january 2011 - McLeod Russel

J A N U A R Y 2 0 11
Tea is a tradition, a philosophy; a way
of life which incorporates the best of
the past on its journey into the
future. The WM Times is delighted to
bridge yesterday with today. In
Narration we have published an
excerpt from a letter written to the
Chairman which initiated research
on the machinery of yesteryears.
“Every new beginning comes from
some other beginning's end.”
(Seneca)
Stepping into the New Year,
“A sense of warmth is tapping at the
door –
And hope, a feeling out from distant
lore
Or so it seems – clears the deep
refrain!”
The Planter imagines an expanse of
‘green gold’ in anticipation of a
satisfying harvest. We wish him good
cheer and may his efforts bear fruit
for the ensuing season.
Verdant and abundant, Treasury
features estates from four corners of
Assam. The ladies will enjoy tips on
gardening and baking, very handy
with Flower Shows just round the
corner. Cameo introduces two diverse
individuals who have structured their
life in Tea to suit their multifaceted
interests. Beneficence elaborates an
initiative at the grassroots level to
assist those less fortunate; the
Company’s commitment to the
welfare of the workforce is
paramount to its ethos.
Vignettes from Uganda and Phu Ben
Features
16 Moot Point
Issue – 7
18 How Does Your Garden Grow?
January 2011
Tea Philosophy – Kevyn David
Preparation of Potted Plants for the Flower Show
– Jayshree Das
21 Rainbow - Shabaash!
– Vidya Kaul
22 Beneficence
Enabling The Disabled – Tulip Lahkar
On behalf of the team at The WM
Times, may the New Year, a gift we
haven’t unwrapped yet, exceed our
expectations.
Salaams.
Vidya Kaul
38 The Memsahab’s Guide to
Gracious Living
Biscuits and Cookies – Abha Mehta
40 Treasury
Phillobari T.E. – Sarita Dasgupta
Tarajulie T.E. – Sakina Hussain
52 Playing Fields
Squash – Sunil Gangoti
54 Outlook
Vermiculture: Back to Nature – Partha Sen
01 Cover
25 Melange
56 Phu Ben Communique
‘Green Gold’
Attareekhat T.E.
Milestones & Events
– Ranjit Dasgupta
29 Cameo
58 Management Mantras
02 Editorial /Features
Madhumita Bhattacharya: a profile – Nidhi Singh
32 Centre Spread
03 Narration
T-Up Cup 2010 - ‘Our Fair Ladies’
Relics of the Past – Foundations of the Present
– Sarita Dasgupta
34 Cameo
06 Treasury
Attareekhat T.E. – Sakina Hussain
Mahakali T.E. – Vidya Kaul
02 January 2011
are included and Rainbow depicts
the exciting journey of an
exceptional young man. A pictorial
collage celebrates festivals on the
estates. Outlook describes the efforts
undertaken to employ an organic
fertilizer and soil conditioner, filled
with nutrients yet bio friendly, on the
plantations. Humour tinged with
nostalgia is the underlying theme in
Planters’ Punch and Moot Point;
there is a wealth of similar tales
within our Tea fraternity which shall
be unraveled anon.
Saikat Ghosh: a profile – Shuvamita
Mukhopadhyay
36 Health Watch
Stress Management – Ranji Saha
60 Planters’ Punch
Football Diplomacy – Rana Ali
62 Festivals
‘Bada Din’ on the Estates
63 The Last Word
– Sarita Dasgupta
64 Tea Break
Common Eye Problems – Dr Anjana C. Dowerah Borjan Forest, Mahakali T.E.
RELICS OF THE PAST –
FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRESENT
– Sarita Dasgupta
tea company that is in its hundred and forty-second year of existence has obviously experienced many changes and
evolved over time. Indeed, MRIL is one of the most progressive companies – applying all the latest developments in
field and factory; employing the best management practices for the welfare of its employees and the environment; and
obtaining accreditations from international bodies by complying with all the norms set by them. While looking to the future,
however, the Company has not forgotten its past – old engines, machines and tools which have played a part in the its
development but are no longer in use, are looked after and kept on display just as people who have contributed to the Company’s
progress over the years are remembered with respect and still considered a part of the MRIL family.
A
Mr Peter Abbot recently wrote to the Chairman from his home in Anglesey, UK, saying,
“I was delighted to receive earlier this year the January
edition of the journal which was very appropriate as it was
50 years ago, February 1960, that my wife and I arrived in
Calcutta where I worked as an assistant in the Crossley
engine Agency Dept of Kilburn and Co. Many estates had
Crossley diesel engines to supply power to the machinery
and we employed ten or twelve engineers stationed in
various tea districts in order to carry out annual service
and maintenance when necessary, plus a godown in
Calcutta holding a large range of spare parts. A Crossley diesel engine is shown
in Vidya Kaul’s article on Moran Tea Company. I imagine that now most, if not
all, of the tea estates in India will be connected to a public power supply,
therefore making it unnecessary to have diesel power except, perhaps, for an
emergency standby system. Perhaps a future article in The WM Times could
describe some of the machinery used in the tea process and the driving
machinery involved.”
In the course of our research while writing about estates in ‘Treasury’ we have come across old engines, machines and tools,
photographs of which were included in the write-ups on the individual estates. In this issue, we give our readers information
about more of these trusty old ‘die hards’ – familiar friends to our retired brethren and respected ‘relics’ to our present generation
of planters.
January 2011 03
Beesakopie
T.E.
Hunwal T.E.
Subsoilers at
Beesakopie T.E.,
Samdang T.E. & Hunwal T.E.
These were used till the 1970s
to break the hard pan and loosen the soil for land preparation.
They were replaced by smaller machines which were easier to
maneuver and more efficient.
Samdang
T.E.
The BCTR
(Baruah’s Continuous Tea Roller)
at Raidang T.E. This machine had a particular to and fro motion
which gave the orthodox leaf a good twist. It was developed by
Mr T.C. Baruah, Senior Research Engineer at Tocklai Research
Association and his team of engineers sometime in the late
1970s / early 1980s.
The BTLC
(Borbora Tea Leaf Conditioner)
at Samdang T.E. This machine was used in the late 1960s and
early 1970s. It was developed at TRA by Mr B.N. Borbora, another
Research Engineer.
Timers
at
Raidang T.E. and Beesakopie T.E. These are
still in use to time the process of soaking the tea
before tasting. The cast iron one at Raidang was
made by Agfa in Germany while the one at
Beesakopie has a brass casing and was made in
England.
04 January 2011
Samdang
Giant Foam Engines at
T.E.
Beesakopie T.E.
Raidang T.E., Samdang T.E and Beesakopie
T.E. These mobile fire extinguishers, each
filled with 40 gallons of foam, were used for
fire fighting since the 1940s. Rather like
canons to look at, these had a large wheel on
either side. A pressure gauge attached to the
back monitored the emission of the foam.
Made by Minimax Ltd of England, this
particular model was called Velor Foamera and came with
instructions for use engraved on a brass plate attached to the body of
the engine.
Raidang
T.E.
Crossley Engines
: The engine at Sepon T.E. was looked
after with great care by a ‘mistri’ (mechanic) called Fagoo,
whose devotion was recognized through a brass plaque put
up in his memory by the management.
Photograph Courtesy: Mr P. Abbot
Sepon T.E.
Railway change-over lever at Sepon T.E. At one
time, railway bogeys were brought from the Sepon railway station
right up to the factory, loaded with tea and taken back to the station
for onward transportation. The lever was used to change the position
of the tracks as required.
Blackstone Engine:
Dating back to the 1940s, this marine
engine, coupled with an alternator, has the capacity to run continuously
for six months at a time. The one at Tezpore & Gogra T.E. is believed
to have been bought second hand from a ship and installed in the factory
in 1964. It is still in use and kept in pristine condition.
Blade terracer at Hunwal T.E. This dates back to the 1950s
and was used to grade the ‘kutcha’ roads within the estate. It was
towed by a tractor while a man sat on the terracer and maneuvered it
using the two steering wheels. The blades leveled out the ridge at the
centre of the road making it smooth enough for vehicles to ply on.
January 2011 05
–
Sakina Hussain
Williamson (Assam) Ltd but in subsequent years it was
taken over by them. The entire area fell under the Attree
jungle grant which was on high ground resembling a
plateau. The river Barnadi flowing nearby is said to have
been used by the early pioneers to venture into this
uncharted area on steamers coming upstream towards the
hills from the Brahmaputra River. There were two ‘ghats’
on this river, one at Attareekhat, below the present factory
and the other at Suola (near Suola T.E.) bordering the
The Barnadi
t 300 metres above mean sea level, Attareekhat is
a very picturesque garden with a panoramic view
of the mighty Himalayas. It is situated in the
Udalguri district of Assam, about 28 km from the town of
Tangla and approximately 80 km from Guwahati.
A
The estate, positioned at latitude 26.4º N and longitude
91.5º E, was established in the late 1870s and planted out
in 1879. Initially it was only managed by George
06 January 2011
Rani Pukhuri, Dharamjuli Division
airfield of Attareekhat division. The other division of the
estate, Dharamjuli, adjoins the Rajagarh area where the
erstwhile Bodo kings lived. There is a pond in this division
which is known as Rani Pukhuri – apparently the Bodo
queens used to bathe in it.
Most estates usually have some interesting reason or
source for their name and Attareekhat has an association
with an unusual story of religious significance. According
to legend, Lord Rama and his brother, Lakshman, took
refuge on a ‘khat’ at the nearby ‘ashram’ (hermitage) of
Sage Atrimuni who was said to be the son of Lord
Brahma and whose name has been mentioned in the
great Indian epic, the Ramayana. The ashram still stands
today. In fact, it has been renovated and thereon
maintained by the Company. There is a very large dry
pond in the vicinity of the ashram, behind the Ram-Sita
temple. Interestingly, this pond never fills up with water
even during the heaviest monsoon months when the
adjoining sectional drains,
though at a
higher level, overflow. According to lore the pond is said
to have been used by Sage Atrimuni as a ‘havan kund’
where he performed a ‘yagna’ continuously for six months.
A yearly ‘havan’ is still performed here for seven days in
February/March. This is organized by the Managing
Committee of the Attareekhat Atrimuni Jagya Kunda.
This ‘havan kund’ is believed to be in existence since the
‘Tetr Yug’ and its significance is also mentioned in the
18th Adhyay of the Aranya Kand in the Ramayana. The
ashram was looked after by Baba Harnandan Das Tyagi
from the 1890s. He is also credited with establishing one
hundred and eight ‘gaushalas’ (cowsheds) all over Assam,
one being very close to the ashram. He handed over
charge of the establishment to his disciple, Baba Mangal
Das Tyagi, who had sought refuge with him from 1946.
Baba Harnandan Das Tyagi left for his heavenly abode in
2003 at the grand old age of one hundred and thirty five
years, according to his followers. Baba Mangal Das Tyagi
continues to look after the ashram although he is over
ninety years old.
The Havan Kund
The Ram-Sita Temple
January 2011 07
Catholic Church
Shiv Temple
The workforce
is almost equally
divided
between
the
Christian and Hindu faith. The earlier workers, who were
brought in from Raigarh and Jagdavpur in Madhya
Pradesh and Ranchi in present Jharkhand, comprised
mainly the Munda, Orang and Santhal tribes. Some of
the retired workers recall coming down by steamer to
Suola ghat, being treated to a hot meal and then taken to
the estate medical centre for a check-up before being
deployed to work. Though not many records are available
prior to 1950, most of the old workforce fondly
remembers Mr Jack Fea. He was the Manager of the
estate for seventeen years, from 1950 to 1967. It was
during his tenure that tractors and trailers were first put to
use on the garden. Prior to this leaf haulage was carried
out by hand-drawn vehicles or bullock carts. Even tea
ready for shipment was sent by bullock cart to a godown
located at Borengajuli T.E.to be later airlifted to Kolkata.
08 January 2011
Mr Ali Zaman who worked under Mr Fea says, “Jack
probably had a premonition of his early death as he did
pass away at his desk in 1967”. He was buried at Paneery
cemetery, located at one end of the airstrip. Mr Fea loved
his beer and before he passed away, he made a request to
Mr Zaman that whenever he visited his grave, he would
pour a bottle of beer over it. This Mr Zaman faithfully
does till today!
The Old Workforce
Mr W.J. Lyness took over the reins for the next few years.
One is told that a write-up on Attareekhat would not be
complete without mentioning his wife, Barbara. She was
a stickler for etiquette and very particular about the
furnishing, servants’ uniforms and so on. Her Bearers
were the best dressed in the district with their smart
uniforms, turbans and white gloves included! On one
occasion the Manager of another estate who had dropped
by for a visit, asked a passing Bearer for a glass of water –
he was instantly ticked off by Mrs Lyness who made it
clear to the gentleman that in her house it was not polite
for him to address the staff directly. He should have
requested her for the water instead! She would not allow
curtains to be drawn by hand for fear of soiling the fabric;
a stick was to be used for the purpose. Mr Danny Pariat
saw this in person when at Seajuli T.E. in the early 90s.
The Bearer admitted to having been trained by Lyness
memsahab! (Incidentally, the layout of the Seajuli Burra
Bungalow was designed by Barbara Lyness after the old
one was destroyed in the 1950 earthquake.)
An old bungalow houses the present post office. The
erstwhile airstrip, now under prime tea, was used by
Company guests during their visits. The managerial staff
were also ferried in and out of the estate during the
monsoon months when the river was up and could not be
crossed.
August, after having been ‘imprisoned’ for three weeks by
the rivers in spate, he went to check on the state of the
Nonoi and Kala. As the JCV driver working there assured
him that the rivers were crossable, later that afternoon he
took off for the club accompanied by his wife, the Senior
Assistant and his wife. With them travelled the usual
paraphernalia; tennis rackets, golf sets, library books and
a change of clothes. Confidently, he drove into the Kala
but the current pushed the Gypsy away from the ‘leak’
(designated path) and carried it off downstream. As the
vehicle began to tilt to the left and sink he quickly shut off
the engine. Everyone put their weight on the right so that
the Gypsy wouldn’t turn turtle but sink in upright. When
the water got to chest level, they scrambled out and tried
desperately to remain standing but the current kept
sweeping them off their feet. Golf sets, racquets and bags
started floating downriver! Fortunately some good
samaritans arrived and helped lift and deposit first the two
ladies on to a sandbank, then the men, and further
retrieved all their belongings. The JCV which was,luckily,
still there, hauled the Gypsy out; everyone got back into
it and a tractor from Dimakusi T.E. towed the water
laden vehicle, with its equally sodden passengers and their
sopping wet possessions, to Dimakusi Burra Bungalow.
They sat on the front steps and
had a hot cup of tea before
being
towed
back
to
Attareekhat. The ladies were
dropped home while the
gentlemen took the Gypsy
directly to the factory garage
and anxiously examined its
Pygmy Hog
innards. Lo and behold,
it was back on road the next day, seats still wet
and shedding sand every time a door was
banged shut, but none the worse for its
dunking!
Clubward bound - ‘Sailing’ the Nonoi
Almost everyone who has
worked at Attareekhat has some
‘river’ story to tell. Ramanuj
Dasgupta (Manager, 1993 - 1998) is
no exception. One Wednesday in
The Suklai - Waterloo to many
The area in and around Attareekhat
was all under thick forest cover
providing a haven for a large
population of wildlife, particularly the
Pygmy Hog, which is now an
endangered species. In the early 80s
and 90s there were efforts with the help
of WWF to establish a Pygmy Hog
Breeding Centre on the estate. This was,
January 2011 09
however, later shifted to Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary,
Guwahati. Sadly, today most of this forest cover has been
replaced by small tea gardens. Though the wildlife has
dwindled to a negligible number, a few peacocks can still
be seen during the winters and a family of wild boar
continues to live on the estate. A fair number of hare and
jackals can be seen scurrying around, particularly at night.
Mr Pariat remembers Mr John Oliver, the VA, narrating
an incident from his younger days as an Assistant at
Attareekhat in the early 50s when the estates tended to be
plagued by the menace of tiger attacks. It was probably a
holiday and his Burra Sahab was spending a lazy
afternoon lounging in his favourite chair on the verandah
gazing at the trees and the passing clouds when he sighted
an errant tiger striding in through the main gate. Without
much ado, he called out to the Bearer, “Bandook liaao”
(bring the gun). A single shot did the job and the Bearer
was again instructed, “Baag le ke aao” (bring the tiger)!
Taking care of the workers’ safety was all part of a
day’s work!
The garden, accredited
with HACCP, Fairtrade,
ETP
(Ethical
Tea
Partnership) is aware of its
responsibilities towards
the workforce. All the
labour lines have been
provided with concrete
drains amongst other
means of good sanitation.
A community centre has
also been built, housing a library, stitching and tailoring
centre and carpentry training centre for the benefit of the
workers and their children. The Rainforest Alliance has
made everyone even more conscious of the need to
conserve natural resources. Apart from conservation of
land and water bodies, a number of environmental
programmes have been initiated. Efforts are also
underway to conserve wildlife with a No Hunting policy.
The estate initiated one of the first vermicompost projects
in the mid-nineties.
Ambulance
Attareekhat T.E. has a 48 bed hospital for the welfare of
its workers. There is a quaint ambulance still in use, which
is towed around by a tractor.
With a total grant area of 675.60 hectares, the garden has
526.55 hectares under tea. It is one of the higher yielding
estates of the Company at 25 quintals per hectare.
Team Attareekhat is blessed with both Quality and
Quantity! After all, The Lord rested at their doorstep.
The Team (L to R): G.Rathore, A.Pandit, S.K.Khound, V.Seth (Manager), S.Z.A.Husain, Dr P. Baishya
10 January 2011
–
Vidya Kaul
ahakali T.E. lies to the south of Tinsukia
town, 10 km from Bordubi railway station,
the Borjan Reserve Forest bordering the tea
bearing areas on the north and west fronts. Estate records
confirm that tea was initially planted in 1913 where the
present day Section No. 3 is situated. Clearing the dense
vegetation and land preparation was conducted by a
gentleman from Calcutta (Kolkata), Mr Panchan
Mukherjee, who employed labour imported from Madhya
Pradesh and Orissa; they travelled by train to Dibrugarh
town, rode on bullock carts to the edge of the forest and
trekked to their destination through the dangerous,
animal infested jungle paths.
M
Borjan Reserve Forest
The nascent estate was called Mukherjee Bagaan after its
creator but tragedy struck within a year with an outbreak
of cholera which destroyed many lives. To make matters
worse the ‘kutcha’ factory building collapsed under
mysterious circumstances. A disheartened Mr Mukherjee,
on the verge of winding up operations and leaving these
inhospitable surrounds, was advised by a ‘tantric’
soothsayer to conduct a ‘puja’ dedicated to Goddess Kali.
His days of ‘bad luck’ ceased immediately and he renamed
the garden Kalibari. Since then, the celebration of Kali
Puja has become an annual tradition, the blessings of the
Goddess being evoked with great devotion.
January 2011 11
The New Assam Tea Company took charge of the
property in 1919 and Kalibari became known as
Mahakali; Mr N.J.C. Moss was Manager for the first
three decades. Whilst the new factory premises were
being constructed the leaf was sent to neighbouring
Monkhooshi T.E., transported by bullock carts, for
manufacture. The maximum weekly wages at that time
amounted to 250/-. The money was sent from Calcutta
by post in a unique manner. The hundred rupee notes were
cut in half and one portion was posted a couple of days
after the first. The garden ‘Kaya’ (Banker) was given both
halves, which he converted to coins of the required
denomination for disbursement.
In 1950 when Assam suffered a devastating earthquake
Mr and Mrs Moss were trapped inside their bungalow
and rescuers had to break down the doors to release them.
Two leaf spreading ‘chungs’ in the factory tilted with the
force of the tremors. The present Burra Bungalow was
built in 1952 after the quake.
Sri Bipin Chandra Deb
distinctive and loud. Leopards are a regular sight even
today. Deepak Agha (Manager, 1982-86) remembers an
incident when he was driving home from Monkhooshi T.E.
one afternoon. A leopard was sitting in the middle of the
thoroughfare, watching the approaching vehicle. The jeep
stopped and for a couple of minutes man and beast stared
at each other from a distance of about 50 feet. Finally, the
large cat lazily ambled across. Mr Agha raced ahead
thinking the animal had disappeared into the forest but to
his consternation it was waiting for him at the side of the
road, just 3 feet away. Fortunately, the vehicle roared past
without any mishap. Mr Agha vividly recalls the beauty
and majesty of the wild creature even today.
By the middle of the twentieth century Mahakali became
part of Macneil & Barry which later merged with the
Williamson Magor group.
During her husband’s tenure at Mahakali, Mrs Suniti
Agha organized the inaugural Tingri Club Flower Show in
1984. Mrs Sheilah Rome was invited as Chief Guest and
Mr R.B. Magor also attended the festivities, complimenting
the participants on the size of the pumpkin exhibit!
The green canopy of Borjan forest which bounds the
estate on two sides includes many species of wildlife.
The Hoolock Gibbon, one of the world’s twenty-five most
threatened primates, may be seen by a lucky visitor.
The ‘call’ by which this mammal defends its territory is
In 1993 Monkhooshi T.E. was amalgamated with
Mahakali. This domain originally belonged to Sri Bipin
Chandra Deb who sold the land to Mr Panchan
Mukherjee in the 1930s. A charming story lies behind
the naming of this property. Labour was imported in
Hoolock Gibbon
12 January 2011
batches from Bihar to establish the estate in 1915. They
worked for a period of six months, known as the
Guarantee Period, before returning to their native place.
Management always enquired of them if they were
satisfied with their tasks and living conditions. The reply,
‘mon khooshi hai’ (my heart is glad), established the
garden’s credentials and name! The Guarantee Period was
gradually increased to three years and subsequently many
families settled permanently in their new home.
this pump drainage was introduced in Kasomari (1991)
and Mahakali division (1992) during the tenure of
Mr Ravinder Singh as Manager. Mr Singh recalls the
innovative system devised by his assistants to verify the
water outlets; they built a raft and glided through the
main drains to confirm the flow of excess water!
Mr Mukherjee is remembered by the ‘senior citizens’ of
Monkhooshi, riding his white stallion on ‘kamjari’. They
say that on a still night, the distinctive ‘khat khat’ of the
horse’s hoofs may still be heard near the ancient ‘Bael’ tree
at the crossroads outside the old factory premises!
Modern Mahakali T.E. includes three divisons -Mahakali, Kasomari and Monkhooshi. Oldtimers tell us
that Kasomari division was called ‘Dilkhush’, a synonym
for Monkhooshi; the name was changed after the sighting
of fresh water turtles (kaso) in the ‘hulas’ (rivulets) within
the sections.
Pump Drainage
The oft repeated analogy, a safe haven, holds true at
Mahakali T.E. Families, like the Pals, have thrived within
its caring environs for generations. The story of Arkhito
and his wife Ratni who arrived on the property
in the 1920s is one of commitment and hard work. Their
three sons were employed on the estate and today their
two grandsons, Peter and Adi, are Factory Staff.
A ‘Kaso’ in the ‘Hula’
An inherent water logging problem on the estate had
to be tackled aggressively. Crop prospects and yield,
especially at Kasomari divison, were dwindling due
to flooding of the tea bearing areas from the paddy fields
through the present Section No.15. There were no
outlets for the garden ‘nullas’ (drains) and to counteract
Arkhito & Family
January 2011 13
Mahakali today encompasses a grant area of 881 hectares,
582.99 being tea bearing areas with a yield of 23.14
quintals. The nursery, a treasury of luxuriant growth, is an
asset which provides 2 lakh plants annually.
The medical needs of the estate are disbursed from two
hospitals under the care of individual doctors. The
Monkhooshi medical set-up houses a unique water tank,
almost like a tower, with a distinctive façade.
Nursery
These two young men were encouraged by their mother,
who had received no formal instruction, to study by the
light of an oil lamp; electricity was still a distant dream in
the labour lines of their youth. They attribute their success
in completing their schooling to her dedication and love.
Peter and Adi have furthered their mother’s dream of
educating her family by enrolling their children in the Los
Angels School. Established in 1993 in the ACMS
building at the entrance to Monkhooshi, admission to the
primary classes began in the same year under the
stewardship of Mrs Ravinder Singh. Today the school is
housed on land donated by the Company at Monkhooshi
division and affiliated to SEBA, the Secondary Education
Board of Assam. Children from neighbouring estates have
the choice of an established educational institution
offering sports, computer classes and a ‘House’ system
which encourages discipline, camaraderie and a healthy
competitive spirit.
Water Tank at Monkhooshi Hospital
Los Angels School
14 January 2011
There are three primary schools, one in each division.
These are the ‘hubs’ for the WASH (Water Sanitation
Hygiene) programme, a social initiative under the aegis
of the government which aims at providing total
sanitation to all. Cycle rallies, processions, banners and
wall writing campaigns have been organized to create
awareness and inculcate habits which will promote good
health among the residents of the estate.
Primary Schools
Near Section No.17A, Monkhooshi division, a
solitary grave lies in a verdant enclosure. Mary,
daughter of Mr F.G. Godsell, Superintendent of
erstwhile Monkhooshi T.E., is interred in this tranquil
patch. Her brother, James, married an Indian lady and
his descendents are still resident on the estate, earning
their livelihood within their ancestral home.
This is a boon conferred by the Goddess. The
veneration and love of Her devotees ensures
Maa Kali’s blessings on the property and all who dwell
within.
The Resting Place of Mary Godsell
The Team: Standing (L to R): S. Eastment, A. Baruah, R. Baruah
Seated (L to R): Dr B. Baruah, P.S. Aswal (Manager), Dr Z. Rahman
January 2011 15
TEA PHILOSOPHY
Kevyn David
Bogapani T.E.
amurai follow Bushido, British go with tradition,
Americans, their ‘way of life’; Tea has ‘dastoor’ which
encompasses tradition, values, and a way of life.
S
I arrived at Central Dooars T.E. late one evening. My
bungalow mate, peremptorily waving away meek protests,
promptly poured a hefty slug of dark liquid and shoved it
into my protesting hand…Apso rum – a Bhutanese
distillation which gives the term ‘firewater’ a whole new
meaning! It’s difficult to describe the first few seconds’
agony and gagging aftertaste. Downing it as rapidly as
possible to put the initiation ceremony behind me I was
dismayed to encounter the first ‘dastoor’ – “thou shall drink
just one drink only at an enemy’s”. The second glass down
a glow descended… unprotesting on the third refill I was
bullet-proof thereafter and rashly charged down the valley
of death, cannons volleying and thundering… warning be
damned! Dinner was served anon by which time I was
pie-eyed and feeling no pain… till ‘murgi daak’ (cock crow)
when I dragged myself for morning ablutions, dry
mouthed and with pounding head – symptoms
distressingly encountered on many occasions in the years
that followed.
16 January 2011
I soon understood Tea Planting to be a way of life – unique
and nonpareil. It was the ‘dastoor’ that seniors took the
mickey out of a trainee with the intention of ascertaining
his mettle and moulding a good planter; we trainees, on
our part, retaliated with Machiavellian intent. For instance,
‘dastoor’ has it that the junior-most must alight from the
car to deal with any problem which may arise – ford a
flooded river charting the course for vehicles to follow,
change punctured tyres, clear debris blocking the road and
so on…. Once, returning from our late night wanderings,
we encountered a branch lying across the road. The car was
stopped and I was summarily ordered to clear the way.
Finding the branch crawling with red ants, I declared it
too large to handle; whereupon the rest of the gang led by
my burly Senior Assistant emerged, cursing my ineptitude,
and manhandled it out of the way. The ants swarmed up
trouser legs and shirtsleeves checking out their new
surroundings and industriously went about sampling the
meat on display… Pandemonium ensued and I carried out
six months’ stock-taking of rations as a result!
It was ‘dastoor’ that hierarchy be solid and stratified but
not stifling, encouraging the development of initiative and
personality. Valuable lessons were learnt, none more so
than keeping a divide between one’s professional and
social life. The Visiting Agent, a demi-god endowed with
great power but blessed with humanity and sporting spirit,
threw a dinner party to welcome his recently wed daughter
and son-in-law. Taking a cue from my seniors who were
steadily depleting our host’s cellar I proceeded to get
merrily pickled. All eyes were on me as I swayed in for
dinner. A hearty helping on my plate, I withdrew to the
sidelines. Minutes later the tinkling of my fork hitting
mosaic interrupted polite mealtime chatter. Retrieving it I
walked purposefully towards the kitchen with the
intention of replacing the errant cutlery. I pushed the
swing door with my shoulder and dropped the plate full of
food! My host rushed up, telling me not to worry but to
take another helping, which I did. Whilst putting the first
morsel to my mouth my eyes strayed down and discovered
that not all the spilled food had reached the floor – a little
rice, the odd potato and a precariously balanced piece of
chicken lay resting on my ridged moccasins. Attempting
to remove the evidence surreptitiously I dropped the fork
a couple more times and nearly unseated myself. The fact
that I was the blot on an otherwise perfect evening,
rendering a priceless dinner service useless for parties
thereafter, never reflected on my appraisal and neither
was an apology demanded; that it was a one-off
occurrence leaving me deeply mortified and wallowing
in abject misery for weeks thereafter was considered
penance enough.
Despite having only jingling change in our pockets it was
‘dastoor’ that hospitality must know no bounds; anyone
dropping in could not leave without a meal which, more
often than not, was supplemented with eggs or – more
imaginatively on one occasion – hare. This (because the
water supply system had collapsed!) was cooked in… you
guessed it… Apso rum!!
‘Dastoor’, evolving through as many ‘avatars’ as
raconteurs…(but we’ll leave that and others for another
day)… is the thread which wove a socio-professional fabric
that survived a century, ensuring orderly continuity in a
traditional industry encircled by a rapidly changing world.
We have a great legacy…let’s keep it that way…
Cheers!!
‘Dastoor’ ensured chivalry was not dead; gentlemen must
act gallantly towards the fairer sex and the least one could
do was open the car door for a lady. A senior planter did
so once, only to find the lady’s seat in an Assistant
Manager’s car to be a cane chair from the verandah! I
think that’s when Head Office was prevailed upon to
revise the car loan.
‘Dastoor’ also demanded living life king-sized…
which on our salaries in those days ensured
penury! The garden ‘gola’ (all-purpose store)
virtually took on the role of a benevolent uncle,
bailing one out as the month wore on and
paychecks seemed lightyears away! (Every
story with a hero must feature a villain which,
in this instance, was the usurious Head Clerk!)
January 2011 17
Preparation of Potted
Plants for the Flower Show
–
Jayshree Das
Phulbari T.E.
lower Shows in Assam are usually
held in early February. This is one of
the most anticipated events of the
year and needs a lot of planning and hard
work especially for beginners who need to
have the right knowledge to enter the
competition.
F
We have various categories in a Flower
Show. These range from Home Produce,
Floral Arrangement, Vegetables and Fruits
to Cut Flowers, testing each lady on the
skills that make her an accomplished
Tea wife. Of these, Potted Plants is by
far the largest section and takes pride
of place.
To begin with, the most important tip is:
read the brochure very carefully. If anything
is unclear clarify with the Convener
immediately rather than wait till the Show.
18 January 2011
General Tips:
= Sort out all your pots and drums well
= Check the inside diameter of the pot
before the Show. Once you have
selected your pots keep them all in
one place so it is easier to look after
them.
or drum to ensure that it is as per the
brochure. Flowering shrubs in a
drum, like Bougainvilleas, need to be
pruned in September/October so that
they bloom by February.
= All foliage and flowering plants need
to be looked after over a period of
time. It cannot be done at the last
minute. Keep the foliage plants
separate from the flowering plants so
you can keep washing the leaves with
a sprayer without damaging the
flowers.
= Beginners should start with plants
that grow without much fuss – Palms,
Ferns, Dieffenbachias, Azaleas and
Dracaenas. In the flowering plants
category Violets, Anthuriums and
Geraniums are the ideal choice.
= It is important to choose a container
of the right size for the plant.
Containers that are too small or too
large present an imbalanced
appearance. The maximum size of the
pot should be 15 inches in diameter,
the minimum being 9 inches. In
short, the plant should be in
proportion to the pot used. Plants
should be of a height which is
convenient for judging, approximately
just below eye level.
= Shrubs need to be pruned at the right
time to maintain the correct height,
look healthy and compact. If some
plants are too tall, give them support
while moving them to the club but
remember to remove the support
before entry. However, your plants
should not be too tall and occupy
space.
= The drums should be rust free and
undamaged. The pots must be cleaned
well and polished. Apply the earthen
brick colour (geru) on your pots just
before the Show. In the case of
African Violets, remember to keep a
small earthen plate filled with water
underneath the pot, otherwise your
lovely Violets will be disqualified.
= The soil in the pots must be clean and
devoid of any weeds. The soil and
roots must be firm. Do not loosen the
soil too close to the Show as judges
might feel that they have been
recently planted.
= Some plants need staking or tying up.
The appearance of the pot plant must
be neat and appealing to the eye.
Plants should have leaves from the
bottom of the stem to the top or
proportionately growing all around
according to the variety. There should
not be any gaps, making it look lanky.
All climbers and creepers must be
properly wrapped around the mosssticks. An untidy looking plant will
lose out.
= The foliage must be clean and
unblemished by disease. Remove all
yellow or discoloured leaves and if the
plants need a little shaping do it well
before the Show. The best way to
clean leaves is to dampen a soft cloth
with water and wipe both surfaces of
each leaf.
January 2011 19
Plants with hairy leaves should be dusted with a soft
cosmetic brush. Do not polish the leaves with oil or any
other substance.
= The leaves of Ferns and Dieffenbachias become
yellow/brown during winter due to the cold night
temperatures. These plants like warmth so they need to
be kept indoors at night, preferably under fluorescent
light to keep the temperature warm and in a
semi-shaded place (not directly under the sun) during
the day.
= Flowering plants, like Camellias, Geraniums and
Carnations, must have enough flowers on the plant and
not unopened buds. Flowers like Carnations take a
long time from bud to flower. Place them under an
electric bulb - the heat helps to open the bud. African
Violets should have flowers all growing nicely in the
centre with the leaves around them.
= Make sure you water your pots thoroughly before
entering the Show so that they stay fresh. Good
presentation is very important because sometimes a
good specimen can lose out to an ordinary one because
of its untidy appearance. In short, every pot plant
entered should be properly checked. It should be
healthy, full, unblemished and of good size and shape.
The growth and formation must be even.
= When entering your pots place them in the right
category. If entered in the wrong category the entry is
disqualified. ‘Malis’ can make mistakes!
On the day of the Flower Show those in charge of Sections should listen carefully to the comments of the judges and pass
these on to the competitors. One can learn a lot from the judges’ experience. Lastly, do not get disheartened or discouraged
if you do not win any prizes. There is always a next time.
Happy Planting!
20 January 2011
SHABAASH!
–
Vidya Kaul
lobal Young Leaders
Conference is a unique
leadership conclave held
annually that brings together
exceptional young persons from
across the globe. Chiranjit, son of
Nareswar and Aparajita Sonowal of
Rajmai T.E., participated in last year’s
event held at Washington DC from
13 June for a period of two weeks. The
objective of the conference was to
“foster and inspire young leaders
to achieve their full potential”.
Participants from 192 countries
interacted with political and business
leaders, noted journalists and distinguished academicians in
challenging and dynamic environs through discussions, guest
lectures, round table colloquiums and seminars, leading to The Final
Global Summit. Upon the faculty advisors’ judgment of his
leadership potential, Chiranjit was given the position of Ambassador
representing Indonesia and Secretary General of European Union’s Force Ouvriere to lead the
respective committees at The Commissions and The Global Summit.
G
An integral part of the conference agenda was to encourage the delegates to visit historical monuments, museums
and forums like the WTO and United Nations. The farewell Dinner Cruise at New York City concluded this
amazing journey for the young man. He is confident that the knowledge and understanding gained by sharing
thoughts and ideas with his peers has helped him appreciate his role and responsibility as a citizen and future
leader of an international community.
Mr R. Kishore Kumar, Senior Principal at Chiranjit’s alma mater, St John’s International Residential School,
Chennai, proudly states, “He was selected as a Global Scholar considering his academic excellence, co-curricular
participation and extra-curricular performance in school. As Head Boy of the Students Council, his leadership
initiatives and effectiveness in discharging duties have been commendable.”
Young individuals like Chiranjit are our hope for the future. We wish him every success in the realization of his
dreams for a better world.
January 2011 21
ENABLING THE DISABLED
–
Tulip Lahkar
Rajmai T.E.
ife moves so fast
that we take a
number of things
for
granted
until
something goes wrong.
Our eyes have always been there to see, with or without
glasses, we can hear a bowl break in the kitchen far away from
the bedroom and our legs support us courageously in the
field, factory, office and home through the day. And, as I write
this on my computer, I look down at my fingers as they move
at a rhythm of their own. Yes, God has been kind to us.
L
22 January 2011
In between the factory and the field (and the club and
kitchen), we have always had time for people who are less
fortunate than us and all of us have tried in our own little
way to make life better for them. Physical and mental
disability is, however, something that one does not come
across often as most children or adults affected with these
challenges remain in their homes. It was, therefore,
overwhelming for the doctors and executives of our Moran
and Dooars gardens to see the response to camps organized
for the disabled in collaboration with Niswarth, a registered
charity based in Bagracote T.E. (Dooars) and ABITA
(Assam).
Labour Minister of Assam,
Sri Prithvi Majhi, visits Moran Camp
Government Disability Card
and Dibrugarh districts as well as Moran town attended the
Camp. The facilities were not only offered to workers or
dependents but also to non-working residents of the gardens.
“We were astonished when more than 450 patients thronged
the grounds of the hospital,” said Dr M.K. Das, Moran T.E.
“We never imagined there could be so many disabled persons
from our estates as these patients have always been kept in
their homes, away from everyone.”
Moran T.E. hosted a Disability Camp in August 2009.
Garden workers and hospital staff spread the word in the
Lines and with the assistance of the local Lions Club the
news was circulated in nearby Moran town. The Camp was
organized not just for MRIL estates (Moran, Rajmai,
Attabarrie, Sepon, Dirai and Lepetkatta) but for all the
surrounding properties. Patients from 14 gardens in Sibsagar
Debo Ganju & Baidyanath Mahali (hearing impaired), Factory Workers
at Moran T.E. since 1993.
Dr D. Chaliha of Rajmai T.E., who is also the Medical
Coordinator, Moran Circle, ABITA, agreed. He said, “This
was the first time such a camp has been organized in this
region; even the government has not taken any initiative in
this respect.” Dignitaries like the ADC Sibsagar, DC
Dibrugarh, Joint Director (Health Services), Chairman
ABITA and Labour Minister Sri Prithvi Majhi graced the
occasion.
After the patients were registered, they were sent to the
different rooms earmarked for screening by specialized
doctors from Assam Medical College; the categories were
mobility/orthopedic disability, ENT disabilities, general
medicine, visual impairment and mental/psychiatric
disabilities. After being meticulously examined by the doctors
and surgeons 300 patients were detected with physical and
mental disabilities of 40% or more. Each of these is eligible
for a Government Disability Card and a Card from Niswarth.
The Niswarth team documented and photographed those
who qualified to receive benefits. The Cards, which are signed
by the District Commissioner and Social Welfare Officer,
entitles them to government benefits such as employment
quotas, free travel, scholarships and pensions. Lunch and
snacks were provided to the patients, visiting dignitaries,
doctors, medical staff, executives from our estates and the
Niswarth contingent.
January 2011 23
Sazad Munda & Anjali Munda (cerebral palsy), Rajmai T.E.
Various disabilities were observed. The predominant cases were
of hearing and visual impairment. (Cataract is not counted as
a physical disability.) Many suffered following a polio attack in
childhood. Cerebral palsy was diagnosed in a number of
patients. Sumi Bhumij from Moran T.E. is a girl with a
beautiful smile. She cannot speak but she can write. She wrote
her name in my diary and with gestures explained why
marriage is an absolute ‘no-no’ for her and that she loves to
sew. Anjali Munda from Rajmai T.E. clutched my camera and
could not let go. She suffers from cerebral palsy. Finally, with
her left hand she managed to release the camera from her right
hand and grinned at me. Earlier this year, in June 2010, Cards
were distributed to 125 patients; arrangements are being made
to distribute these to all those entitled to them.
Simultaneously, Niswarth has been co-ordinating with the
Dooars estates. A Disability Camp was organized by MRIL
at Chuapara T.E. hospital on 21 March 2010; 450 persons
registered. Of these, 171 were eligible for the Disability
Certificates and Cards. These were residents of Chuapara,
Central Dooars, Bhatpara, Mathura, Jainti, Satali, Mechpara,
Radharani and Chinchula estates. Apart from garden workers
many came from nearby villages too. The doctors and their
team from the government administration arrived at the
Camp from Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. All 450
patients were provided with food packets and refreshments at
Chuapara Hospital. The estate’s Mothers’ Club and Scouts &
Guides actively supported the professionals, and the
executives and their wives from all our five gardens assisted in
the project. Lunch for the visiting doctors and Niswarth staff
was organized at Chuapara Swimming Club.
An Eye Camp was to be held at Jaybirpara Hospital on
27 June 2010, but could not be conducted as the doctors and
medical staff were unable to reach the estate due to the river
being in spate. It was later organized at Chuapara Hospital in
association with Lions Club on 28 June 2010; 10 patients
from Chuapara were taken to Siliguri, where they were kept
for observation for two days.
24 January 2011
Sumi Bhumij (speech & hearing impaired) has a sewing machine at home
The story does not end here. Now that a beginning has been
made, efforts are on to help the identified persons get on with
as normal a life as possible. There will be a second Camp for
distribution of disability aids and appliances such as
wheelchairs, tricycles, crutches and hearing aids in Moran.
According to Dr Das, efforts are also being made to organize
a vocational training camp for the disabled with the help of
Niswarth. Training in incense making and creating greeting
cards is being arranged. The ladies of the Moran estates on
their part are teaching the disabled dependents of workers
viable skills to make them financially independent.
Dr Das told me a sad story. Early one morning a train was
crossing Moran, loudly tooting its horn. A teenage girl who
had been diagnosed with hearing defects in both ears at the
Camp, was walking across the tracks and did not realize that
the train was approaching. A hearing aid had been issued in
her name and she was to get it in two days but, unfortunately,
it was too late for her. Detection is the first step to giving
support. These camps are thus very important. They may be
one-day affairs but for a person who cannot see, hear or walk,
they may be life-changing.
Examinations at the Dooars Camp, Chuapara Hospital
Weddings
Ashmita,
daughter of
Ravinder &
Raman Singh of
Addabarie T.E.
wed Akshay on
25 May 2010
Sunil & Rimpal
Gangoti
Bogapani T. E.
27 June 2010
Manoj &
Khusbu Thakur
Behora T.E.
28 November 2009
Births
Jai, son of
Manish Pal Singh
& Navneet Kaur
Dekorai T.E.
26 December 2009
Pori, daughter of
Dipankar &
Niharika Malakar
Behora T.E.
3 April 2010
Purbahna, son
of Chirantan &
Juri Baruah
Jainti T.E.
16 July 2010
January 2011 25
MERCHANTS CUP GOLF
Winners: Williamson Magor ‘A’
(L to R): Jayanta Gohain, Aditya Khaitan,
Vivek Seth and Lakshman Singh
Winners: MRIL BLUE
Best Goalkeeper: Pinku Chakraborty – Beesakopie T.E.
Best Player: Kalden Bhutia – Rajmai T.E.
Winners: MRIL ‘A’
Runners-up: MRIL ‘B’
ENNIS
T
Y
N
A
P
M
R CO
MRIL INTE
26 January 2011
he Uganda Team visiting
India comprised Managers
from different estates in
Uganda; Lameck, Irene, John, Eva,
George and Fred as the Team Leader.
T
Fred Ssegujja
Chief Factory Manager
McLeod Russel Uganda
THE
LAND
OF
MANY
RIVERS
The group arrived at Kolkata Airport
in the morning hours on a very
beautiful day, Friday, 30 July, 2010. We
were happily welcomed by Betreen
who kindly showed us to the waiting
vehicles. The dinner at the 9th floor of
the serene Mangoe Lane edifice was
very nice, in a relaxing ambience. Eva,
Irene and Lameck looked splendidly
smart in traditional Ugandan attire.
We arrived at Dibrugarh Airport on
1 August in the early hours of the
afternoon where we were met by
Pritom whose bright smile and
courteous manner were genuinely
welcoming in spite of the blazing heat
at the airport. We were warmly
received at Raidang T.E. by the Senior
Manager, Mr A. Hazarika, in typical
Assam style; a ‘Gamusa’ and a ‘Japi’
were presented to each one of us.
Dinner at the Hazarikas’ and the
traditional Bihu dance were a real
palatial feast for the Uganda
‘delegation’. George and John gave a
very good account of themselves with
very rare strokes of concocted Bihu
moves.
We awoke to the sweet sound of
singing birds the following day for a
quick visit to Raidang Factory before
breakfast at the guest house. The
beauty of the Gardens is accentuated
by the excellent agronomic practices.
The lush green tea bushes were a real
feast for the eyes so were the workers
in their colorful sarees. The practices
in all the Estates we visited were very
good and consistent. We were
impressed by the pro-activeness,
knowledge, experience and loyalty of
the people managing the Estates.
It was a wonderful opportunity
accorded to us to enjoy Indian
hospitality
at
the
Managers’
Bungalows with lawns and flower
gardens tastefully done up and
maintained impeccably. We were
overwhelmed by the warm hospitality
of our Hosts as we marveled at the
variety and sumptuousness of the food
served at every meal.
As I bade farewell, the warm smiles of
the people together with the
wonderful memories of Assam with its
many rivers remains deeply etched in
my mind.
January 2011 27
FELICITATION
50
Mr R. S. Jhawar was felicitated on completing
fifty years’ service. He was presented a memento
as a token of appreciation by the Chairman,
Mr B. M. Khaitan, on 1 September 2010.
L AURELS
MRIL was presented the AsiaMoney Award
for ‘Overall Best Managed Company in India Small Cap’ 2009.
28 January 2011
Madhumita Bhattacharya
– a profile
- Nidhi Singh
Phulbari T.E.
he personifies the saying, ‘still waters run deep’. It’s
been a pleasure painting the portrait of a lady so
talented in a myriad hues, yet epitomizing modesty.
university. (I was listening with rapt attention and
assimilating these glorious facts.) She was assisted by a
University Grants Commission Fellowship.
Madhumita hails from Asansol; she was the apple of her
parents’ eyes, being the only child. The essence of her
formative years was education and culture. Gaining
knowledge and a quest for learning coupled with unstinted
effort were the traits that shaped the impressive academic
qualifications that she achieved.
Vishva Bharati University specializes in all branches of the
Arts, with special emphasis on Bengali literature.
Madhumita rekindled her interest in Classical and Semi
Classical music whilst a student and enrolled in a certificate
course in Rabindra Sangeet; she also studied Urdu and
graduated with distinction in both disciplines.
S
In the serene, culturally rich
settlement of Shantiniketan,
Madhumita graduated in Botany,
moving on to securing a 1st
position for her Masters on Tissue
Culture. Then, the daunting
endeavour of a PhD; I actually had
the honour of holding and
skimming through her thesis on
Yellow Oleander. Her meticulous
and arduous effort in compiling
the tome was evident indeed. An
extract of this wonder plant is
helpful in treating cardiac
problems. The best part is that
Madhumita was a scholarship
student throughout her years at
Madhumita with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Chancellor, Vishva Bharati University
January 2011 29
The young bride left the city for Tea and she has no regrets
as she made the best use of the resources available to her.
Soon the tranquility of the garden began to wear her out
and not one to let the grass grow under her feet she decided
to put her knowledge to good use. Madhumita divided her
time between being a Tea Memsahab and doing research at
ICMR, Dibrugarh, a cancer research laboratory. She tested
and investigated samples for Nasopharyngeal Cancer
which is common in the North East due to a chemical,
Benzopyrene, found in smoked meat.
As I begin to think that this is serious stuff Madhumita
reveals yet another facet to her persona, that she is a trained
classical dancer. One of her performances has been telecast
with the accompanying song, Durga Bandana, sung by
Gautam. She enjoys singing ghazals and songs in Hindi
and Bengali, many of which are her own compositions.
Gautam and Madhumita often entertain us with their
melodious voices at Bihu evenings at the Club.
Receiving her Degree from Mrs Indira Gandhi
I sat in the Spanish ‘hacienda’ at Tarajulie T.E. soaking in
the breeze and sipping tea as we talked. I could see her eyes
light up with joy as she showed me a photograph of a
lissome young lady receiving her degree from none other
than the iconic Mrs Indira Gandhi; truly a moment
to savour.
Amidst the beautiful environs of Shantiniketan,
Madhumita met the man who was going to be her knight
in shining armour; the young, dynamic and very talented
Gautam. Their passion for music, the magic of his golden
voice and her charisma culminated in instant chemistry.
Madhumita came as a bride to Bokel T.E., a picturesque
garden on the outskirts of Tinsukia, in April 1987. She
joined the world of Tea, totally new and unknown to her.
She enjoyed the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of the
garden after a rather busy year of concentrated hard work
on her thesis. As Tea Memsahabs we all hone our
gardening and culinary skills sooner or later and there is
always someone to guide and share with us those
wonderful tips which we cherish all our lives. Madhumita’s
mentors were Mrs Motahhira Hasan and Mrs Shalini
Mehra who helped her and shared from their experiences
words of wisdom that she cherishes to this day; even plants,
some of which she still has and treasures. These are the
memories that Tea life is all about.
30 January 2011
Madhumita has penned an article on Shantiniketan in the
New Global Indian, Melange, and the All Assam Lekhika
Samaroh includes her writings on topics like Green House
Effect. ‘Yatri’, an Assamese poem, has won an award for
this creative writer. She can wax eloquent in Hindi, Urdu
and of course Bengali. Let’s not forget the internet where
she writes on various topics. One of her research papers
was presented at the 22nd International Horticultural
Congress in California.
Teaching has been a rewarding experience for Madhumita.
She has taught at the primary section of Vivekananda
Kendra Vidyalaya, Dibrugarh. She shared with me her
mantra to get around the tiny tots. “To understand, stand
under”, see things through their eyes. To make her
classroom experience interesting she would draw a
beautiful graphic with coloured chalk on the blackboard
which the little ones enjoyed. The teacher who came in for
the next lesson did not want to delete the artwork! She
taught Biology to Middle and Senior school students at
Don Bosco School and Army School, Dinjan. She happily
picked up the gauntlet when asked to teach Political
Science, a subject different from her stream of expertise. It
was a gratifying experience when her students achieved
good grades in the examinations. Some of her students still
call her on Teachers’ Day.
Madhumita has been closely associated with The Camellia,
the Planters’ magazine, from its inception. The story goes
that one evening when the ladies of Dibrugarh Club
commented on the club notice boards which were really
large, she suggested, why not have a wall magazine?
Mrs Shalini Mehra of Nudwa T.E. was listening and took
it a step further. Thus, The Camellia was born. Madhumita
has made a significant contribution to the Children’s Page;
‘Me 2 U’ is a guiding light for many of our children.
Madhumita. There was food for thought and enough facts
to savour and enjoy.
The artistic side to Madhumita is resplendent in her
drawing room. The walls are embellished with beautiful
‘kantha’ work. The most wonderful creation is, of course,
a kurta she has embroidered in ‘kantha’ stitch for Gautam.
I have seen it and it gives a Rohit Bal creation stiff
competition! I am sure Gautam has worn it and sung a
beautiful ghazal or two.
She revealed yet another dimension to her multifaceted
personality, the practice of Reiki in which discipline she is
certified in the second level. This has added that calm and
control, so essential in today’s world, to her
qualities.
Madhumita believes that life is like a glass
half filled. It is how you look at it, whether
it seems half empty or half full. The belief
lies within us. I cannot think of a cup of life
more full; indeed, it might just overflow!
It was truly memorable, my tête-à-tête with
Creations
in ‘Kantha’
The Family
January 2011 31
T- UP C
32 January 2011
UP 2010
‘Our Fair Ladies’
January 2011 33
Saikat Ghosh
- a profile
- Shuvamita Mukhopadhyay
Dekorai T.E.
imple, jovial, soft spoken and warm – these are the
words that come to mind when one meets Mr Saikat
Ghosh, popularly known as Rony, who is currently
posted as Manager, Dufflaghur T.E. A tea planter is required
to assume many different roles in his professional life – wear
different hats as it were. In the case of a few the brims are
wider still, to accommodate unusual activities and interests
that are adjunct to the running of an estate.
S
Born and brought up in Tea, Mr Ghosh studied at
St Edmunds School, Shillong, and graduated in English
from St Xaviers College, Kolkata. Throughout his academic
life he was an extraordinary student. Mr Ghosh married
Sonali, and their only child, Gourav, is studying at
The Assam Valley School.
Mr Ghosh is keen on many subjects – a multifaceted
personality. There are two types of people in this world –
one, whose knowledge is confined
to books and the other, who apply
their knowledge in a practical way.
Mr Ghosh belongs to this second
category. We
may
have
all heard or read about
aeromodelling but Mr Ghosh has
actually learned to make model
aircraft.
Aeromodelling is a hobby that
has been popular since the 1930s.
It involves the construction of
small aeroplanes using materials
such as Balsa wood. A vast array
of designs are available, from ultra
simple gliders to highly accurate
scale models, some of which can
be as large as one-third the actual
size or more. These replicas
may be built either as static nonflying models, or as the flying
models that Mr Ghosh creates.
Construction techniques for the
two are usually very different.
34 January 2011
Ready for Take-off
Mr Ghosh’s interest in this unusual hobby developed during
his school days. While in school, he had joined the air wing
of the NCC (National Cadet Corps) where he got his first
exposure to aeromodelling and aviation in general. The
instructors at NCC (all ex Indian Air Force) had taught
them the basics of aeromodelling, both theoritical and
practical. When he was in Class VIII Mr Ghosh acquired
the necessary materials from India Hobby Centre, Kolkata,
and built his first model with the guidance of his NCC
instructors. He further developed his expertise by reading
books on this topic.
Post-liberalization, it was easier to obtain materials of a
higher standard from abroad as Customs duty was lowered
and import became more lenient. Then when internet access
came to Assam around the year 2000 he was able to get in
touch with international aeromodellers, join various forums
and procure materials online.
Mr Ghosh went on to build more sophisticated models.
These are fully powered by miniature combustion engines
which enable them to have all the functions of the real plane
and are flown by remote control. His Air Shows are a special
attraction for children and adults alike at annual Christmas
parties held at the club.
Due to his amicable nature Mr Ghosh is very popular
among youngsters, some of who, inspired by him, have also
developed an interest in aeromodelling. My husband,
Sunondo, is one of them. Mr Ghosh has encouraged him
and given him invaluable help and advice.
Mr Ghosh learned flying from Behala Flying Club
(Kolkata) and Assam Flying Club, obtaining a Private Pilot
License (PPL) which permits the holder to pilot a private
aircraft, though not a commercial one. He has now applied
for membership to the recently floated Aero Club of India
(ACI) based in New Delhi, which has Rahul Gandhi as its
President.
Passionate about Western ‘pop’ and rock music, Mr Ghosh’s
all time favourites are The Beatles. He learned to play the
guitar but doesn’t have much time to devote to this hobby
nowadays. He is also interested in debating, another hobby
which developed during his school days. He continues to
take an interest in debating, but as a judge rather than a
contestant. Mr Ghosh is invited to judge at debates held at
The Assam Valley School among others.
His versatility is not only confined to aeromodelling, music
and debating – his knowledge of all aspects of the computer,
like hardware, software, networking, and programming, is
remarkable. His main focus these days is on ‘artificial
intelligence’ which basically means that the networks on
some computers will automatically keep updating
themselves based on their own logic and without depending
on inputs from humans. These computers can then be linked
to form an intelligent network.
We all feel proud to have such a multitalented personality in
our MRIL family. Hoping that his talents may reach
horizons higher than his model planes, we wish him and his
family a happy, prosperous and glorious life ahead.
January 2011 35
Eye Care –
Common Eye
Problems
Rectus Medialis
Ciliary body
Vitreous body
Posterior chamber
Ciliary muscle
Anterior chamber
Ligaments
Nodal point
Fovea
Anterior pole
Posterior pole
Lens
Visual axis
Optic nerve
Cornea
Iris
Ora serrata
Limbus
Retina
Choroid
Sclera
he eye is one of the most
beautiful and vital parts of the
human body. Since time
immemorial, poets and scientists,
writers and researchers have been using
their imagination and expressing
theories about this sparkling organ of
sight. Here are a few quotes from some
famous personalities ranging from artist
to poet, philosopher to religious leader.
T
Dr Anjana C. Dowerah
Harchurah T.E.
i) The eye is the mirror of the soul.
(Yiddish Proverb)
ii) You cannot depend on your eyes
when your imagination is out of
focus. (Mark Twain)
iii) I have looked into your eyes with
my eyes; I have put heart near your
heart. (Pope John XXIII)
iv) The harvest of a quiet eye that
broods and sleeps on his own
heart… (William Wordsworth)
36 January 2011
Blind spot
v) The eye sees a thing more clearly in
dreams than the imagination awake.
(Leonardo da Vinci)
In a simplified way, the eye can be
compared to a simple camera; it has a
transparent media cornea and lens, an
adjustable shutter (iris), an aperture
through which light passes (pupil) and
a screen where the images are displayed
(retina) to be transmitted to the brain
through the nerve (optic nerve) for
perception.
The importance of clear sight during
the span of one’s life needs to be
emphasized; only those who have it
realize how difficult life is with
defective sight or with no sight at all.
Hence, immense care should be taken
to keep the eyesight intact from
childhood to old age.
A) Eye Problems in Children: Eye care and control
of blindness starts from a very young age. As prevention is
always better than cure, the Universal Immunization
Programme incorporates Vitamin A supplements for
children. As per the regime, 1,00,000 IU of Vit A solution
is given to a baby at nine months of age along with the
measles vaccine. Thereafter, 2,00,000 IU is given every six
months up to the age of five years. This supplement is in
liquid form with an agreeable taste and can be easily given
to babies.
Parents, usually the first to notice problems in their
children, should alert an eye care professional as soon as
they observe any trouble with their child’s eye or vision.
The following are some common eye problems:
i) Lazy eyes – tired eyes
ii) Strabismus – squint
iii) Colour Blindness – inability to recognize actual colours
iv) Pink Eyes – eyes suffering from an allergy
v) Short Sight – myopia i.e. inability to see the writing on
the blackboard in a classroom.
nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia, astigmatism or
cataract. These problems can be corrected with the use of
spectacles or contact lenses, or through operative measures.
C) Eye Injuries:
The eye is protected from direct injury by the lids, eyelashes
and the projecting margins of the orbit. Nevertheless, it can
be injured in a variety of ways by chemicals, heat, radiation
or mechanical trauma.
Chemical injuries: These may be caused by alkalis i.e.
caustics such as lime, usually from fresh mortar or
whitewash entering the eye, or from laboratory alkali. The
eye should be immediately washed with clean tap water
and then shown to the eye doctor for further treatment.
Acid burns (hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid) should be
immediately treated with copious irrigation using any clean
fluid at hand before going to the doctor.
Mechanical Injuries: These injuries to the globe (eyeball)
can occur in a variety of ways and produce a myriad clinical
sequelae. The injured person should be immediately taken
to the ophthalmologist.
B) Other Common Eye Problems (at any age):
D) Age related eye problems:
i) Pink eyes
ii) Itchy eyes
iii) Eye twitching
iv) Tired eyes
v) Blurred vision
Pink eyes: This is usually caused by an allergy, such as to dust,
wind or sunlight. The remedy is to wash the eyes with clean
tap water. Avoid rubbing because it damages small blood
vessels in the eyes and increases the redness. Use a clean
handkerchief, apply a cold compress and then consult a doctor.
Many eye problems occur as we get older. As always,
comprehensive eye examinations are important in order to
maintain healthy vision as we age. The following eye
problems may occur due to aging:
Itchy eyes or irritation: This may be caused by the
following: (a) dust (b) a foreign body impregnated in the
eyeball (c) allergy (d) Blepharitis.
Splashing water or using a cold compress may help but one
must consult a doctor.
Eye twitching: This is quite a common problem, usually
caused by stress, fatigue or panic disorder. To stop the
twitching, reduce stress by meditation and rest the eyes.
Consult a doctor if the problem persists.
Tired eyes: This is due to over-use of the computer
(computer vision syndrome), dry eye syndrome,
farsightedness or astigmatism.
Blurred vision: The inability to bring objects into sharp
focus can be caused by a number of conditions. Sometimes
fatigue or illness can cause vision to be temporarily blurred.
Other conditions responsible for blurred vision may be
i) Macular degeneration: Blurring of vision, for which
one has to consult a doctor. Macular degeneration is
more common in Caucasians, women and people over
65 years of age.
ii) Presbyopia: Inability to see near objects e.g. reading.
This can be corrected with spectacles. This is a
physiological disorder due to the laxity of suspensory
ligaments by which the lens is attached to the eyes.
iii) Cataract: An operation is the only solution for this
blurring of vision which cannot be corrected by
spectacles or medicines. Ophthalmology has advanced
to such an extent that cataract operations are
performed, and the patient discharged, in a day’s time.
iv) Glaucoma: When a person complains of headache,
seeing coloured haloes and dimness of vision, the
condition is usually due to increased intraocular pressure.
An ophthalmologist should be consulted for medication.
Medical statistics show that approximately 45 million
people go blind every year, worldwide. In India,
government and non-governmental organizations are
fighting untiringly against this tragic menace. We can
definitely help this cause by being alert about common eye
problems – thereby helping ourselves, people around us and
society at large.
January 2011 37
Biscuits and Cookies
- Abha Mehta
Margherita T.E.
here is nothing quite like homemade biscuits for
a tempting tea time treat. Biscuits are irresistibly
compulsive and you don’t have to be an expert
to get perfect results. For an enthusiastic cook, tea time
provides a chance to display skill and imagination and to
offer a wide variety of biscuits and cookies to family and
guests alike. Also, there is a deep sense of achievement
in baking one’s own as homemade biscuits have a special
aroma and taste. A good cup of tea, with a biscuit or
cookie to accompany it, is always welcome.
T
Home made biscuits are simpler to make and work out
very much cheaper than their commercially made
counterparts. Biscuits can be savoury or sweet. The latter
are, in general, made of wheat, flour or oats and
sweetened with sugar or honey. Some may contain
chocolate, fruit, jam, nuts or even be used to sandwich
other fillings. Savoury biscuits or crackers (such as cream
crackers, oat biscuits or crisp bread) are usually plainer
and commonly eaten with cheese after a meal. Biscuits
should be crisp, even in size and colour, of a good shape
and not too thick.
Today, throughout most of the world, the term ‘biscuit’
means a hard, crisp, brittle bread, except in the U.K. where
38 January 2011
it now denotes a softer bread product, baked only once.
European biscuits tend to be thinner, softer and more
sugary in consistency, and often more creative in design. In
Italy, ‘biscotti’ indicates any type of hard, twice-baked
biscuit. In Britain, biscuits have a strong cultural identity as
the traditional accompaniment to a cup of tea, and are
regularly eaten as such. In the United States and Canada,
a biscuit is called a cookie and it relates to a small, soft,
leavened bread, somewhat similar to a scone.
Cookies started out as little cakes used to test the oven
temperature before the larger cakes were baked. The mixing
of cookies is usually quick because, with most types,
overworking the dough tends to cause toughness. A true
sign of home baking is a small, delicate cookie.
Cookies are grouped into four categories, according to how
they are made: Drop, Refrigerator, Shaped and Cutouts.
=
Drop: The consistency of dough allows it to simply be
dropped from a spoon onto a baking sheet, making it
the easiest kind of cookie to bake.
=
Refrigerator: The dough is shaped into logs, wrapped
in plastic, then refrigerated until firm enough to slice
and bake.
=
=
Shaped: These cookies are formed by hand into
various shapes such as balls, logs and crescents,
or are pushed through a cookie press.
Cutout: The dough is firmer. To make it easier
to handle, the dough may need to be chilled
before being rolled out. Then it is cut into
different shapes with a cookie cutter or knife.
Baking is not difficult. All it takes is a little time and
application and, as you get more experienced and
gain in confidence, these touches of creativity turn a
basic recipe into something special and make it all
your own.
Useful hints:
1. Always pre-heat the oven to the degree
indicated.
2. Choose a flat baking sheet to enable the heat to
circulate directly and evenly over the cookie top.
3. Avoid using dark baking sheets as these absorb
heat and the cookies may brown too much on the
bottom. (To prevent this, double pan or stack two
baking sheets together.)
4. Grease the baking sheet with unsalted butter. For
delicate cookies, use greaseproof paper smeared
with butter, from which they peel off easily when
slightly cooled.
5. Oven thermostats are also variable so watch
closely, especially when baking molasses and
brown sugar cookies which burn easily.
6. Cool the biscuits and cookies on a wire rack, not
overlapping and then store them in airtight
containers. Once baked they should be cooled
rapidly and not left around for too long before
storing.
The flavours and aromas of baking evoke happy
memories of childhood moments and events with
family and friends. Baking is a form of relaxation, a
comfort and a pleasure both for the cook and those
fortunate enough to sample the results of this labour.
CHECKBOARD COOKIES
Ingredients:
Flour
Castor sugar
Butter
Cocoa powder
Egg yolk
Milk
Vanilla essence
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
200 grams
100 grams
120 grams
2 tbsp
1
1-2 tbsps (or more if needed)
½ tsp
Method: Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C. Cream the butter and
sugar together till light and fluffy. Add essence, flour and the egg
yolk and work together to form the dough. Divide the dough into
two parts, keeping one half plain and adding sieved cocoa powder
and milk to the other half. Mix both separately, to form two
portions of smooth dough with the same consistency.
Make two rolls of equal length from each. Place a brown roll
beside a white one, brush the sides as well as the top with either
milk or egg white and place the remaining two rolls on top of
these, reversing the order. Wrap this in cling film or aluminum
foil to make one long roll and gently press together with your
hands. Keep in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours till firm.
Remove the foil and cut the roll into thin slices with a sharp knife.
Place the cookies on a greased baking sheet and bake in the
moderately hot pre-heated oven till the white part of the cookie
turns slightly golden. Remove gently with a knife when still warm
and keep on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
CHEESE BISCUITS
Ingredients:
Flour
Baking powder
Salt
White pepper powder
Butter
Cheese
Ice cold water
White sesame seeds
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
200 grams
½ tsp (level)
a good pinch
a pinch
100 grams (frozen)
100 grams (grated)
1 tbsp or more if needed
1 tbsp
Method: Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C. Sieve the flour, baking
powder, white pepper and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter (or use
a grater) until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in
the grated cheese, add a little water and mix together to form a
stiff dough. Wrap this in cling film and keep it in the fridge for
half an hour. Roll the dough out thinly on a floured board (about
¼ inch in thickness) and cut into circles with a cutter.
Place these on a greased baking sheet, brush them with a little
milk and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake for 10 -15 minutes
until pale golden. Remove onto a wire rack and cool. Store in an
airtight container.
January 2011 39
- Sarita Dasgupta
egend has it that in 1927 or thereabouts a planter
from an estate bordering the Pengaree Forest
surreptitiously started clearing land within the jungle
and planting it with purloined tea plants. The forest being
inhabited by a variety of wild animals, clearing 25 hectares in
L
a year and that too, in secret, must have been quite a feat! He
then christened this patch of tea Phillobari (Phillo’s garden)
supposedly after either his wife or daughter.
Phillobari was incorporated as an out division of Bordubi and
another 154 hectares of land planted out by 1931. Sometime
between 1943 and 1945, it became a fullfledged estate under Mr A. Mellows, its first
Manager.
Mr J. Hambleton (Manager, 1953-62) planted
out extension areas in the southern part of the
estate. This was named Hambari after him and
now covers 97.35 hectares of elevated land. Over
the years the estate grew steadily to its present
size, 397.30 hectares, currently producing 9 lakh
kg tea annually in its HACCP certified factory.
This is the story of Phillobari T.E. situated
22 km from DoomDooma town in Tinsukia
district, Upper Assam. The region, once famous
for the orange orchards bordering the estate’s
southern side, now has the maximum number
of small tea growers in Assam. The estate is
40 January 2011
Sri P.C. Gogoi, Sri M. Sonowal, Sri B. Gogoi & Sri R. Gogoi
Sri Mukheswar Sonowal, retired Head Fitter, joined
Phillobari factory as fitter in 1954, under Mr Hambleton. In
those days all the machinery was mechanical and belt-driven.
There was no electricity supplied by the state so the garden
had to use generators to produce power. Some of these
engines were the Crossley, Ruston and the Crompton
dynamo that generated direct current (DC). When there was
no manufacture, these engines were switched off at 10 pm
and batteries were used to generate power. Retired electrician,
Sri Phukan Chandra Gogoi, remembers the sixty batteries
kept in a special chamber called the Battery House for this
purpose. He and retired Second Tea House, Sri Rabin Gogoi,
are both alumni of the Industrial Training Institute, Jorhat.
Sri P.C. Gogoi’s son, Bidyut, is now Head Electrician at
Phillobari while his other son, Pradeep, is the electrician at
Koomsong T.E.
Sri Rabin Gogoi, whose father, Sri Jadu Nath Gogoi, was
Head Fitter at Phillobari, joined the estate as a motor
mechanic under Sri Sonowal, who, in addition to maintaining
the machinery, looked after transport as well; sometimes even
doubling up as a driver! Sri Gogoi then moved from the
mechanical side to look after manufacture.
Till 1960 the only means of transportation was the trolley
line between Bordubi and Phillobari. A trolley engine with
bogeys attached would carry invoices to No. 8 Siding at
Sukrating and bring back supplies. A member of the transport
staff, known as the ‘Tali (trolley) Babu’ was in charge. It was
also his duty to take the trolley to DoomDooma town once a
month to shop for provisions.
During the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962, Sri Sonowal was
actively involved in the Grow More Food project at
Phillobari. The estate grew food grain and vegetables with a
view to storing them in case the war continued for a long
time, resulting in a shortage of food supplies. Sri Sonowal was
also chosen to attend a government sponsored training
programme in self-defense which included rifle shooting. As
part of the war effort, a vehicle and driver were sent from the
estate to help transport soldiers between Tezpur and Bomdila.
Luckily, both the driver, Jonas, and the vehicle returned safe
and sound.
Balu, Jackrias, Santosh & Jerome
Jackrias Barnabas and Balu
Chandri, two of the oldest
retired workers at Phillobari,
both joined work when
Mr G.H. Barron was the
Manager.
te
bounded by the DoomDooma River, the Pengaree Reserve
Forest and Bordumsa (Arunachal Pradesh) on the other
three sides.
ert
Jackrias, a tall, upright man who
s’ C
Jackria
belies his age, came from Kandaimunda
village ( Jharkhand) in the 1940s as an emigrant worker at the
age of twenty.
ifi
ca
January 2011 41
He married a woman worker from the estate and settled
down. His son, Anand, has followed in his parents’ footsteps
and works as a plucker.
Balu Chandri was born on the estate and spent his whole life
there. His parents and siblings all worked at Phillobari. He
remembers carrying the plucked leaf from Hambari to the
factory through waist high water when the Dehing River
flooded its banks in 1952. The water even entered the ‘chung
ghar’ of the factory but receded after three or four days
without causing any lasting damage. All three of Balu’s sons
are employed on the estate – Santosh as a Sardar, Petrus as
a plucker and Jerome as the factory office peon.
Hornbill
Burra Sahab’s car on the terrible stretch of road from
Phillobari to Bordubi and back. Sri Sonowal performed this
duty whenever Mr Hambleton, a keen polo player, golfer and
angler, went out. Apparently, after being stuck on the estate
for months at a time when the road was unusable,
Mr Hambleton would take off for four or five days. He would
film his polo matches, picnics and other outings on his movie
camera and hold shows for the staff and labour in the factory
compound.
White Winged Wood Ducks
Jackrias and Balu remember the white winged wood ducks
that lived in the forest – once their natural habitat. Till the
early 80s, a group of them used to be seen daily between 6.30
and 8 am, perched on a large tree across the river from Sections
5 and 12. Hornbills that nested in a ficus tree on the estate’s
northern boundary evacuated their home after it was reduced
to a skeleton in a hailstorm in 1985, but returned a year later
and were seen regularly over the next few years. Elephants and
big cats living in the Pengaree forest were also sighted from
time to time. Early one January morning in 1988, the residents
of Phillobari were rudely awakened by what they thought was
an earthquake! Rushing out of their homes, they saw two
elephants fighting on the river bank. One of the contestants
finally gored the other to death and the massive carcass lay
rotting for a fortnight despite the scavengers gorging on it! In
the late 80s, a leopard took up residence on the estate and was
quite a menace until it went away.
Sri Sonowal, the ‘man for all seasons’, sometimes drove a large
Field Marshall tractor used for land preparation at Hambari.
This tractor had another purpose. It was used to tow the
42 January 2011
When Mr J.E. Twiss was Manager in the late 60s and early
70s, Sri Sonowal performed the same duty for him. Much to
Mr Twiss’ astonishment, his Assistant Manager, Jerry Zaman,
never seemed to need the assistance of the tractor. When
questioned, Mr Zaman confessed that he just closed his eyes
and drove!
Mr Twiss met and married a pretty young Naga nurse called
Alemla who was working at the Mariani Central Hospital
when he was at Soraipani T.E. near Jorhat. They now live in
the famous seaside town of Brighton, UK.
Mr J. E. Twiss with Colleagues & Staff
Mr K.K. Bhuyan who was Assistant Manager at Phillobari
during Mr Twiss’ tenure remembers how his dog chased a
leopard only to end up as its dinner! On another occasion
when Mr and Mrs Bhuyan were going to the club, the
‘chowkidar’ opened the gate to reveal a leopard sitting on the
other side! The glare of the car’s headlights scared it away.
The only idea of Phillobari Mr B.K. Panth (Manager, 198082) had when he was transferred there was that it was an
isolated garden tucked away in the interior of DoomDooma
district and that the only road communication from the town
to the estate was ‘kutcha’ and full of pot holes. After reaching
the estate he couldn’t blame his predecessor for having
organized a very quick handing/taking over!
Despite the bad roads and the isolated garden, however,
Mr and Mrs Panth had their share of socializing, with full
attendance at their get-togethers. A tractor was parked near
the Ghurni Forest check post to help the odd stranded
vehicle. The ever-dependable Ambassador got most of the
guests to their destination safe and sound!
Deepak Mehta who was Assistant to Mr Subir Ray
(Manager, 1982-88) fondly recalls quite a few memorable
experiences he shared with the latter.
Mr Ray once threw a New Year’s Eve party for which Deepak
was made in charge
of decorations as
well as buying
ducks, chickens,
pigs and goats
from a village
nearby.
When Deepak (concerned about his newly wed vegetarian
wife, Abha) asked Mr Ray what the vegetarians would eat,
the latter just waved his hand and said that Dalbahadur (his
Cook) would make some Maggi noodles for them!
The party ‘decorations’ included a 1000 litre overhead water
tank near the swimming pool which was filled with burnt oil,
to be lit up at the stroke of midnight and a full sized factory
siren fitted onto the roof of the summer house just above the
heads of the dancing couples, to be switched on to herald the
New Year! One can imagine how successful the party must
have been, as the oil in the overhead tank kept burning for
the next few days! Deepak has preserved the rather innovative
invitation to this party to remind him of the ‘auld lang syne’
at Phillobari.
The estate once boasted a tea bush with the widest girth in the
region. This was spotted by Mr R.B. Magor on one of his
visits. He asked the Manager to keep it safe so a myth was
created about the bush being inhabited by a guardian spirit.
Alas, one fateful day, an over-enthusiastic executive slathered
on the aluminium paint to make it more beautiful thus
smothering the plant to death!
Mr Panth remembers another VIP visit which almost went
wrong! The garden’s eastern boundary had been raised to stop
both the flood waters and wild elephants from entering the
estate. On top of the ‘bund’ was a standard Company goatproof fencing held by concrete posts. Four days before the
visit, whilst on his normal morning round of the estate,
Mr Panth was horrified to see the boundary fencing down,
along with the post. Later, it was discovered that this was the
handiwork of thieves who had come to steal the iron rods
inside the concrete post. Frustrated at finding bamboo
‘kamies’ instead of rods, they damaged the whole row of posts!
Everyone rallied around – the estate’s mason put up the posts
in record time and the labour volunteered to guard the area at
night till the visit was over. “Thankfully”, as Mr Panth quotes,
“all’s well that ends well.”
Mr D.K.Sharma who was Manager, Phillobari, between 1990
and 1993, fondly remembers the delicious Chinese food
cooked by the Head Fitter, Sri Tony Wong – especially the
duck. Whenever the Advisor, Mr N.N. Buragohain, visited,
he made it a point to order the duck in advance. In fact, when
Sri Wong was granted an extension of service, some claimed
it was as much because of his famous duck preparation as for
his work! Still spry in his mid-nineties, Sri Wong, whose son
works as a driver on the estate, lives a retired life at Phillobari.
January 2011 43
Shade Nursery
Irrigation Canal
Soil Rehabilitation: Guatemala Grass
The environment is given due consideration at Phillobari. In
addition to the plant and shade nurseries, afforestation is also
carried out wherever there is space to grow a grove of trees.
A stretch of concrete drain leading to the Mailajan stream
guards against soil erosion and areas planted with Guatemala
grass ensure soil rehabilitation. A vermicompost project, to
generate organic manure for use on the estate, is in the
pipeline.
Prevention of Soil Erosion
44 January 2011
The estate’s concern for the welfare of its neighbours is
illustrated by a 10 km long irrigation canal which flows
parallel to the PWD road running through the estate,
carrying water from the river to the adjoining villages. It is
their only source of water. There are foot bridges across the
canal at regular intervals and berry trees growing along
its edge.
The Lines have had piped water since the early 90s and were
electrified soon after. The estate’s doctor, along with his
medical staff, the Welfare Officer, the Mothers’ Club and
ASHA workers ensures that all the water points are kept
clean. Line sanitizing operations, which include the cleaning
of drains, are carried out regularly. The health and hygiene of
the workers is the medical team’s main concern. The antiliquor campaign aims at stopping the excessive consumption
of poor quality alcohol which breaks down the health of the
workers, making them prone to diseases like tuberculosis.
With this initiative and the induction of the DOTS
programme, TB cases have become rare at Phillobari.
Malaria, once rampant here, has also been brought under
control. A Baby Show is next on the agenda, to encourage
the workers’ to look after their children, keeping them healthy
and ensuring that they have been inoculated and vaccinated
as per schedule. The estate has been making sure that the
workers, in addition to getting all the health care due to them
In May 2010, the management organized a rally to create
awareness towards the significance of hygiene and sanitation
in one’s daily life. They highlighted the importance of
cleaning food and washing one’s hands before eating. Almost
all 200 students of the estate’s L.P. School also participated in
the event.
Mothers’ Club
from the Company, are also availing of the benefits given by
the state government through schemes such as ‘Mamanee’,
meant for expectant mothers. The 30 bed hospital now comes
within the government’s National Rural Health Mission
programme.
Central Crèche
In addition to this school run by the Company, there is
another government run L.P. School and an Anganvadi
School for pre-school children. Toddlers are looked after by
an attendant in the central crèche while babies are looked
after in the satellite ones wherever their mothers are plucking.
Milk is supplied to all the crèches by the management.
Students attending the M.E. School nearby are ferried to and
fro on a bus
provided by the
estate. The adjoining
Phillobari College
caters to those
students who want
to study further.
The
workers
are
predominantly Roman
Catholic. There are
also Christians of
other denominations
and
Hindus. The
places of worship are
situated close to each
Line Sanitation
other, which aptly
symbolizes
the
harmony among followers of different faiths.
January 2011 45
such as neighbouring estates and towns. An inter-Line
competition is also held within the estate during ‘Karam puja’.
The airstrip is not much used but has the distinction of
having a helicopter carrying a Minister land on it, much to
the excitement of the local populace.
Trophies Displayed at the Main Office
Football is very popular among the workers and staff. The
present Phillobari team fared quite well in the inter-garden
Molia Tanti Memorial Tournament, reaching the pre-quarter
finals. Judging by the trophies displayed in the main office,
football teams of the past must also have been very good,
winning laurels for their estate. Volleyball used to be quite
popular but seems to have taken a back seat to football. The
estate’s ‘jhumur’ team has also contributed to the trophy shelf.
The team participates in Bihu functions held at various venues,
Phillobari was conferred the Company’s Performance Award
(South Bank) for 2006-07 and the Quality Award for
2008-09. One is sure that ‘Phillo’ must be resting assured that
her ‘bari’ continues to flourish!
The Team (L To R): D. Rajkhowa (Manager), A.K. Saikia, Dr P.Hazarika, N.J. Borah, R. Dutt
46 January 2011
- Sakina Hussain
arajulie T.E. nestles at the foothills of the
Charduar Forest with the Gabhroo river in the
west and Dipoota to the east. It is located at
latitude 26.5ºN and longitude 92.5ºE in the Sonitpur
district of Assam. Lying in the shadow of the mighty
Himalayas, spread along the plains of the river
Brahmaputra, the estate adjoins Sonajuli and
Dhendai T.E. at its southern periphery.
T
division. The garden spread after its inception and virgin
tracts were brought under cultivation. However, the
saplings used were of an inferior quality and had to be
replanted in the ensuing years. Though almost 85 percent
of the tea is less than fifty years old, the yield is not high
owing mainly to the sandy soil.
In order to expand its territory in the early
sixties, the Charduar forest area was extended
into, in exchange for land surrendered in
Behupukhri division of Monabarie T.E.
Unfortunately, during this transition process,
the workers of the garden forcibly took
possession of the vast flat areas north of the
property. Hence when the land was transferred
back in the name of the estate at a later date, it
was called Lootera Basti. In lieu of this land the
management recovered nearly 80 hectares
which is the Gabhroo Extension area of Julie
River Gabhroo
January 2011 47
Tara and Julie Lakes
The estate was first established along with a majority of the
gardens on the North Bank around 1884. The total land
holding was 3131 bighas, 2 kathas and 8 lessas. The grant
of the land N.L.R- 114-218 is dated 3.9.1884 in the name
of Mr F. Cowburn, the agent holding the property for The
Imperial Tea Company. Perhaps he was the first to begin
an organized plantation on this plot. The estate was later
managed by M/s Jardine Henderson and finally McLeod
Russell; George Williamson group of companies took
charge in the mid 1980s.
Malaria became a major cause for concern in the sixties
with the commencement of the Charduar extension into
the northern forest area. Although the northern boundary
was cleared, 10 hectares under afforestation along the
western boundary called Gabhroo Forest remained. This
too had to be cleared ultimately as it provided a haven for
the marauding elephants and also blocked the crucial
western sunlight, thus affecting the plantation adversely.
48 January 2011
The estate was initially named
Torahjhurie (Torah is a star
shaped weed/grass and Jhurie
a type of water body), which
later got anglicized to Tarajulie.
The garden has two divisions – Tara
and Julie, each containing a six hectare
lake of the same name. They add to the scenic beauty apart
from serving as irrigation reservoirs in the cold weather.
They were built in 1955 and 1957 respectively by
embanking the discharge end of the ‘hulas’, filled by storing
the seepage water from the northern hills. The primary
objective of making the lakes was irrigation which started
in 1957. Various types of fish like Katol and Rohu were
bred in these lakes in the past. (A single catch recorded
was as high as 32 kg!) The Julie lake dam gave way in 2005
due to a flash flood; it was restored to its past glory in
2009-10.
As the estate was bounded by the forest, elephants, reptiles
and the big cat were commonly sighted. Wild life trespass
being a regular occurrence, Mr Wazir Khan and
Mr Harcharan Singh, both crack shots, were asked by the
authorities to put down a couple of rogue elephants. In fact,
with there being no restriction on hunting till 1982,
Tarajulie was a very popular spot for Shikar, with a number
Bungalow in 1942 during Mr R.L.Gordon’s tenure. He
recalls the JB, Sri H.P.Das, shooting a tiger which had
attacked and injured seven workers, behind the present
field office.
‘Ganesh’ visits Tarajulie
of people visiting from outside the estate. A jeep was
specially designed for this purpose. Mr W. Allan began his
day with a round of hunting early morning. In those days
it was the ‘dastoor’ for the Line Chowkidars to report to
the Manager each morning with details of any events that
occurred during the night. On one occasion, it was
reported to Mr Allan that ‘Ganesh’ had wreaked havoc in
the labour lines. He was understandably furious and
wanted disciplinary action taken against Ganesh, not
realizing that the Chowkidar was showing reverence to the
elephant that had visited the estate!
Tarajulie was the first estate in Assam to plant Acacia
Lenticularis shade in 1956 to ward off elephant damage.
The seeds were procured from Ceylon at a cost of
1000/- per kg. Later, seeds collected were sold to other
estates to recover the initial high investment cost.
Sri Ratra Munda joined work as a casual worker as part of
a cleaning squad to clear the area around the present Burra
Smt. Komi Rana came from Rachimindi in Orissa to the
garden in 1939, during Mr Adam’s time, as a part of the
‘chokri’ squad on a daily wage of two annas. Sri Gabriel
Bag who began work in 1948 under Mr D.J. Simpson
remembers the time when the estate was half its present
size. He vividly recalls the earthquake of 1950 when
Section No. 23 sank because of the impact. Sri Stephen
Gorda came to Assam as a young lad in 1951 when
Mr E. J. F. Smith was the Manager. His son, Dayaban, is
working on the estate as a nursery Sardar.
L to R: Sri Hari Porja, Sri Mangloo, Sri Gabriel Bag, Sri Stephan Gorda,
Smt. Komi Rana & Sri Ratia Munda
Sri Hari Porja who joined work in 1953 has vivid
memories of bullock carts bringing leaf from the garden
to the factory and his Manager, Mr Smith, driving an old
car at high speed despite the bad roads. Apparently, he was
a really hard task master, but equally concerned about the
welfare of the workers. Hari worked as a fitter and would
go up to Shillong to play football matches and often bring
back laurels for Tarajulie. His grandfather came to the
estate in 1885 and assisted in clearing the forest to prepare
the land for laying out the garden.
Tarajulie has a glorious history of sports, especially football.
Sri Pulin Bhatta, the present JB of Tara division, was
transferred
from
Hunwal
T.E.
in
1972
by
Mr D.C.Roberson (Manager, 1971-79) because of his
L to R: Sri Pulin Bhatta, Sri Prabin Hazarika,
Sri Phani Bora & Sri P.K.Sengupta
football skills.
January 2011 49
Buena Vista
Mr.D.C.Roberson
with Staff
Football Trophies
Sri Prabin
Hazarika,
JB of Julie division, is affectionately reffered to as the ‘living
encyclopedia’ of the garden! Justifiably so, as four
generations of his family have lived on Tarajulie. His father,
late Seshadhar Hazarika, a freedom fighter, came to the
property from Biswanath Chariali in 1944 after he
managed to escape the district administration. He met the
Manager, Mr Gordon, who asked him to start a school on
the garden. Prabin remembers the period of turmoil during
the Indo-China war in 1962. His father, along with a
couple of other workers, was sent by the management of
the estate to Bomdila to extend necessary help to the
Indian Army. Apparently, a group of Tibetans had sought
refuge on the estate during the hostilities, generating a lot
of curiosity amongst the local people.
The only mode of entertainment in those days was a
gramophone and three records sourced from Sylhet in
The Hacienda
The Manager’s Bungalow is built in the Spanish hacienda
style – very different from typical Tea bungalows. It cost
1,20,000/- to construct (a king’s ransom then!) and dates
back to 1946 when Mr D.J. Simpson was Manager.
With an increased consciousness worldwide towards
conserving natural resources, Tarajulie too is making a
concentrated effort in this direction. Whilst most gardens
are doing their bit, this is the first estate in the Company
to start a pilot project called Rain Water Harvesting.
Accumulating and storing rainwater in an organized
manner to be used for various purposes is the basic concept
behind the scheme. There are a number of ways of doing
this, some complex industrial systems and other simple and
the more common methods of harvesting rainwater either
from the ground or the roof. In Tarajulie a number of water
bodies have been created by channelizing water from
different catchment areas by a ground catchment system.
However, after the severe drought experienced during
2009, it was decided to recharge the ground water by
harvesting rainwater, both from the roof and also the
Bangladesh. The proud owner was the present Health
Assistant’s father.
The road to the estate through Rangapara township is
rather long as this garden is tucked far away in the interior.
The only mode of transportation till the early sixties was
the bullock cart. Tea was also dispatched the same way up
to Rangapara railway station. The approach bridge at
Dhalkoba was also constructed by the estate during that
time. The original Manager’s Bungalow was converted to
the OS’s quarter, with the upper floor removed. It is now a
godown used as a hygiene station and storage area for the
chemical squad.
50 January 2011
Rain Water Harvesting
surplus surface runoff water. M/s Furaat Earth Pvt. Ltd
from Ahmedabad surveyed the estate and designed the
system required for this purpose. The work commenced in
early 2009 and was completed in September. The two
models functional at Tarajulie, sand filtration module and
horizontal filtration module, are being successfully used to
recharge the existing factory deep tube well and prevent it
from collapsing. It supplies water for domestic
consumption and to irrigate the tea located in the drought
hit patches.
HACCP Certified Factory
at the grassroots level.
World Environment Day
Tarajulie is working towards
Rain
Forest
Alliance
certification.
Awareness
towards
environmental
protection is being inculcated
A project to modernize the
factory was completed in
1992-93. As per agency
norms, new enclosed
Present Withering
troughs, processing
Troughs
and sorting rooms,
CTC and VFBDs
were installed. With
509.5 hectares under
Old Chung House for Withering
tea and a workforce
of 1057, the HACCP certified factory produces 9.50 lakh kg
quality tea with a characteristic malty flavour.
Team Tarajulie has a very old legacy to boast off – after
all, their estate initiated the business of making tea in the
same year that the first Oxford Dictionary was published
and the Washington Monument was completed – 1884!
The Team (L to R): M. Singh, C.J. Saikia, G. Bhattacharya (Sr Manager), J. Sarma, Dr P.Konwar
January 2011 51
SQUASH
- Sunil Gangoti
Bogapani T.E.
quash is a racquet sport played by two players (singles)
or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a
small, hollow rubber ball and light, long-handled
racquet. The ball may be hit against any of the walls but must
then bounce off the wall facing the player at a point above a
horizontal line.
S
We tea planters are privileged to have a squash court in almost
every club. In big towns and cities, one has to pay huge
membership fees to be able to play the sport. Squash was a
game introduced to Tea by our English predecessors who
worked hard, drank hard and played equally hard! Any fresh
planter coming to the club for the first time was advised by the
seniors to buy both tennis and squash racquets.
The game was very popular in Tea even about ten years ago.
According to our seniors, the intensity with which it was
played had to be seen to be believed. Inter-club squash
tournaments were prominent fixtures in the sports calendar
of all clubs. Some of them, such as the Dufflaghur Squash
Trophy played at East Boroi Club, have either been
discontinued or renamed.
The game was formerly called ‘squash racquets’, a reference
to the ‘squashable’ soft ball. Squash is the newest of all racquet
sports. It is said the game was invented at Harrow School in
England by boys who kept knocking the ball on the wall
awaiting their turn to play a game of racquets.
Squash is one of the most interesting sports in the world. It
involves being locked up in a rectangular arena, 32 ft long and
21 ft wide. The object is to hit a small synthetic rubber ball out
of reach of the opponent and play till you sweat! This sport
requires reflexes that rival those of cats, stamina like an
elephant’s and the keen eye of an eagle.
Depending on its specific rubber composition, a squash ball
bounces more at higher temperatures. Small colored dots on
the ball indicate its dynamic level (bounciness) and thus the
standard of play for which it is suited. The recognized colours
indicating the degree of dynamism and speed are:
Colour
Speed
Bounce
Orange
Super slow
Super slow
Double yellow
Super slow
Very low
Yellow
Super slow
Low
Green or White
Slow
Average
Red
Medium
High
Blue
Fast
Very high
52 January 2011
Dufflaghur Squash Trophy
There were some outstanding players in our Company, a few
even ranked nationally. Sadly, though, the last decade has seen
a decline in participation, with most planters gravitating
towards golf. However, it does seem to be gaining popularity
among the ladies who cherish seeing their names climbing up
the handicap ‘ladder’. Nowadays, tournaments are few and far
between, with just about an adequate number of players to
hold a match. Whenever there is a tournament, the Captain
is the most worried person wondering how he can put up a
team of five players! One solution which comes to mind is to
make it compulsory for all new assistants to play squash, in
addition to any other sport of their choice!
Speaking in a lighter vein, ‘squash’ is a very subtle,
multifaceted word. It gives us the feeling of ‘power’ and
‘pressure’ which is exactly what the fresh young tea
executive experiences from Day One – the ‘power’ of
the boss and the ‘pressure’ of work! Squash is an outlet
for the new executive to express his frustrations, by
smashing the ball with all his might against the wall.
What better way to de-stress after a week’s hard work!
The sport has other benefits as well. Squash in one of
the healthiest games to play as it provides an excellent
cardiovascular work out. In one hour of squash a player
may expend approximately 600 to 1000 calories –
significantly more than most other sports and over
70% more than tennis. Squash also provides a good
upper and lower body workout by utilizing both the
legs to run around the court and the arms and torso to
swing the racquet. Being an indoor game, it is played
throughout the year and is not affected by the weather.
I hope more youngsters take up the game of squash so
that it remains alive and popular in Tea for ever.
Ten Tips for Beginners
1. Keep the ball straight. A mainly straight game gives a good basic
pattern and is open to variation.
2. Return the service straight. It automatically puts your opponent at
the back and you are able to dominate the ‘T’.
3. Look for opportunities to play cross-court. Be careful as the crosscourt should be wide enough so as to deny your opponent the
chance to volley it.
4. Lob to generate time. If you're out of position and under pressure,
create time to return to the ‘T’ by hitting a lob.
5. Volley away from your opponent. Volley chances give you little
time so position yourself well to volley away from your opponent.
6. Volley drop the loose cross-court. Always try to work your
opponent by moving him through the diagonal.
7. Boast the short ball. When your opponent is behind you and his
drive is too short, play a working boast.
8. Volley boast the loose straight ball. Be early on the ‘T’ and take this
opportunity to move your opponent through the diagonal.
9. Straight drop the loose cross-court ball.
10. Drop off the boast. Force a boast and counter with a straight drop.
Major Squash
Tournaments in
Assam
SOUTH BANK:
1. Inter-Company Squash, Margherita Club
NORTH BANK:
1. Bishnauth Squash (LASA)
2. WM Inter-Club Squash (LASA), East Boroi Club
3. LASA Open Squash, East Boroi Club
WM Inter-Club Squash, 2008
Top Right - Winners: East Boroi Club
Bottom Right - Runners-up: Bishnauth Gymkhana Club
January 2011 53
Vermiculture - Back To Nature
- Partha Sen, Paneery T.E.
V
ermiculture is a unique process of returning back to nature a
bio-friendly fertilizer rich in nutrients where the soil is getting badly
depleted in terms of soil health and rich organic status, due to
continual usage of chemical fertilizers over the decades.
Vermiculture is the process of making rich organic compost
known as ‘vermicompost’ with the help of earthworms. The
finished product is a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil
conditioner which can be used extensively for all manner of
crops, acting as rocket fuel to plants. As a result it is becoming
a popular organic manure worldwide.
Vermicompost is the excreta of earthworms which is rich in
humus. Earthworms feed on cow dung and farm produce and
pass these substances through their body converting them to
vermicompost.
There are many varieties of worms being used but for Bin
Compost, the most popular variety is the Red Wriggler worm
(Eisenia Foetida) used by us.
We were fortunate to be a part of this exercise when we
collected 1 kg of sample worms from Namdang T.E. in 2001
and started the process in Dehing T.E. where it was quite
successful. We multiplied the worm population in breeding
boxes.
The top 1” was sprayed with thin cow dung slurry periodically
to keep the materials moist but not soggy. Eventually 1 kg of
the Red Wriggler worms was added and the top covered with
moist hessian cloth. The box was placed in a tin shed with
open walls under a shade tree offering ample shade and not
allowing any direct sunlight. The mix was kept moist by
frequent spraying of cow dung slurry.
In a month’s time (this was some time in May) the population
of worms had trebled and become such voracious eaters that
even the hessian cloth was devoured and converted to
vermicompost! So, plenty of hessian sheets have to be kept
handy.
54 January 2011
The number of breeding boxes will depend on the number of
bins and quantum of manure to be generated. The object of
breeding boxes is to provide adequate numbers of worms for
the bins, to convert biomass to compost. The breeding is active
and fast between April and October. Roughly thirty worms to
a square foot of bin area is ideal to generate optimum quantity.
Appreciable quantums have to be generated to cater for the
commercial nature of our operations, which are tea bushes
spread over hundreds of hectares.
Here, in Paneery T.E., we have applied vermicompost in young
tea planting pits at 1 kg per pit. Generally, 2 metric tonnes are
recommended per hectare annually. We have three cemented
bins ( 25’ x 4’ x 2.0’ ) in our tea nursery under a tin shed nicely
shaded by trees on elevated ground to avoid water logging and
covered on all sides by Agro mesh. The layers of soil, cow dung
and grass matter is quite similar to breeding boxes.
Once vermicompost is generated, it is periodically taken out
and replenished with a biomass mix of cow dung and green
matter.
Approximately 0.5 tonnes of vermicompost can be generated
from 10 cubic metres of bin space on a monthly basis.
The method of collecting vermicompost is very simple. Once
we see that the top 1’ has been converted to odourless
granules uniform in size, mounds are made in the bins and
left for a couple of days. Once the earthworms leave these
and disappear below, the vermicompost can be collected.
Care has to be taken to separate the cocoons which need to
be put back in the bins for new generation.
Each worm produces one cocoon every third day from which
emerges 1 – 3 small ones. If the growing conditions are good,
they multiply in a prolific manner.
The reason why vermicompost is becoming one of the most
sought after soil nutrients worldwide is apparent from these
benefits.
= Rich source of Nitrogen and organic carbon.
= Enriches the soil by increasing microbial activity, adding
plant hormones such as auxins and Gibberellic acid (one
of the best known growth promoters) and adds enzymes
such as Phophatase and cellulase.
= Enhances plant growth and yield.
= Improves the humus content of the soil thus promoting
root growth and structure.
= Improves the water holding capacity.
Our estate generates humic acid from vermicompost. We add
50 kg of vermicompost along with 1 kg single Super
Phosphate in 200 litres of boiling water allowing it to
ferment for a week. The extract is collected from the bottom
of the drum and drained through a tap and strainer. The
resultant dark, viscous liquid is a rich source of humic acid.
This has been extensively used in planting pits while planting
young tea as it is a very good foliar for tea.
1 tablespoon of
vermicompost
and water and see
the rocket fuel at work!
The process of multiplying the worms is simple, provided one
takes ample care. This is evident from the fact that the
earthworms at Paneery T.E. are the descendants of the 1 kg
worms picked up from Namdang T.E. which travelled here
via Dehing and Pertabghur estates. They are good travellers
if care is taken to carry them in wooden boxes with sufficient
food and holes drilled in the lid for aeration.
So, here is to happy vermicomposting and helping our planet
remain green.
The methodology of starting vermiculture is so simple that
every household can have its own mini bins and start
recycling their vegetable waste. This is an opportunity to
educate our children by showing them how nature recycles
food scraps. The compost is odourless, cool to the touch, biofriendly and non toxic. Care has to be taken to ensure that the
biomass is free from any toxins and safe from predators like
birds, ants and centipedes. Ideally, locate the bins in a place
which is aerated, cool and free from direct sunlight. In
households, a small amount of vermicompost will go a long
way. For potted plants, just fork the collar area and add
January 2011 55
Phu Ben
Communique
Ranjit Dasgupta
General Director, Phu Ben
On 17 November 1952, a fierce battle raged between the
1st Mobile Corps of the French army and Regiment 36 of
the Viet Nam National Army. The 1st Mobile Corps of
the French was considered to be its strongest fighting force
in what was then known as Indochina. This battle, known
as the Chan Mong battle, took place at Tram Than. This is
where we acquired our new factory in January 2010. A tank
relic captured by the Vietnamese army is housed fairly
close to the entrance of the complex which, for marketing
purposes, has been re-named Van Linh. After restructuring, manufacture began on 22 July. The eventual
capacity of this factory will be 2 million kg.
At Phu Ben there is always something going on. We had
the very successful fifteenth anniversary celebration, with
a cultural function, the
tradition Lion dance at the
factory and a rather boozy
lunch!! This was followed by
the exacting work of ISO
22000 certification, and we
are now on to Rain Forest
Alliance preparations.
Being an equal opportunity
Company we have our fair
share of expectant mothers
at work. At the moment we
have two, with everyone
pitching in to help them
along towards first time
motherhood.
56 January 2011
Let’s change gears - Phu Ben doesn’t live in
isolation but thrives in the driving, pulsating,
dynamic force in South East Asia that is Viet
Nam. Here is a little local colour –
Viet Nam stood as the most confident market
Province in 1831.This year, for the opening
ceremony celebrations, 10,000 people will
march through Ha Noi to the sound of
beating drums and the firing of artillery. In
the evening the sky will be lit by fireworks, in
a display that is sure to be jaw dropping!
polled from 21 markets globally, followed by
For those readers who would like to make
Singapore, Mainland China and India.
Viet Nam a holiday destination, I would
Ha Noi, the Capital of Viet Nam, will
celebrate its 1,000 year anniversary on
10 October 2010. Historians write that King
Ly Thai To, while journeying on a boat, saw a
Dragon ascending into the sky. He decided to
make this area his capital and named the place
Thang (Ascending) Long (Dragon). Thang
Long was incorporated into the Hanoi
recommend Ha Long Bay, and leave you
In a recent poll conducted by HSBC,
with this picture. We are on the deck of a
sailing junk, in the South China Sea. The sun
is setting and the first stars can be seen in a
clear night sky. Beside us is a magnificent
bottle of chilled Chardonnay; we close our
eyes to the soft sounds of musical wind
chimes as we take a sip of absolute heaven!!
January 2011 57
Stress Management
ccording to the dictionary, the
word stress means: ‘to be subjected
to pressure or strain, a mentally
disruptive or disquieting influence'.
A
Stressors:
What is stress?
Identifying Stressors:
Stress is the body’s automatic response to
= Situations, activities and relationships
any physical or mental demand imposed on
that cause trauma to one’s Physical,
Emotional or Psychological self
it and adrenaline is a chemical naturally
produced in our body as a response.
A situation that causes strain is called a
stressor. The tension that we all experience
at various times in our lives is expressed
through different emotions; anxiety, anger,
frustration, depression or even excitement.
All these affect us mentally and physically.
In order to cope we must understand the
Ranji Saha
H.O.
effect on the mind and body.
Is all stress bad?
= A moderate level actually improves
performance, efficiency & concentration
= Too little may result in boredom and
reduce effectiveness
= Too much may cause an unproductive
anxiety level and create behavioral
problems
= School, Work, Family, Relationships,
Finance, Health, Environment and
Living conditions
Physical signs: increased breathing and
heart rate, cold /clammy trembling hands,
stomach disorders, low immunity, fatigue,
sleeplessness
Emotional signs: anxiety, forgetfulness,
depression, apathy, confusion, lack of self
confidence
Psychological signs: hostility, listlessness,
irritability, under/over eating
Signs of professional stress
= Resist going to work
= Fatigue
= Watch the clock
= Loss of concentration
= Not open to change
= Critical of management & hierarchy
= Not meeting deadlines
= Constantly complaining
of
being
overworked
Negative effects of stress:
58 January 2011
Physical
Emotional
Weight gain/loss
Unexpected hair loss
Heart palpitation
High blood pressure
Mood swings
Anxiety
Unhealthy coping strategies (alcohol, drugs)
Managing stress :
Physical
Mental
Counselling
Yoga
Exercise
Rest
Laughter
Nutrition
Breathing techniques
Guided imagery
Time management
Meditation
Organization
Re-labelling
Introspection
Delegataion
Anticipating problems
Balancing work & personal time
Talk therapy
Life coaching
Key factors of stress busting:
= Rejuvenate your love for family and near ones.
Remember, they depend on you and your love.
= Pamper yourself at least once a week.
= Devote 15 minutes a day to introspection.
= Never forget to SMILE.
= Never carry work back home. ( Excluding Blackberry/I-
phones and your laptop)
= Always, “weep in one eye and smile with the other eye at
the rest of the world”. Enjoy and appreciate the amazing
creations of the Almighty.
= Stay positive and be confident about yourself. “Every
cloud has a silver lining”.
Being blessed with emotions, stress is part and parcel of all
human life. However learning to combat stress is a very
important aspect of our life. Just as it is said, “All work and
no play makes Jack a dull boy”, similarly stress helps us to
push for that extra mile. Learning to de-stress helps us
emerge as champions. From our school examinations to the
first job interview we have always been subjected to stress.
This has helped us to evolve as better and stronger
personalities to handle complex situations in life. Don't pray
for an easy life, without problems - pray to become a strong
person. The higher you go in life, the more problems you will
have to deal with. Within every adversity in life, there is
always a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. We have to
look for it, find it, and act on it.
“Success is not measured by what a person accomplishes, but
by the opposition they have encountered, and by the courage
with which they have maintained the struggle against
overwhelming odds.” (Charles Lindberg)
We garner courage when we face danger. We learn patience
when we endure suffering. We appreciate tenderness when
we suffer pain. We cherish true friends when false ones
forsake us. We treasure health when illness strikes. We enjoy
freedom when we are in danger of losing it. Without trouble
we would be like plants that have sprouted, grown, and been
nurtured in the overprotected shelter of a greenhouse - too
tender ever to live in the open. How can you possibly become
a strong person, if you have an easy life? “When the going
gets tough, the tough get going.”
We don't just get the sweetness out of life without the bitter;
we'd like to, but we don't. The sun doesn't always shine;
sometimes there are storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, car
accidents, fires and death. No one escapes the problems of
life. If it doesn't happen sooner in life, it will happen later.
We can overcome any problem, obstacle, or adversity if we
have a strong conviction. “Where there is a will, there is a
way.” Create a ‘bull-dog’ determination and a ‘burning’ desire
that will eventually overcome all adversities.
"The human will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.
Be not impatient in delay,
But wait as one who understands;
When spirit rises and commands,
The Gods are ready to obey."
-James Allen
I conclude by quoting: “Tough times don’t last, tough people
do”, because we all have “………. miles to go before I sleep.”
January 2011 59
Planters’
Punch
Football Diplomacy
- Rana Ali
y baptism in Tea took place at the tennis courts of
Thakurbari Club on a Wednesday, 20 February, 1963.
M
My would-be colleague at Phulbari T.E., Iain Ross, and his
vivacious wife, Tricia, received me at Tezpur airport in tennis
gear and drove me to Thakurbari Club. Within the tennis
enclosure, a tall and somewhat ‘weighty’ gentleman
introduced himself as “Rome” and welcomed me to Tea. It
was later that I learnt that this literally ‘towering personality’
was none other than Michael Lorimar Rome, who had
already become somewhat of a legend in Tea, even in those
days. Notwithstanding his position, physical structure and
otherwise, he received a puny greenhorn like me quite
cordially and informed me that the ‘chung’ bungalow where I
was to stay was being done up and till it was ready, I would
have to temporarily move to the Panipota bungalow with
the Ross’.
The Ross’ were a very energetic couple and their daily routine
was cramped with multifarious activities. I, too, got
indoctrinated into this busy schedule. It was ‘bed tea’ at 5 am
followed by cycling through the veil of the winter mist to the
Amaribari division office, approximately 3-4 km away from
Panipota, and then cycling back to the Main Office with the
Jamadar Babu in tow, ‘kamjari’ books under his arms. At 8 am
it was back to the bungalow for breakfast, after which we
would be out again in the field till mid-day. There would then
be a 20-30 minutes’ break, hardly adequate for lunch, before
60 January 2011
returning to the field till dusk. While the Ross’ would be out
for tennis after ‘kamjari’, I would browse through magazines
and newspapers. The evenings would generally pass playing
Scrabble with Iain and Tricia, mostly with eyes heavy with
‘forty winks’. Never had I felt as tired as I did since coming to
Phulbari – thanks to the hard day’s work and the hectic
schedule of my hosts! After some supper I would hit the bed
and sleep like a log.
I moved to my appointed residence, Bungalow No. 5, around
mid-March. The interiors had been splendidly done up under
the supervision of Mrs Sheilah Rome; she also thoughtfully
put a few dry flower arrangements in the sitting room thus
saving me the bother of having to take care of them. My
weekly bazaar list was initially prepared by Mrs Rome and I
was asked to pay 25/- to the ‘Mugh’ Cook (now an extinct
species). The princely sum of 25/- would take care of my
entire week’s rations! Though I was mercifully spared the
hectic schedule followed by the Ross’, I had to be eternally
alert as Mrs Rome, and occasionally Tricia, would drive in to
see that all was well with me.
Come June and football season would commence. Monday
was football day at Thakurbari Club where most of our
matches were played against the garden football teams
represented by the workers. I soon found myself donning the
Thakurbari Club jersey to play in the left half position in all
those matches. This continued for a little while until one day
our goal keeper, Shivendra Pratap Singh, who used to keep
goal for his school, Mayo College, reported sick and could
not play. The match was important as we were playing against
Tezpur Police. The famous ‘supercop’, KPS Gill, was then
Superintendent of Police at Tezpur. It was indeed a
formidable team. I volunteered to fill the vacancy. The match
ended in a goalless draw and everyone thought I had played
extremely well. A month later, Clive Roberson ( Jardines),
Roger White (Gillanders) and I received an invitation from
the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha to play for their team in
the Dugar Shield Tournament at Tezpur. Our first match was
against the local league champions. To everyone’s surprise we
won the game 1-0. The local team which had lost naturally
protested against our playing for the ACMS. The protest was
granted. The replay was to be held the next day and again we
were notified. However, we did not respond since we did not
want to get into a controversy. ACMS lost the match by a
huge margin. A couple of days later, the three of us received
letters from the ACMS, something unthinkable today, in
recognition of our services towards promoting football
amongst the workers. We were honoured by their offer of a
permanent membership to their union.
Years rolled by and our ACMS identity, like many other
memories, was also lost in oblivion – at least that’s what I
thought. But lo and behold! It still lingered in the memory of
at least one of us.
The year was probably 1988-89. This tall and still
handsome Englishman had become the London VA of
Assam Company Limited. As the Visiting Agent,
naturally he had to visit the Assam gardens time and
again. I once met him by chance at a party. After
exchanging pleasantries, Clive Roberson looked at me
with a twinkle in his eyes and asked, “Rana, do you recall
our honorary membership to ACMS? Do you think we
can play a match for their team in the next few days?”
“Come on, you can’t be serious, Clive”, I replied. “I am,
Rana”, he said. Then Clive became pensive. “I wish I
could go back to those cheery days again”, he remarked.
Was that a sudden glitter of the youthful spirit
in him?
Those were the days, indeed.
January 2011 61
Festivals
Bada Din
62 January 2011
THE LAST WORD
ea is not just a career
but a way of life. A tea
planter lives on the
estate where he works and is on
call 24x7. Planters’ wives are a
breed apart. Unlike a ‘city wife’
(CW for convenience’s sake)
who hardly has any knowledge
of, or connection with, her
husband’s workplace, a Tea wife
(TW) actually LIVES there!
T
Perhaps that is why TWs feel so much a part of the estate that
they take a personal interest in its wellbeing… Once, a VVIP
was visiting and the Cessna was parked on the airstrip in front
of our bungalow. Just as he was due to leave, the Burra Mem
and I heard what sounded like muffled thunder and saw a herd
of pigs happily trotting along, with no swineherd in sight!
Horrified, I sent the only chap around at that time of day –
my old but spry cook – to hurry them down the narrow
road…and not a moment too soon! Barely had the dust settled
than the vehicle driven by the Burra Sahab and carrying the
VVIP came down the road!(Both the former and my husband,
who was the Senior Assistant, went quite green around the
gills when we told them about the pigs!)
Whatever affects her husband’s work plays an intimate role in
a TW’s life; such as, the weather. She dreads hailstorms
because she knows how much damage they can cause to the
tea bushes and shade trees. She anxiously prays for rain during
drought; and for sunshine when it rains incessantly and the
dreaded pests infest the precious bushes. One TW, out on a
Sunday drive with husband and dog, pointed to a bush and
correctly identified a ‘nymph’ (of a dreaded pest, not the
ethereal kind that poets dedicate verse to!) much to the
astonishment of her spouse who wished that his assistants
were as keenly observant. Without realizing it, a TW learns
quite a lot about her husband’s job!
A CW usually has her own circle of friends which may or may
not include her husband’s colleagues and their spouses. A TW
has to move to a new place every few years and has no choice
but to socialize with her husband’s colleagues and their
respective wives, whether they have anything in common or
not. This is actually a good thing because one learns to get
along with people and find some common ground. One’s
‘people skills’ are so finely honed that meeting and interacting
with complete strangers becomes quite easy after a while!
A newly wed TW was horrified to hear that a Company guest
was coming to stay in her bungalow for two days. She couldn’t
understand why she was expected to welcome a total stranger
into her home and look after him! We meet perfect strangers
and look after their every comfort, extending hospitality that
meets the high standards expected of us at MRIL… at times
with staff who are all too apt to be absent or give trouble just
when one needs them the most!
Over the years, TWs are compelled by circumstances, if not
by interest, to become first-rate cooks, excellent housekeepers,
gracious hostesses, competent gardeners, capable first-aid
workers and amateur vets. (And people think TWs are lotuseaters who don’t have to lift a finger… except to press a bell!)
To a TW the best scent in the world is the aroma of freshly
manufactured tea! One day a fellow TW and I were driving
past our factory. As I rapturously inhaled the fragrance,
I realized she was doing the same and then, voicing my very
thoughts, she said, “I wish someone would bottle this scent!”
A TW is as loyal to the Company as her husband is… ‘For
richer or poorer; in sickness and in health…’ all those wedding
vows apply just as much to the Company as to her husband…
except they would end with, ‘till retirement do us part’ !!
Let’s lift a cup of that fragrant amber brew to the Memsahabs
of MRIL… Salud!
Sarita Dasgupta
THE WM TIMES TEAM
Editor
: Vidya Kaul
Asst. Editors : Sarita Dasgupta, Sakina Hussain
Co-ordinator : Gautam Bhuyan
January 2011 63
CHIAROSCURO...
...Shadows & Light
anderson 9831778971
A perfect spot for introspection, within the Borjan Forest, at Mahakali T.E.
What is a Tea Break without food for thought?
Four Mangoe Lane, Surendra Mohan Ghosh Sarani, Kolkata - 700 001
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