversion meal once a year with the residents of the hostel.
to ironing, he offered to cook ‘khichri’ in return for getting After two years with Thompson, Lloyd & Ewart, Dulal
his clothes pressed. This ‘exotic’ dish was such a hit with decided to take Mr Thompson’s advice to work on the
production side and join the plantations. Another Director,
Mick Batty, had also advised him, “Son, be a good producer
and you will never go wrong.” He went down to the WM
offices on the third floor, was asked to fill up a form and
that was the sum total of his ‘interview’!

On 1 April 1974, Dulal joined Bukhial T.E. as the Factory

Assistant. He stayed with the Manager, Mr Sardul Singh,
and his wife, Mickey, for a week. The latter helped the
newcomer to buy crockery, utensils and other basic
requirements.

Relaxing in the open verandah on his first evening at

Bukhial, Dulal saw an elephant approaching. He thought it
was a tame one but his hosts declared that the tusker was
wild! Mrs Singh commented that it was a lucky omen for
the young man on his very first day in his new job. She was
absolutely right! That year Bukhial, always a top quality
mark, sold its orthodox teas for a record price of Rs 225/-!
The Statesman (the leading English daily then) and All
Trafalgar Square, London
India Radio both reported this achievement.

37
 On his third evening Dulal went for a spin on a borrowed
‘Rajdoot’ motorbike. Mr Singh had cautioned him not to
be out too late but Dulal did get delayed returning. He was
taking the turn by a small stream in the out division when
he noticed a Royal Bengal tiger sitting under the lone
Nahar tree! He braked and tried to turn the motorbike
around but it spluttered to a stop. An almighty kick started
it again and he spun around, going back the way he had
come. He landed up in neighbouring Bagidhola T.E. from
where the search party comprising Raghu driver and two
‘jugalis’ in the truck, sent by Mr Singh, picked him up along
with the motorbike. With two ‘wild’ encounters in the very
first week of his tenure, it’s no wonder that Dulal had some
‘wild times’ at Bukhial!!
Dulal soon adjusted to his new job and environment. He
got along well with his colleagues who, in turn, respected
his experience. He and the Senior Assistant, Mr Tushar
Dhar, experimented with different clones in the factory. He
struck a good rapport with the workers in both field and
factory, knowing each by name. Even now, whenever he
visits Bukhial, the workers come out to greet the ‘Company
Sahab’ who started his career as their ‘Poali Sahab’.
Typically, Dulal had not mentioned the fact that he knew
38
some of the ‘Burra Sahabs’ including the Senior Visiting
Agent. It was only after Mr Oliver’s visit to Bukhial that
Mr Sardul Singh, puzzled by the SVA’s familiarity with the
newcomer, questioned Dulal and got to know the details
behind his joining the Company.
Dulal’s next posting was at Harchurah, where he worked
for three Managers in three years! It was while he was there
that he married Jayootie. She was still in her second year of
college but she continued her studies and graduated in
History a year later. Having always been away at boarding
school and marrying while still in college, Jayootie didn’t
get a chance to hone her culinary skills. As a brand new
bride, it was her turn to provide supper for all the members
of Thakurbari club when, to her horror, her cook didn’t turn
up! She managed to rustle up a creditable meal and sensibly
decided that she would rather rely on a cookbook than a
cook! She calls herself a ‘competent’ chef but those who
have had a taste of her hospitality will testify that she’s
quite an expert.
Dulal was sent to Bargang for three months on a
troubleshooting assignment, which he successfully
completed and returned to Harchurah. Soon after, however,
he was transferred back and became one of the ‘Bargang
Jayootie's Creations
Lancers’ under Mr Mandhata Singh.
It was from Mrs Jyotsna Singh that Jayootie learned a great
deal about gardening. She went on to win prizes at Flower
Shows held at different tea clubs over the years.

While at Bargang, Dulal was returning to his bungalow at

Rungagora from the main division on his scooter one day
when he had to make way for a vehicle which turned out
to be the SVA’s Range Rover. The vehicle passed him but
reversed and stopped. Out stepped Mr Oliver from the
driver’s side. He greeted Dulal and took him over to the
passenger’s side to introduce him to Mrs Oliver as an
‘upcoming Manager’. An embarrassed Dulal, who felt it
would be many years before the description would suit him,
Tapestry
acknowledged the introduction politely.

He did soon become an Acting Manager, standing in for

the Managers of various estates while they were away on
annual leave. In the process he learned a great deal about weaving and also how to make mosquito nets – very

each of those estates. He spent around four years in
Koomsong, first working under Iain Ross and later with
Ali Zaman. It was Mr Ross who told Dulal to always
remember that the women were the main force among the
workers. If they were kept happy the estate would run
smoothly. This was a lesson Dulal never forgot.
necessary in preventing malaria which was rampant in the
area. She also took it upon herself to teach them about
hygiene so that they, in turn, would spread the knowledge
among the workers.
Dulal had to take over Phillobari under rather unpleasant
circumstances. He was airlifted there in the Cessna and

While at Koomsong, Jayootie joined Mrs Patricia Ross in Jayootie had to follow later with their belongings. Jayootie

a host of outdoor activities such as swimming, cycling and dealt with the stress in her own way, immersing herself in
driving. She even took up golf although she didn’t persevere creative activities like embroidery. They went through quite
for very long, being busy in teaching her little son, Arjun, a harrowing experience there but came out of it wiser and
his lessons. stronger in spirit.

After another spate of ‘Actings’, Dulal was transferred to
Bordubi T.E. where he worked with Mr Zufi Sultan and
later with Mr Sarabjit Singh. Both Dulal and Jayootie
cherish memories of some wonderful times at Bordubi
club. They were instrumental in starting New Year’s Eve
celebrations there. From Bordubi, Dulal moved to Behora,
where he worked under the dashing Mr Wazir Khan. It
was a few months later that Mr Khan took Dulal to see
some elephants at Mikirchang division and handed him
his billet letter, commenting, “You always said elephants
brought you luck!”
Dulal’s first billet was at picturesque Corramore, bordering
the Bhutan hills. Jayootie encouraged the educated children
of the predominantly Christian labour force to learn
Dulal regards his tenure at Baghjan T.E. as the turning
point in his career as a Manager. At that time, the estate
was at the bottom of the price list and so beset with
absentism and other labour problems that it was practically
impossible for the executives to stay on the estate. Keeping
in mind Iain Ross’ advice, Dulal decided to study the living
conditions of the work force. At 5 am, when the women,
always the first to be up and about their daily chores were
barely awake themselves, he parked his vehicle at one end
of the labour Line and walked down to the other end,
counting the water points. He did this in each of the Lines.
Then he made a note of how many more were needed,
calculated the cost and spoke to Mr Rajeev Takru at the
Kolkata office, who immediately sanctioned the amount.

39
 Within a week of his taking over the estate, Dulal had the
necessary water points placed in all the Lines. With
foresight, he also ensured that the cement base around each
pump was wide enough for the women to wash clothes on,
envisioning that these would soon become the main
meeting places for the women of each Line. Once the need
for sufficient water was met, the workers became more
receptive and understood when he explained why it was
better for them to start their work early in the morning
while they were fresh and before the day grew too hot.
Dulal noticed that the roads in the Lines became extremely
wet and muddy during the monsoon, so he made a 2½ foot
wide brick path down the centre of each road for the workers
to walk on without getting mud splattered all over them.
Within six months the workforce, basically intelligent and
receptive, started going to work punctually and doing their
jobs well.
Dulal had quite an eventful posting as Manager,
Pertabghur T.E. He was instrumental in getting
encroached land adjoining the airstrip back into the
Company’s possession. This area has now been planted
with young tea. An elephant figured in his life yet again!
Purnima, who had lived at Bargang for years, found a new
home at Pertabghur. Dulal renamed her Lakshmi after the
Goddess of Prosperity as he was convinced that she was
With Lakshmi
40
the harbinger of good fortune for the Company.
While at Pertabghur, Jayootie tried her hand at glass
painting and became adept at it. She painted colourful
lamp shades, book ends and coasters which adorn their
drawing room.
From Pertabghur, Dulal moved to Addabarie T.E. as General
Manager. In the short time that he spent there, he approved
the turning of the large ‘hula’ at New Addabarie into a lake
for pisciculture. The lake is also a popular picnic spot.
On 1 January 2005, Dulal returned to Pertabghur as
Visiting Agent, North Bank. Pertabghur is close to both
their hearts as many a milestone in their lives has been
reached here. Their younger son, Amrit, finished school and
graduated from college while their older son, Arjun, got his
job and also became engaged to be married.
Dulal has always been an excellent sportsman – a talented
footballer, vigorous tennis player and keen golfer. His name
on a board at Bishnauth Gymkhana Club proclaims that
he once hit a ‘hole-in-one’. Another activity he enjoys is
dancing; he’s quite the denizen of the dance floor at club
functions such as ‘Disco Nite’. Jayootie too enjoys ‘shaking
a leg’, besides being a fan of Western music, especially Rock
‘n’ Roll.

Flower Arrangement Workshop
Jayootie started the Bishnauth Ladies’ Club in April 2005 along
with other senior ladies of the district primarily to encourage the
younger ladies to learn tea ‘dasturs’ and also to become aware of
their social responsibilities. Since its inception, the club has raised
money through annual fêtes to help feed, clothe and provide other
essentials to the Centre for handicapped children near Biswanath
Charali. Jayootie also organized cooking demonstrations and
workshops in Floral Arrangement and Vegetable Carving for the
club’s members. On the ‘fun’ side, she
organized trips to Tezpur and Itanagar
as well as a ‘Cowboy Nite’ at Bishnauth
club. A good singer herself, she got all
the ladies to sing three ‘Country Western’
numbers to set the mood for the
evening.
Dulal avers that Jayootie has been a solid
pillar of support, especially during the
‘downs’ of his career. In his words, “She
assured me I was a Hero when I felt like
a Zero.” He also admires the way she has
Bihu lunch, Centre for Handicapped Children
managed the ‘full-time job’ of being the
VA’s wife so efficiently, looking into the minutest details of
hospitality. He gives her all the credit for bringing up their two
sons and turning them into the fine men they are today.
With retirement around the corner, Dulal looks forward to
catching up on his reading. His favourites are Westerns and Robin
Sharma’s books which he finds inspiring as they help one to focus
Bishnauth Ladies' Club
on the essentials. He feels that that he has been very fortunate in
having good colleagues and friends who have always been
supportive. He will miss them and the good times they’ve shared.
His advice to his junior colleagues based on his own experience:
“Believe in yourself. Have the courage to question the opinion of
others when you know you are right…but always with respect!
Learn from your mistakes; the ‘downs’ of your career should be
learning experiences. Be proactive, as ‘offence is the best form of
defense’. Be kind to those dependent on you but maintain
discipline also…like a father. Honesty, integrity and hard work
will always get results. Above all, be loyal to the Company.”
What better way to end this Reminiscence
than with this poem composed by Amrit as a
tribute from both brothers to their father –
“Night-times are visited by creatures
of silver hue,
all men walk, but to lead; only a few,
whispers are heard of ages past and
what may come,
what tool is there to measure a man’s sum?
as we walk our footprints lay a mark behind,
curious is our world as what we choose to find!
journeymen are we in an endless quest,
name it desire or need: all lead to some treasure chest!
cauldrons of emotion course through the vein,
when bones turn to dust, and only, a name will remain,
judge him not for how he met his end,
it’s his actions now, on which Eternity shall depend.”
41
 Time Management
Let me begin by asking
you a few questions:
Do you feel rushed most of
the time?
Do you find that by the time the
day ends you are stressed and yet
have a lot of unfinished business?
Do you postpone important jobs ? And only
manage to complete them at the ‘nth’ hour
or maybe even later?
Do your friends and family grumble that
you never have time for them?
Do you complain of having less time and
too much to do?
Well, if your answer to one or more of the
above is in the affirmative, then you do need
to manage your time better.
Time, as we all know, cannot be stored or
rewound. Time, a concept of measure, is a
social leveler; it does not speed up for the rich
and slow down for the poor. There are but
twenty four hours for each and it is common
to constantly whine about the lack of this
commodity for all our activities and
responsibilities.
Saneer Gurung Knowing that there are only so many hours in
H.O., Kolkata a day, how you manage them will determine
many things. Successful people pack more in
their day. So your success or lack thereof will
be determined by how you utilise your time.
It is your choice. There is no right or wrong,
yet your choice does affect your success. Your
management of time may well differ from
others. But if it works for you, it is perfect.
What is Time Management?
Time management is a self-disciplined, self-
discovered tool which is a standard of
measure that all are given to quantify
priorities in any given day.
It is a set of principles, practices, skills and
systems working together with the aim of
improving the quality of your life. It is the art
of arranging, organizing, scheduling, and
42
budgeting time for more effective work and
productivity. To quote Lord Chesterfield, “If
you watch the minutes carefully, the hours
will take care of themselves.” Always ask
yourself regularly, “Am I making the most of
my time right now?” The 80/20 rule states
that we tend to spend 80% of our time on
projects that have a 20% return. Concentrate
your efforts on what holds the highest value
for you.
An important aspect of this technique is
planning. Efficient time management is to
organize the workspace. Studies show that we
spend seventy minutes a day just looking for
things. How many times have you said, “Just a
minute, I know it’s here somewhere.” Files,
reports, memos and letters are often misplaced
and our desks look like the set of the movie
“Twister”! Clutter can be a huge distraction, not
to mention the embarrassment of lost or
unanswered requests. Your goal is not to have a
nice neat desk but to get organized so that you
can convert wasted time into productive time.
Time management is not necessarily about
getting lots of things done but, more important,
making sure that you are working on what is
significant. Prioritizing jobs in the four
quadrants of Urgent, Not Urgent, Important &
Not Important is a great way to plan.
As part of a study in efficiency, one should
determine the time of day that one is most
capable and productive. Know your peak time,
the time of the day you reach the zenith as
everyone does not have the same body clock.
The struggle of time management isn’t simply
a case of cutting back or acquiring new skills.
The pressures of deadlines hit us in singular
ways. We are refreshed and restored in
different ways, so it is essential to discover
which activities drain and which renew our
energy levels. One way to assess how efficient
you are is to keep a record of your daily
activities for a week. You may gain insights
on how to adjust the use of your time and you
may discover the best environment and hours for your
personal output. Find the schedule that fits you best and
make it work.
Those who make the worst use of time are the first to
complain of its limitations. In the end it comes down to
choices. Good decisions lead to better results while poor
choices lead to wasted time and energy. Time management
skills can be learned and mastered by anyone. All it takes is
practice and dedication. To quote, “Ordinary people think
merely of spending time. Great people think of using it.”
Practical tips to get you started:
ú Write things down: A common mistake is to use your
memory to keep track of too many details leading to
information overload. Using a to-do list to write things
down is a great way to take control of your tasks and be
organized.
ú Prioritize your list: Prioritizing your to-do list helps you
focus on the things that really matter to you. Rate your
tasks into categories as per priority.
ú Plan your week: Plan your schedule at the beginning of
the week. This will help increase your productivity and
balance your important long term projects with the more
urgent tasks. All you need is about fifteen to thirty minutes
each week for your planning sessions.
ú Carry a notebook: You never know when you are going to
have a great idea or brilliant insight. Carry a small notebook
with you wherever you go so you can capture your thoughts.
If you wait too long to write them down you could forget.
ú Learn to say ‘No’: Many people become overloaded with
too much work because they over-commit. They say ‘Yes’
when really they should be saying ‘No.’ Learn to say ‘No’ to
low priority requests and you will free time to spend on
what is more important to you.
ú Think before acting: How many times have you said ‘Yes’
to something you later regretted? Before committing to a
new task, stop and think. This will prevent you from taking
on too much work.
ú Continuously improve yourself: Make time in your
schedule to learn new things and develop your natural
talents and abilities. Continuously improving your
knowledge and skills will lead to overall development.
ú Think about what you are giving up to do your regular
activities: It is a good idea to regularly evaluate how you
are spending your time. In some cases, the best thing you
can do is to stop an activity that is no longer important so
you can spend that time on more valuable projects.
ú Use a time management system: Using a time
management system can help you keep track of everything
that you need to do, organize and prioritize your work and
develop sound plans to complete the job. An integrated
system is like glue that holds all the best practices together.
ú Scheduling: There are several barriers to scheduling you
may need to overcome. These barriers are the ‘Time
Wasters’, the leading one being procrastination. The best
way to tackle procrastination is the ‘Swiss Cheese Method’
designed to help you focus on ONE issue at a time. Divide
your projects into smaller chunks or tasks.
ú Avoid ‘Efficiency Traps’: Being efficient doesn’t necessarily
mean that you are being productive. Avoid taking on tasks
that you can do with efficiency that do not need to be done.
Just because you are busy doesn’t mean you are actually
accomplishing anything significant.
ú Delegation: Learn to delegate the routine jobs effectively
so that you have more time to do what is important for
your long term success. The time saved also allows you to
handle interruptions such as emergencies and allows you to
focus on your own projects and goals.
When you have managed your time well you perform
under less pressure and you will be happier at work. Time
is what we want the most, but we use it ineffectively.
Remember, one aspect of a SMART goal is ‘attainable’.
Make your daily objectives attainable.
Lastly, superior time management is about self discipline.
The most efficient to-do list in the world will not help
someone who does not look at or follow his own daily
planner. Of course, the other side of the argument is to
remember to live. Schedule some time off every day and at
least one day off each week. Be organized but do not be a
slave to your to-do list.
Time is our most precious asset, we should invest it wisely.
Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few
of them as possible in meaningless activity. Time
management is how you manage your choices with the
time you are given. Once that last hour is gone, it is gone
forever. You are the arbiter of your own time and
management. Apply your definition to your own life.
43
 SHABAASH!
Parismita Singh Vivek Kumar Singh
Parismita is the eldest child of Purnima and Capt. K.K.K.
Singh of the Air Scheme at Pertabghur T.E. Parismita is
employed in the field of education but her first love is
writing.
Her work has appeared in various publications including
Time Out, the Sarai Reader and Katha Prize Stories 13.
She was short-listed for The Little Magazine New
Writing Award, 2006.
Recently, her graphic novel, ‘The Hotel at the End of the
World’, was published by Penguin and launched at the
British Council, Delhi. During the book launch she was Vivek, the son of Mr Vijoy Kumar Singh
interviewed by Vishwajyoti Ghosh, another graphic (General Manager, Finance, at HO) and Mrs
novelist. Parismita was also interviewed on NDTV’s ‘Just Reeta Singh has the rare distinction of not
Books’ programme by Sunil Sethi. only having passed both his Chartered
Accountancy and Company Secretary final
The book was favourably reviewed in India Today, Time
examinations at the first attempt but also
Out, Hindustan Times and Indian Express among other
simultaneously, which is quite an
newspapers and journals.
achievement!
As the book’s blurb says, “Drawing from various oral
story-telling and folklore traditions, and with influences After he passed out of Julienday School,
ranging from Commando war comics to World War II Vivek studied Commerce at St Xavier’s
history and Buddhist art, Parismita Singh creates a world College, Kolkata and graduated with a First
that’s magical yet very real.” Class Honours degree in 2007. While still at
The MRIL family wishes Parismita all the success that college he studied for the CS and CA courses
she so richly deserves. and even passed the Foundation and
Intermediate examinations in each – all at the
first attempt.

In the midst of this staggering amount of

studies, Vivek still found time to pursue his
hobbies – cricket, badminton, music and
surfing the internet.

We wish Vivek, who is currently serving his

Articleship with a private Accountancy firm,
a bright future.

44

Koomsong T. E. is situated fifteen kilometers from the
town of DoomDooma, close to Kakopathar on the
Arunachal Pradesh – Assam border. The DoomDooma
River lies at its southern extremity; in fact the river acts as
the main drainage outlet for the estate. The land originally
belonged to the Dolby family. Williamson Magor acted as
their Agents and acquired the property when the family
passed on without any heirs.
The natives of this region were the Singpho and Khamti
tribes. The name Koomsong is derived from the Khamti
dialect meaning ‘high ground’. The surrounding land
included fertile paddy growing areas and the rich harvest
was stored on the highland. This plateau is easily discernable
on the northern and eastern boundary of the estate.
A chieftain named Khungsa was the tribal overlord of this
province; it is said that his subjects rested on the ‘chung’
(highland) and maybe ‘Khungsa’s chung’ was anglicized
over the years to Koomsong, though the original land deed
- Vidya Kaul
is in the name of Kumsang.
There are no significant records of the pioneers responsible
for the development of this estate but it is believed that the
first planter who cleared the dense forest to plant tea was
Coco Buroughs. (The name is spelt phonetically as
pronounced by the workers.) He employed Nagas for the
task. The garden banker, whose forefathers were bankers
for the property from its inception, confirms that this
undertaking began in 1904 and tea was planted in 1907.
On 30 November 1911 The Koomsong Tea Company was
incorporated with a fully paid capital of 50000 pounds
sterling, the value of each share being 1 pound sterling.
Early leaf was transferred to Bordubi T.E. for manufacture
and it was only in 1912 that production commenced on the
property. By 1927, Koomsong included 416 hectares, a
labour force numbering 1670 workers and produced 43400
kg made tea.
45
 Retired Staff: Sri Tirsha Das, Sri Gobinda Mollick, Smt. Das, Sri Benu Das, Sri Buda Ganjutif
The work force at Koomsong credit a Mr Oliver with
establishing the boundary of the estate by constructing
labour lines on the periphery. Elephants were used to
transport leaf and material until the trolley line from
Bordubi was extended. The trolleys were manually pushed
to and from Sukrating railway siding, a distance of over
fifteen kilometers, till the
introduction of a steam
engine in the 1930s. This
mode of transport was a
matter of prestige for the
estate. The adjoining garden,
Tongana, needed seven days
to dispatch their teas on
bullock carts to DoomDooma
whereas the trolley made
access to the railhead so much
quicker. Sri Benu Das, Section 14 -Two Leaves and A Bud
retired teacher, brought his
bride to Koomsong from DoomDooma on the trolley; he
still has a smile on his face, remembering the exhilarating
ride with his young wife to her new home. Managerial staff
rode horses for ‘kamjari’. The first cars were a great status
symbol and only owned by senior executives. All field work
was manual until the introduction of tractors in the
late 1930s.
For the first three decades the workers’ wages were paid in
coins and these were brought to the estate in a carrier bag
by the banker on his bicycle. A large bell tied to the
handlebars rang loudly as he rode. This was the signal for
46
Factory
the pluckers to move away from the road and into the
sections. The banker had a clear passageway till he delivered
the funds to the management for disbursement.
The original Manager’s Bungalow was constructed in No 7
Line. The Assistants lived in a ‘chummery’ in Nepali Line.
These were all ‘chung bungalows’ built on stilts to keep
away wild animals. The
‘chummery’ was disbanded
in the 1950s and individual
residences built; there is
mention of a shootout one
memorable evening and
maybe the ‘powers that be’
decided on this move to
keep the peace amongst the
boisterous young men!
Estate workers remember
Mr E. W. Bryant whose
tenure stretched from 1938 to 1950. He joined as an
Assistant, became Manager and was transferred to Bordubi
as Superintendent. During the war years he restricted
production by collar pruning sections and staff and labour
were sent to work on road and camp construction in the
Ledo-Margherita sector, after the fall of Burma. A satellite
airstrip for fighter aeroplanes flying over the ‘Hump’ was
in use in what is today Section No 40. Sri Gobindo Mullik,
retired welder, remembers the thrill of seeing an aircraft
land; the Factory Assistant would race his car to the strip
and chase the landing aircraft down the runway!
 Old Trolley Line Bridge c.1920

In 1950 Mr H.Andrews took charge of the property. He captive breeding of

was the first planter in Assam to experiment with high the White Winged
density planting and, perhaps of greater interest to the Wood Duck, an
young Assistants, he owned a Jaguar! Factory endangered species
modernization at Koomsong began in earnest during his of wild fowl, but
tenure. The great earthquake of 1950 had disrupted the cages and
communications between DoomDooma and Koomsong equipment were
via Budlabeta and the highway leading to Rupai Siding transferred to
was only a track with logs placed to settle the muddy Bordubi T. E. on
surface. The dense forest on either side formed a tunnel of his posting there as
entwined branches. Teas were dispatched from Koomsong Superintendent.
on the trolley via DoomDooma but this mode of Mr I. G. Ross
transportation was not efficient and many chests bearing (1976-1984) was
the precious green ‘treasure’ were damaged. The Manager of the last British
Bordubi T.E. was requested to share in the maintenance of Manager of the
the trolley line but he refused. The cold war between the estate. He and his
two estates lasted two years and in the end Mr Andrews wife Tricia are still
decided to rebuild the road to Rupai as an alternative remembered with
passage for his teas. Today, this public road is NH 52, an great warmth. The Ross’ were lovers of sports; tennis,
important link in the North East. football, rugby and bridge were intrinsic to their lives. The
dart board in the ‘jali kamra’ at the top of the staircase was
In 1953 parts of the estate were submerged during the
so placed to enable visitors to while away the few minutes
monsoons and staff and labour still remember catching
waiting for their hosts in a constructive manner! Iain and
large ‘sal’ fish weighing up to two kilograms from the drain Tricia encouraged workers on the estate to develop their
in No 2 division. Pluckers abandoned their leaf and rushed sporting abilities. Reena Rai Dihingia, a local girl from
to catch as many fish as they could; productivity was lost Kakopathar, won a bronze medal in the Shot Putt at the
that season due to ‘piscine abundance’! National School Games in 1981. Recognizing the young
Mr G.F.Simpson managed Koomsong from 1963 to 1968. girl’s potential, Iain personally trained her in the javelin
Factory modernization continued with the introduction of throw for three months at the Koomsong football field and
fermenting units. Weed killers replaced manual cultivation. subsequently, Reena won gold medals at the Games in
Mr A.H.Pirie (1971-1976) established an aviary for the 1982 and 1983 in both disciplines.

47
 In 1978 the estate participation in cultural and sporting activities.
hosted a function The Jhumur Party performed at the National Games held
attended by all at Guwahati in 2008. This troupe is the successor of the
neighbouring team which danced at the All India Congress Committee
executives. Tricia meeting chaired by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at
taught a troupe of Guwahati in 1977.
staff members to
The Kakopathar Karate Association has been partly
dance the Scottish
sponsored for the 28th National Karate Championship
Reel, which they did
held at Chennai early this year and the Kho Kho team has
resplendent in black
been supported for various tournaments over the years.
trousers and white
shirts, to the music of The welfare of the animal denizens is given equal
‘Beautiful Sunday’. importance; the leopard cubs found in the drain in Section
How I wish I could No 10 were transferred into the capable hands of the Forest
have been there; a Department.
DJB with Cub truly memorable Like all plantations,
experience which the dancers remember even today. On Koomsong is a world
their transfer to Mijicajan T. E. in 1984, the farewell within a world, creating
address from the estate staff and workers was a heartfelt for its people a safe
tribute to the their legacy. haven to grow and
Today, Koomsong includes 676.96 hectares with an annual prosper. We wish them
crop of fifteen lakhs. The garden hospital looks after the the successful bounty
health and welfare of the residents and four Lower Primary of many a tea pot filled
schools take care of the initial educational needs of the to the brim with ‘the
families. The estate functions as a community encouraging cup that cheers’. Sanctuary in Sec.10

L - R: D. Phukan,
I. Alam, R. K. Gogoi
(Sr. Manager),
J. Chaudhry,
Dr S. Bhuyan,
D. J. Baruah

48

Whilst it is difficult to ascertain the precise date when this
stretch of land under the rule of the Cooch Behar royal
family became a tea estate, it was perhaps in 1898 that the
first planting was done. Land records reveal that the estate
was incorporated as a tea garden in 1918 under the then
Companies Act as Saroda Tea Company. The founders of
the estate were Mr Agazuddin Khan, Mr Munshi
Kefatullah and Mr Tarini Prasad Ray. The reason for this is
not known, but over the years Mr T.P. Ray took over
complete control of the estate. The old land deed shows an
outright purchase of 2000 acres of land by Saroda Tea Co.
The boundaries of the property stretched right up to
Alipurduar town, some 16 km away. However, gradually
the extremities of the garden diminished leaving tracts of
land between Mathura and the township.
On probing the origin of an unusual name like Mathura
for a tea estate, I was told two versions. Apparently
Mr Naru Dutta, son of Mr Mathura Kumar Dutta helped
the Rays purchase land for the estate. He was one of the
directors of Saroda Tea Co. and his home in Jalpaiguri was
known as Mathura Kutir. Others felt it was named after
Mr Ray’s mother, Mathura. Years later when a land project
was started, it was obviously named Brindavan! Located
16 km away towards Falakatta, it was initially looked after
- Sakina Hussain
by a project manager, Mr Khokan Mandal. Over a period
of time, it gradually came to be a part of Mathura.
This geographically isolated estate, bordered by the
Chilapatta Forest Range in the north and paddy fields and
‘bastis’ (villages) on all other sides has 695 hectares of land
under tea and a crop of approximately 11 lakh kg. In 1938
the crop was 12,005 ‘monds’ and in 1946 it recorded a crop
of 27,600 ‘monds’. The work style on the estate was very
different to what we are accustomed to. Instead of a British
colonial ‘sahab’ culture, it was more akin to a Bengali
‘zamindari’. The executives and staff were always from
Bengal. The manager was called ‘Babu’ and his wife was
addressed as ‘Maa ji’. The residence of the Manager Babu
was a large double storied building with a number of rooms
all in a row. A courtyard at the back of the house had the
traditional cemented structure for the revered ‘Tulsi’ plant.
There was no ‘malibari’, lawn or hedge but there were
stables for horses and a cowshed. The whole structure
looked more like a ‘Thakurdalan’ than a tea bungalow – all
somewhat feudal!
The predominantly Adivasi workforce of the estate came
from Chota Nagpur and Jharkhand. The sardar who went
down to recruit the workers would make all necessary
arrangements.
49
 Though they were
brought for six
months’ compulsory
work, most not only
stayed back but now have
further generations
working on the estate.
The workers were
supplied with food and
other essentials at concessional
rates. Most houses were
however ‘kuccha’ (made of mud
and wood) as the labourers
were not comfortable about
living in hot glass and metal
structures. According to the
annual report of 1949, a huge
workforce was deployed on the
garden – 1504 men and 1703
women. The present strength of Tea - Sept 1997
Mathura is 1867 permanent
workers.
Augustus Lakra came to the
garden in 1952 at the age of in existence now, a building was constructed for the Central
eighteen from Lohardaga, now in Excise staff in 1950. The staff club built around the same
Jharkhand, by train to Alipurduar. time provided an excellent reading room and a place for
Ruben Bara arrived from Chota sports. The Ray family was particularly fond of football and
Nagpur to Nimti in 1953. He held regular matches. The area used for the plant nursery
became a Dafadar in 1984 and today was the erstwhile mini football ground. The top floor
finally retired in 1991. His daughter of the four storied building next to the factory was used as
now works on the estate. Sukhlal a stadium where spectators would sit and watch the game.
Baraik, the trolley driver who joined This building was subsequently used as a storage godown
work in 1960 tells us of the trolley for tea from the polypack unit, but had to be dismantled
line that operated between the main after a major part of it collapsed in 1998. It was cleared and
garden and the out division to carry used as a garage initially but has now been turned into a
leaf. Memories, faded over time, did badminton court.
not allow the three to agree on too The road to Alipurduar through Topsikhata was built by
many accounts, be it dates of events, Saroda Tea Co. as was the bridge (1950). The Company
wages etc. but the one thing that was had a godown in Alipurduar for the transhipment of tea.
undisputed and had all three nodding The tea dispatched by bullock-carts took as many as five
in agreement was when one of them
remembered Mathura as being Old Stadium
‘beautiful, peaceful and prosperous’.
The post office on the estate, called
Mathura Bagan Post Office, was built in
1949. The construction of the hospital
building begun in 1948 was completed in
1952 and housed forty beds. Though not

50 Tower

Replanted in Winter 2006 - 07
days to reach the town. On the way back, they carried
rations, coal and even money.
Mathura, being a part of the Chilapatta Forest range, was
originally a ‘game’ area – shikar, night hunts and camping
were very popular. A lot of wild life can still be seen in the
forest, but earlier, I am told, it was not uncommon to sight
leopards, deer and peacocks on the garden. Not long ago a
bison that strayed into the labour lines created havoc and
finally had to be controlled by the forest officials. Elephants
are, of course, regular visitors! On one occasion, executives
from the garden were stuck on the forest road for a couple
of hours, just because a herd of elephants decided to enjoy
a game of football with an empty drum!
The Deputy Manager’s ‘kothi’ (bungalow) was initially a
forest inspection lodge. It is said to have been brought piece
by piece from Rajabhatkhowa some 150 years ago. This
lodge saw a lot of entertaining. Members of the Cooch
Behar royal family and their British guests were frequent
visitors. Dignitaries like Dr Rajendra Prasad and Sarojini
Naidu also visited. Subsequently, it was used by the
directors of Saroda Tea Co. A large wooden structure
served as a kitchen where food was cooked on a wood fire.
(Gas was brought into use much later, in 1998!)
Though the first Manager of Mathura was Mr Lalit
Mohan Ghosh, it is Mr B. K. Neogi’s thirty year tenure
that is remembered most fondly by all the ‘old timers’. It is
said that his contribution to the success of the property was
invaluable and it saw tremendous development and
prosperity during this period. Apparently, it was from the
profits of Mathura that the Rays added seven more estates
to expand their group. Considered an unending source of
prosperity, the out division was named Akshay, which
means ‘forever’. This period was referred to as the golden
era of Mathura. Mr Neogi’s long and dedicated association
with the garden came to an end only with his death in
1969. The B K High School named after him was set up in
1956. The land, building and funds for maintenance were
provided by the Company. In 1961 the first primary school
known as Basic School was also started for the workforce.
Both the schools are now under government control.
Money-lending on the lines of a banking business was also
a practice on the estate. This was carried out from the
L - R: Sukhlal Baraik, Arjun Deogaon, Dulari Oraon, Augustus Lakra, Ruben Bara
Manager’s ‘kothi’. Large sized tables and high chairs used
by bankers are still to be found on the estate. In fact, when
the garden changed hands, it was very difficult to break this
tradition and convince the workers that no money could
now be borrowed. After all, they were still willing to put their
thumb mark on paper, then why were they not being given
money! A chowkidar had to be posted at the gate and it was
only after many altercations over several months that the
workers accepted the end of money-lending on the estate.
Unique to Mathura is the fact that on this estate no one
suffers from ‘Monday blues’ as it is the weekly holiday. The
reason for a holiday on a Monday is the traditional ‘haat bazar’
held on the garden. The land for the ‘haat’ was provided by
51
 especially Mondays. What makes the
‘Shivling’ so revered is that it was not
carved out but found during land
preparation for planting. Mr Neogi
dreamt that the ‘Shivling’ should be
placed in a ‘mandir’. The temple was
constructed and the ‘Shivling’ duly
positioned. Faith is said to move
mountains; here it opened the sky.
Worried by a severe drought, an
erstwhile Manager organized a three
day ‘kirtan’ at the ‘mandir’. On the last
day, he looked up disappointed at a
The Pioneers clear sky and vowed to repair and paint
the place if it would rain soon. Lo and behold, Mathura
experienced a thunder shower before the hour was over!
The temple soon wore a new look! On the behest of
Mrs B.M.Khaitan during her visit to the estate, an
extension was constructed for the devotees. The banyan tree
sent down from Kolkata has also grown; a symbolic
indicator of the well being of the temple. The garden has
Riverside Picnic a day’s holiday on Mahashivratri which is celebrated with
a lot of ardour, the revels lasting through the night.
Saroda Tea Co. Several attempts in recent times to change Cultural and religious festivities are an integral part of
the holiday to a Sunday have met with no success. Mathura’s ethos. Basanti Puja performed during Basant
Being surrounded by forests and rivers, picnics are a regular Panchami is a grand affair spread over four days. Sweets
feature on Mathura. A short drive away, there are some very were distributed amongst all the workers. People came
scenic picnic spots. In fact, a picnic was organized here on from neighbouring areas, upto a radius of 100 km to join
1 January for all the Company’s estates. This was stopped in the festivities. Jalebis were fried
after a couple of years, because whilst the day was enjoyed over a couple of days to suffice for this
by all, the hosts found themselves practically driving purpose. Bishu, a driver on the estate,
straight from the remembers how in 1995, during
New Year’s Eve Mr Dilip Bose’s tenure, ‘parathas’ were
party at Chuapara distributed instead of sweets because
Club to the picnic of a fund crunch. This was not
venue to be ready acceptable to the workers and they
in time to welcome protested so finally sweets were
everyone! A tad brought. An infuriated Mr Bose
unfair they felt! refused to let the workers have any
This, of course, did extra sweets and after giving them one
not stop one from each, buried the rest! Nowadays,
enjoying a picnic ‘khichri’ is distributed to the entire
Shivling on other days. At workforce on all four days. Kali Puja
one time, during the cold weather, most Mondays were is celebrated in the out division. Led
spent by the riverside. by the ‘adivasi’ labourers, a three day
The Shiv Mandir at Mathura is highly revered by not only Jhulan Jatra is organized during
the inhabitants of the estate but also people from far and Durga Puja. Tribal troupes from
wide. Innumerable devotees throng the temple on all days, outside the garden too join in the

52
dancing which carries on through the night.
Pradeep Kumar Sarkar, presently a garden ‘babu’ who grew
up here, corroborated a lot of information about the estate.
His grandfather, Binoy Kumar Sarkar, worked on the estate
for a monthly salary of Rs 7/- in 1932 !
As time moved on, poor administration and lack of
supervision in the eighties and the early nineties led to the
closure of the estate by the mid-nineties. Financial
insolvency led to the curtailment of basic amenities and
dues mounted. Those were trying years for an estate that
had seen much prosperity but, as they say, nothing is
constant and the tides once again changed in favour of
Mathura.
On 22 September 1997, Mathura T.E. came into the
MRIL fold. A puja was performed to mark the occasion.
Early next morning, the pioneering ‘Team Mathura’ arrived
at the estate in a convoy comprising a car and a couple of
motorcycles with their luggage in an old leaf trailor from
Chuapara.T.E. On the drive through the Chilapatta forest,
they sighted a golden hawk. A good omen, they were told.
Apprehensive about the mammoth task that lay ahead of
them, the team found the sign reassuring! At 6:20am, the
factory siren was sounded after several months of silence.
The staff were hit by a sense of panic, not knowing what
had happened and they stumbled out of their houses
(which are adjacent to the factory compound) in assorted
attire. The entire workforce was asked to assemble in the
Banyan Tree, 2009
Banyan Tree, 1999
factory premises. A workers’ roster was prepared and soon
enough two hundred and fifty ‘ghost’ names were
discovered!
The first contact of the tea
planter and the tea bush was
hostile, quite akin to what the
pioneers of the estate must
have experienced. Lying in a
Mr B. M. Khaitan's Visit
total state of neglect, over three hundred hectares of the
estate had not been plucked for more than six months.
Accessing the tea bushes required clearing weeds which
had completely covered them. The bushes were over six feet
tall. In fact, the garden looked so much like a jungle that it
was difficult to ascertain where the sections lay. The
denizens of the ‘forested’ bushes like snakes and wasps did
not give up without a fight and several cases of wasp stings
and snake bites had to be attended to. Weeds collected were
enough to block the sectional roads. The entire garden was
skiffed.
A 120 KVA MWM engine catered to the needs of the
estate, as the power supply from WBSEB was temporalily
suspended. Things were regularized with the electricity
department, more machines brought in from other estates
and the factory, lying in disuse and covered in dust and
cobwebs, was functional by November. A wooden structure
with pillars made of Sal trees (these, believed to be as strong
as iron beams, did stand the test of time) was pulled down
in 1998-99 and restructured into a concrete and metal
construction. Various modifications over the last twelve
years have transformed the factory which today can boast
of manufacturing premium quality teas.
For the first two months, the entire team lived together in
the present Deputy Manager’s ‘kothi’.
53
 This gave them
time not only to
get the other
houses habitable
(the shopping list
was endless –
water filters,
kerosene stoves,
Old Forest Lodge
geysers, fridges,
TVs, soft furnishing – all in multiples of seven) but also
time with each other to strategize for the next day’s plan of
action! Meal times were more like a story-telling session,
with each person sharing his day’s experience with the
others. There would be much excitement on ‘discovering’ a
section upon removing the weeds! They shared rooms not
only with each other but also bats, rats and wasps! Old
fridges served as cupboards! After the first couple of nights,
it was decided to let the doctor have a room to himself as
he was constantly on night call to attend to emergencies in
the hospital. Twelve hundred bottles of saline were used
and doctors from the other estates came in to help cope
with the influx of patients suffering due to malnutrition.
Sometimes weary, at other times charged, the executives
eventually moved not only into their own homes, but also
into the groove of things. With time things began falling
into place; work culture changed paving the way for
Company norms to be brought into practice.
L to R: S. Saurabh, B. Bothra, A. Verma, J.P. Alex (Manager), Dr C. M. Prasad, A. Prasad, R. Krishna
54
Left with no option during the lean years, a number of
workers had resorted to unlawful means to make a living.
However, now that they were sure of regular wages and
rations for their families, as many as twenty-three dacoits
surrendered to the police! This desire by so many workers
to return to an honest way of life gave everyone working
towards a change in Mathura a deep sense of satisfaction.
A year of trials and tribulations came to an end. Emotions
ran high and overwhelmed with the sense of security the staff
and workers expressed a desire to celebrate the occasion.
A cultural programme was organized with much zeal and
enthusiasm. From the following year, a football tournament
was organized to commemorate the day. The MRIL Cup is
played over a month with several teams joining in. The final
game is played on 23 September each year.
Resurrection or revival is an ongoing and long drawn
process, requiring a sustained and patient effort to nurture
anything back to health. When I first set eyes on Mathura
in 1997, I was reminded of the poem by Robert Frost…..
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
Over the years miles have been traversed and promises have
been kept and today’s Team Mathura can stand proud and
claim to have regained the lost glory of the estate.

- Danny Pariat
Many years ago a
young man, not yet
twenty, reported
for work as an
Assistant Manager
at Koomsong T. E.
There was nothing
odd about that but
what was odd was the fact that this young man was
confirmed in six months without having done a single
day's work either in the field or factory -- that too with
a grizzled and tough old ‘koi-hai’ as a Manager. Strange
it may seem but here is what happened.
My cousin Jimmy had joined Koomsong in the summer
of 1960 under a tough old hand, Harry Andrews
(inventor of the Andrews Tea Breaker I am told ). Now,
We had the Group Accountant, Srini, residing with us
at Koomsong in the early 70s. He was a very amiable
and helpful person. Every now and then Srini had to
accompany our VA, Bob Stammers, on his visits to one
of the estates on the South Bank. Bob loved a fast car
and would always arrive at the estate well ahead of time,
whizzing past bullock carts, cows, goats and cyclists with
gay abandon. This, of course, did not do Srini's nerves
any good and by the time they got to a garden he was a
nervous wreck. He would insist that Bob drop him off
at the Manager's Bungalow, where he would sit down
and firmly request two large gins, taking his time to
down the two shots. Only then would he set off to the
office for work. One would have thought his troubles
were over but, of course, there was the nightmarish drive
back !! If there were a number of visits within a short
span of time Srini was known to have downed copious
Planters’ Punch
Harry was a senior member of the DoomDooma Club
committee and as it happened the new club was then
being built (at the present site). He wanted someone to
keep an eye on the work, so young Jimmy was told that
for the next few months his job was to supervise the
work at the new club daily. Every day Jimmy would take
his packed lunch and head for the club in a battered old
lorry to oversee the construction. This carried on for
quite some time and soon six months had passed; it was
time for Jimmy's confirmation. Not having done a day's
work on the estate Jimmy was rather worried but he
need not have been so -- the Manager reported to the
Company that the new man was doing a great job in
both field and factory and would someday make a good
planter !! So, Jimmy was confirmed; probably the only
guy in Tea who got his confirmation this way !!
quantities of gin !!
Still on Srini... one day he came to see me at the factory
and asked for a hammer. A rather odd request, I
thought, and asked him what he wanted it for. “I want
to hammer that bridge,” he told me. (He meant the
rickety old bridge over the Bordubi River linking
Koomsong and Bordubi before the present RCC bridge
was built.) “Hammer the bridge? What for?” I asked.
Apparently, every time Srini drove over the bridge (his
office was in Bordubi with the VA) he would have a
puncture as the structure was in a terrible state with nails
sticking out all over. Srini would approach the bridge,
stop his car, get off and, hammer in hand, walk across
hammering every nail back into place. With a satisfied
grin on his face he would get back into his car and
confidently drive across.
He never ever had a puncture on that bridge again!!
55
 Golf: In Tea
Though the exact date when golf started as a
pastime in the North East cannot be
ascertained, one can safely bet that it was
more or less around the time tea plantations
were established.
The Jorhat Gymkhana Club in Upper
Assam which was founded in the nineteenth
century can proudly claim that its golf
course is the second oldest in India after the
famous and majestic Royal Calcutta Golf
Club, Kolkata.
During the early years golf in the plantations
began as a pastime for the weary expatriates
who longed for their famed golf meadows.
Availability of land was not an issue in that
era but developing a golfing meadow
required the will and the passion only golfers
have!
Today the tea community can boast of a golf
- Vivek Seth course in nearly every tea club/district,
Attareekhat T.E. totalling nearly fifteen.
Going by the golfing adage, “To add a little
wager makes the game interesting and a wee
bit competitive”, several golf tournaments
soon started to take shape. Various golfing
bodies were formed, prominent
among them being the Upper
Assam Golf Association
(UAGA) and the Lower Assam
Golf Association (LAGA), the
former growing from strength
to strength. The latter is, sadly, in
the doldrums but efforts are
being made to revive it.
Under the aegis of the UAGA,
56 Aerial View - Golf Course, Mangaldai Club
Upper Assam has over forty tournaments in
a year, held mostly on Sundays but a few on
a Saturday – the prized among these
tournaments being the All Assam Amateur
Golf played at the picturesque Digboi Golf
Course.
The All Assam Amateur Trophy may be the
most coveted, but the tournaments that the
planters cherish are the ones named in
honour of past golfers in whose
remembrance they are played today.
Participating in them is more important
than winning. These are as follows:
1) Peter Swer Memorial Golf played at
Tingri Golf Course.
2) Jasmer Singh Memorial Cup played at
Tingri Golf Course.
3) George Moore Inter Company Golf –
earlier played at the Kanjikhowa Golf
Course and shifted to the Tingri Golf
Course in 2006.
4) Jindhi Madhok Golf played at the Misa
Golf Course.
5) Bacchu Memorial played at Dhunsiri
Golf Course.
The other notable trophies garnering large participation are:
1) Makum -Namdang Cup – sponsored by McLeod
Russel India Limited, played at the Namdang Golf
Course, Margherita
2) Tappit Hen Golf (a two ball foursome tournament)
played at Tingri Golf Course.
3) Dunlop Cup Inter Club tournament played at various
Upper Assam courses as per the draw.
4) Dunn Cup Golf played at Thakurbari & Solmara Golf
Courses. This is an Army versus
Planters Trophy played in the
North Bank.
5) Mangaldai Cup Golf played at
Paneery Golf Course.
Apart from these there are the
K- Cup Golf (Bishnauth),
Monsoon Cup Golf (East Boroi)
and various other tournaments like
the Inter District Bogey, Captain’s
Prize and Club Meet Golf.
Statistics apart, all this could not
have happened without the
determination and passion of the Makum-Namdang
avid golfers over the years and, of Cup
course, the tea companies.
Today, sadly, many a golf course
laments over its lack of maintenance. We, from McLeod
Russel however, can take heart from the fact that no other
Company has, over the years and more so in recent years,
done so much to keep the greatest game in the world ‘alive
and kicking’. McLeod Russel wholly and solely maintains
seven golf courses in Assam and the Dooars – each a prized
possession. Be it Margherita, Doom Dooma, Tingri, East
Boroi, Bishnauth, Mangaldai or Chuapara, each possesses
a tranquility of its own posing varied challenges to golfers
and, in its own way, enlivens the trauma or glory at the
‘nineteenth hole’!
That golfers are a breed apart is not a myth and as the
maxim goes, “It never rains on the golf course!” If need be,
they’ll even swim to play a round!
The other aspect of golf is the camaraderie it generates
amongst golfers of all ages, shapes and sizes and the tales
that follow thereafter. Every golfer has his own story to tell
– about his exultation or lamentation. You may have had
the worst round of golf (not knowing that there are many
more in store!) and want to throw away your clubs and give
up the game, but that one shot in the entire round entices
you back to hacking away again the next day, in the hope
of the perfect round.
Golf is also a great teacher and no other game prepares you
to deal with the ups and downs of
life better. The challenges and
uncertainties in golf are akin to
those in life. The goal is in front of
you, fully visible and you have the
vision to achieve it; what lies in
between is the hidden obstacle. You
might play the best shot but one
unlucky bounce may land you in an
unpleasant ‘lie’. If you let the ‘lie’
get the better of you, doom looms
ahead but if you stand over your
ball and think calmly, you will see
an opening (ray of hope) that may
yet allow you to conquer the hole.
It’s what you do – let the
circumstance get the better of you
or take a deep breath, think calmly
and get hold of the situation. The silver lining is always
there; it only requires you to focus and find it.
I started playing golf after joining Tea, at the instance of
one of my first Managers, who felt that an Assistant who
did not play golf was no Assistant of his! He believed that
playing golf would definitely make you an executive with
drive!
Today, I play golf without a care in the world, focused on
and overcoming all the obstacles and challenges that the
course may present, always striving ahead – definitely with
a lot of drive! I also stop, time and again, to thank all those
who came along the way, teaching, guiding and nudging
me on to perform, fail and perform again, thus making me
a better person.
57
 Managing Pain
- Dr Anindita Mahanta
Dirial Central Hospital
Pain is defined medically as “an unpleasant sensory or
emotional experience associated with actual and potential
tissue damage”. It is a protective defense mechanism of the
body. Unfortunately, it is not a tangible or measurable
entity; it is as severe as the sufferer says it is.
Approximately, half of all patients who visit a physician
suffer from pain. For most, the correct treatment of a self
evident, limited disease process (such as a broken bone)
alleviates the discomfort. Some have uncontrollable pain
and this requires careful assessment and evaluation to
interpret its significance and to establish an approach for its
effective treatment. The evaluation of the patient is
frequently complex because pain is a perception rather than
a sensation. A person’s physical state, past experiences and
anticipation all influence the way pain is interpreted;
soldiers and athletes deny pain despite an acute injury,
while certain patients may continue to suffer without an
obvious source of the disease. The threshold of pain is also
influenced by social, cultural and religious factors. As
history tells us, Egyptian queens delivered in ‘birthing’
chairs in full view of the Royal Court, showing no signs of
discomfort and without the aid of analgesics or anaesthesia!
Since everyone wants instant relief, pain killers or analgesics
are the most commonly prescribed and purchased
medicines. These act by dulling pain but when the effect of
medication wears off, the pain reappears leaving the patient
dissatisfied. In their attempt to get relief several doses will
be taken by some patients while others may completely
ignore medical advice and purchase analgesics over the
counter (OTC) from their ‘friendly neighbourhood
58
pharmacy’. This is hazardous as the body becomes used to
these drugs and, as habituation sets in, the medication no
longer provides relief; larger and more frequent doses are
required until toxic levels are reached. As excretion of these
drugs is mainly through the liver and kidneys, damage to
these organs sets in. It has been proved that one of the
common causes of Chronic Renal Failure (dysfunction of
kidneys) are analgesics. These also cause haematemesis
(vomiting of blood) and melaena (blood in the stool) with
serious and sometimes fatal complications. Today there are
millions of people from every socio-economic stratum who
have unknowingly become addicted to pain killers. Michael
Jackson, the greatest entertainer of the modern era, was
probably addicted to pain killers (as per media
reports).Speculation attributes his sudden death to these,
disastrously fuelled by the purchasing power of his millions.
Acute pain may appear suddenly due to injury or infection
and may disappear with simple measures like hot or cold
compression and minimal medication. The problem is with
chronic pain. After an extended period of inactivity,
patients often become physically weak and socially
withdrawn. These people need medication like
antidepressants taken under medical supervision. Twenty
to thirty percent of the population suffers from chronic
pain.
Common causes of chronic pain are lower back ache,
arthritis, neuralgia (nerve pain) and migraine among others.
Arthritis due to osteoporosis (thinning of bones) is almost
preventable and females are the greater sufferers of this
ailment. The malady begins early in life and manifests later.
So, an adequate quantity of calcium in the form of foods
like milk, eggs, meat and vegetables should be given to the
girl child from puberty onwards, coupled with good
exposure to sunlight for Vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis.
Medical researchers have tapped space age technology and
can repair an injured knee by implanting living cells, stop
arthritic knee pain with injectible lubrication and may soon
be able to strengthen osteoporotic bones with an annual
injection that does the work of the daily pills currently
prescribed.
Osteoporosis in later life creates untold suffering and this
is one of the reasons why ‘size zero’ modelling professionals
are banned in certain countries.
Undiagnosed diabetes is like an unknown ticking time-
bomb in one’s pocket. This disease makes it harder for the
body to get energy from food. That is why diabetes can
make one tired and run down. Exercise and physical
activity is certainly an effective way to manage this disease
and help relieve stress. It can also give the patient much
needed energy, making him stronger.
Travelling long distances in a car or plane, without a change
in position, puts maximum strain on the back muscles.
Lifting from a position of flexed trunk as in recovering a
suitcase from a car can begin or aggravate pain in your body.
It is advisable to lift heavy objects close to your body with
knees bent. Sudden strenuous activity without conditioning
and a warm up is also likely to cause trouble.
Remedial measures for chronic pain:
= Ask the doctor for a diagnosis.
= Be informed of the drug prescribed; whether it is habit
forming or in the ‘dangerous medication’ category.
= Psychological factors also come into play; check if
family problems are aggravating the situation. Doctors
should be told about other medicines being taken as
drug interaction may be disastrous.
= Follow the doctor’s advice and do not change your
physician frequently. Do not force or put words in the
doctor’s mouth.
= Liniments and ointments for pain can be used but an
ice-pack or moist heat should be added.
= Under the supervision of a physiotherapist, ultrasound
vibrations and exercises alleviate pain, especially of
muscles and joints.
= Nutritious supplements like curcumin (found in
turmeric) glucosamine, chondroiton (found in cartilage)
and Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish) may be taken.
These are said to help but there is no concrete scientific
evidence of any benefit.
Intravenous medicines and anaesthesia come last in the line
and should be administered by experts only.
Physical exercise is important as it releases some chemicals
from the large muscles of the body, which help withstand
pain. Exercise should be undertaken on a regular basis, like
eating, sleeping and drinking water. Hence, adequate
physical activity coupled with a healthy and nutritious diet
is the key to a pain free body.
59
 Soft ‘Corner’
- Bikash K Kundu
Itakhooli T.E.
Having decided to pursue a career in Tea, after completing
the necessary formalities I joined McLeod Russel India
Limited in November, 1987. I was posted at Jainti T.E. in
the Dooars.
I literally did not have any idea about the location of the
estate. From my home town in Allahabad, I arrived at New
Jalpaiguri Station where a vehicle waited to take me on my
onward journey. It took nearly six hours driving from the
railway station on treacherous roads to reach my destination.
I heaved a sigh of relief once I saw the sign board. The vehicle
took me to my bungalow situated on a hillock; one of the
most beautiful bungalows that I have lived in.
I reported to the Manager the following morning. He was
surprised to know that I had travelled all the way from
New Jalpaiguri when I could have come up to New Cooch
Behar from where the journey would have taken only an
hour and a half!
Initially I was asked to look after the main division
(Hatipotha) under the charge of the Senior Assistant,
Mr A. Shaunik (Mani or Kat to his friends) who ensured
that I was at ease. Having returned after taking part in the
Great Himalayan Rally, any vehicle that Mani laid his
hands on had to pass through the ordeal of rally driving.
That included his Ambassador car which had just returned
after a complete overhaul. Mani had taken up star gazing
with his latest acquisition, a telescope, and would spend
hours with it. Anyone visiting would also be made to look
at the celestial objects. Abhimanyu, aka Kat or Katman
Shaunik; the stories are legendary and perhaps it would be
best to start at the beginning.
Mani joined tea in 1977 at Central Dooars under
60
Mr Ashok Atal – a legendary planter and ‘tamer’ of that
property. When Mani first reported to the Estate, he went
via the VA’s Office at Chuapara. As it so happened, the VA
was out and young Shaunik (he was yet to acquire all the
nicknames then) met the Office Superintendent, Kanai
Sarkar, or Kanai Babu as he was called. Kanai Babu looked
very much a planter and had a very ‘brit’ accent. Now Mani
did not know that the VA was Freddie Stroud and so
reported to Kanai Babu thinking he was the VA!! He was
enlightened only many days later when Mr Atal sent him
down to see Mr Stroud who was keen to meet the young
man. I think Mani really suffered as nobody let him forget
that gaffe!!
Mani moved from Central Dooars to Tarajulie, then under
Clive Roberson, in the winter of 1978 and it was at
Thakurbari that he first came to be called Kat – Katman.
He, in his inimitable way, had a vocabulary that was, for
those older planters, very novel and understood by only the
youngsters as it portrayed the slang of the day. You had to
be in tune with Mani to catch what he said and his
descriptions of people were pithy, accurate and to the point.
I recall that he referred to a particularly moth-eaten
looking Sikh gentleman as a “washed out sird” and you only
had to look at the person being described to understand
that he actually looked like a man who had been washed
and hung out to dry, but not ironed to smoothen the
creases. That Sikh gentleman will have to remain
anonymous! He once informed a friend that her baby had
‘broken a gasket’ (wet her nappy!) and dropped her ‘gob-
stopper’ (soother!). On another occasion, he was relating
the details of an accident he had been in the previous night
at Biswanath Chariali, to the same friend and her sister
who was visiting. What he said was, blinded by the
headlights of an approaching car he had failed to see the
‘milk machine’ in the middle of the road and banged into
it. The bonnet of his car had flown off and the ‘milk
machine’ had ‘busted’! The visitor was rather impressed to
hear that there was a milk booth in this rather small town
(this was in the 1980s) only to be told that what Mani
meant was that he had hit a black cow sitting in the middle
of the road!
I had my own misadventures with ‘tea lingo’. On one
occasion while I was in the office, the chowkidar came and
said, “Sahab, aapko Burra Sahab salaam diya hai”. I
wondered why my Manager would pay obeisance to me! I
asked the chowkidar to repeat his message, wondering if I
had heard it correctly. He repeated the same words yet
again. So I replied, “Burra Sahab ko hamara bhi salaam
dega.” The guy had just about left for the Manager’s office
when I was summoned and it was explained to me that in
Tea jargon this message meant that your Manager or
someone senior wishes to see you. Very soon I got used to
the new language.
Subsequently, I was given independent charge of
Limbudhura Division situated on undulating topography
and quite picturesque. While cycling around, most of the
time one had to push the cycle rather than ride it. To go to
Limbudhura, one had to cross the river bed that was bone
dry in winter but during the monsoons, there were times it
was in full spate. One got stranded on quite a few occasions
and had to hitch a ride on the tractor or the leaf trailer after
the weighment was over. There were occasions when I
would go through the water riding my motorbike, thrilled
when I could go across without getting washed away or
stuck in the gushing waters!
The irrigation system at Jainti was unique – the only one of
its kind – and the erstwhile Manager, Mr Andrew Flint,
should be credited for its success. The entire irrigation was
gravity fed with the water being channeled from the
‘Mahakal’ hills into a reservoir and thereafter being carried to
the field through 12 inch, 10 inch or 9 inch C.I. spun pipes,
supported by huge ‘Sal’ posts that passed through the hills.
The drop from the reservoir to the factory was huge, resulting
in the water gushing through with tremendous force.
During my stay at Jainti these pipes were replaced with
RCC spun pipes of 14” diameter since the inner diameter
of the original pipes had reduced considerably due to
calcium deposits. The Senior Assistant and I used to
supervise the progress of the work. The greatest kick was
walking over the pipes at a height of nearly 150 feet (at the
highest point from the ground) with no support to hold
onto in case of any emergency. It was indeed a test of one’s
nerve. One wrong step and one could suffer a fall that could
be fatal. Yet that did not deter us from repeating our actions
the next day!
Jainti being situated in a corner with extremely poor road
conditions one rarely ventured out of the district. One
visited friends and colleagues often and shared a meal. One
never bothered about what was laid out but believed in
spending time together. I do not remember having travelled
alone to any of the parties or to the club.
I was transferred to Monabarie in April 1992 but still carry
fond memories of my stay in this charming ‘corner’ of
eastern India.
61
 1 Bada Din Christmas Day

2 Bada Khana a grand meal served on a special occasion

3 Bautel Khana pantry

4 Borchi Khana kitchen

5 Garam Kamra boiler room in the bungalow

6 Dhobi Dooli box for soiled clothes

7 Mota man/husband

8 Maiki woman/wife

9 Chhua young child

10 Baba Loag sahab’s children

11 Etthu this

12 Otthu that

13 Gotia visit, visitor

14 Khoki cough

15 Dorop medicine

16 Beji needle /injection

17 Machchar tel mosquito repellent spray

18 Phoni comb

19 Mati Kathal pineapple

20 Temross guava

21 Gola local grocery store

62
 THE LAST WORD
As Ali Zaman wrote in This does not diminish the conviviality and camaraderie in
‘Reminiscence’ in the July any way.
2008 issue, the values one In this modern world where rudeness and lack of respect
learns while in Tea remain for seem to be the rule rather than the exception, good manners
life. This applies not only to and courtesy are even more important and universally
the planter but his wife and relevant. Surely, nothing is more off-putting than a lady,
children as well. Punctuality, gentleman or ‘brat’ who lacks the social graces. In fact, one
courtesy and maintaining would prefer a ‘bore’ to a ‘boor’!
personal and professional
Two incidents come to mind. Once, a ‘gentleman’ kept
standards – these are some of
sitting, jiggling the foot he had crossed over the other knee,
the lessons one learns that become an integral part of one’s
and acknowledged my entrance and my husband’s
being. Proof positive of this are our Tea children scattered
introduction with just a casual nod! Another time, a
all over the country and even abroad whose work ethics, good
‘gentleman’ walked through a swing door just as I was about
manners and courtesy towards all, set them apart.
to do so. Fully expecting him to hold it open for me, I passed
My late grandfather, even after retiring from Tea, never through only to have it swing back and hit me! (That was
stepped out of the house without wearing well-polished perhaps the only time I was glad I have a short nose!!)
shoes, a jacket and tie even if he was just going out for a walk
We at MRIL believe in maintaining and following the
or to buy a loaf of bread! He maintained his sartorial
standards of behaviour, both professional and personal,
standards till his demise at the age of seventy-six.
which have been a trademark of Tea in general and the
How often have we disconcerted hosts (unless they are Company in particular. I beg David Hume’s pardon and
fellow planters or in the armed forces) by turning up bang on change his quote, “What better school for manners than the
time! We were taught that not being punctual is insulting company of virtuous women?” and maintain, “What better
the hosts by implying that one has no respect for their time. school for manners than the Company of MRIL?”
Nothing can be worse for a hostess than a well-planned (and
slaved-over!) dinner gone spoilt because the guests come late - Sarita Dasgupta.
and then refuse to eat till the wee hours!
The ladies have the best of both worlds – the ‘old’ world
chivalry of the planter and the ‘new’ world respect for her as
an individual.
Good manners and courtesy are so much a part of Tea life
that we take them for granted. It is only when one faces the
lack of it that one realizes just how much one does take
courtesy for granted!
Returning phone calls, acknowledging letters and e-mails,
sending a note of thanks to one’s host and hostess after
enjoying their hospitality – these are all basic good manners
ingrained in us or learned from senior colleagues. Those who
come to Tea from a more relaxed social environment may THE WM TIMES TEAM
consider the rather formal milieu outdated and irrelevant but Editor : Vidya Kaul
in a social circle made up entirely of one’s colleagues and Asst. Editors : Sarita Dasgupta, Sakina Hussain
their wives, some level of formality is bound to be observed. Co-ordinator : Gautam Bhuyan
63
 Behupukhuri Division, Monabarie T.E.
The ideal location to rest and unwind.
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