Club Evenings with Burra Saab

by Dhiraj Kumar Barman

It was the late eighties. There was no fear of the unknown, and travelling at night with family was no cause for concern. After Saturday kamjari, we travelled long distances because of dinner invitations or to other planters' clubs and we returned late on Sunday night.

Burra Saab, with his heart of gold, always insisted that his Assistants with their "Chhota Memsaabs" attend the club. Tea companies were generous in providing a portion of club subscription for their executives, hence the insistence. The bachelor assistants always looked for opportunities to move out on their motorcycles to far flung places with permission for the night out.

It was also a must for all executives to attend the club for games on Wednesday afternoon, depending upon what you played...some seniors on the golf course and the rest were either on the tennis courts or engaged in gossip with a glass of beer.  Interested ones were seen near the swimming pool.

Burra Saab was very fond of attending club evenings, and always looked forward to Saturdays. The club programme was discussed in the "kamjari office" on Saturday morning itself.

"I shall pick you up at 7.30 p.m. sharp", Burra Saab insisted - all to be ready by then.

Due to the distant location of the club and kutcha roads, Burra Saab volunteered to pick up his Assistants and their wives in his newly acquired four wheeled Peugeot jeep.

All the men in formals and the ladies in their Sunday best would wait for the Burra Saab’s new self-driven jeep to arrive. Two to three assistant managers were squeezed  in the front seat.  The ladies at the back covering their head with "chunni” reached the club after an hour's bumpy ride on kutcha and dusty roads.

And at the club :

The Burra Saab leaves all his assistants to mingle with other "Burras" to discuss the next agenda of the Circle Meeting...problem of telephones, erratic supply of grid, poor quality of rations, etc. etc.

"Bearer....Ghurao..." and the fellow behind the bar happily pouring large ones for the group of five to six "Burras" but never forgets to present the "club chit" for  Burras  to sign. The smart Club Bearer, at times manages, a peg or two to be gulped behind the bar.

The Assistant Managers have their own group of friends discussing tea, tea and only tea. The ladies, grossly disgusted by their gents talking shop, chat about the latest movie releases in town cinema halls, dresses, mali bari, buying cut glass etc. - The topics end in no time and somehow they pass time and wait for their husbands to finish.

Since we all came together in Burra Saab’s jeep, all had to wait for him to finish.  Assistants noticing  Burra Saab still carrying on,  ask the bar tender for a small one to pass the time.  The ladies keep their posture intact... yawn... as the clock strikes 2.00 a.m. The drinking session of the Burras continues till 4.00 a.m.

Assam being in the east, day break is much faster,  hence Garden Time (GT) which is one hour ahead of Indian Standard Time (IST).

Dawn breaks in the eastern sky.  That is the time Burra Saab decides to call it a day. The Asstt.Managers and their wives heave a  sigh of relief. (Thank God...next time we shall come on our own....)

"All aboard!"exclaims Burra Saab in the driving seat, and the jeep moves towards the garden. Bad luck for the factory assistant who is dropped at the factory gate, still in his formal clothes,  to see if everything is running fine!

It was that transition period of the eighties when the screen in planters' clubs was gradually replaced by TV and VCP (Video Cassette Player).  We, as young planters, travelled great distances on motorcycles to see a movie in the club, eat in the 'Dhaba' and return to the garden late at night.

Jorhat Gymkhana Club was the prime destination for almost all the planters travelling from Sivasagar, Amguri and beyond, and Bokakhat. Those days Jorhat Gymkhana Club was famous for screening good English movies.  Besides enjoying the movie, one could order dinner, preferably Chinese, which was served at your seat while watching the movie.

Sonari Planters Club was also very active those days when veteran planters from Jorhat and beyond frequented the club.  This Club was also another destination for adventurous  young planters for a different reason. The Club Secretary saw that the screening of good movies was an expensive affair. With his innovative ideas, he managed to pull a big crowd on almost all club evenings not by screening movies but  with his personal colour TV and a Video Cassette Player brought all the way from his garden.

The colour TV and the VCP were a draw at that time as these electronic gadgets were expensive and were not readily available in all households.

To add to the attraction, an enterprising lady member of the Club used to bring  ready to eat ‘Masala Chicken' which one could buy while watching the movie on the TV. 

The original cassettes performed beautifully with crystal clear viewing which mesmerised everyone. There used to be a demand for two to three movies per night. 

Club attendance increased. The dwindling finances of the club improved to a great extent from the sale of liquor. Later almost all the Planters clubs procured colour TVs and Video Cassette Players - but we missed the finger licking Masala Chicken!

'Expensive' Whisky!

Dhiraj Kumar Barman

My friend from Shillong had joined Doomur Dullung Tea Estate sometime around the late seventies. After about six months of his joining,  three friends decided to visit him all the way from Shillong. Some of us were studying, or on the verge of looking for a job.

Though our pocket money was limited we made up our minds to visit him at Doomur Dullung T.E. (Moran) by some means. Those days roads were poor and there were practically no telephone services - not to talk of garden telephones. We travelled by bus from Shillong to Guwahati and by train to Moran Railway station. Somehow we managed to inform our friend about our arrival. 

We were shabby, with cheap cigarette packets in our shirt pockets. When we saw a person with a white cap and white safari suit with a shiny "Doomur Dullung TE" embossed brass plate on his chest pocket, we were at a loss as to how to react. We whispered to each other and decided to throw away our cheap cigarette packets. We bought "Wills Filter" instead, which was the expensive cigarette then at Rs.2.00 for a packet of 10.

The chauffeur greeted us with a "salaam" and informed us that "Burra Saab ne gari bheja hai"(Burra Saab has sent his car). He led us to the sparkling white Ambassador car with white seat covers, parked outside the railway station.

We were dropped at the Chhota Bungalow and the Chauffeur left with a "salaam".  

After nearly an hour our friend arrived cycling and perspiring as we were sitting on the sprawling bungalow verandah, trying to show off  to the bungalow servants who brought us water followed by tea and biscuits. We were stunned to see our faces reflected on the Red Cardinal polished, slippery floor of the verandah.

As the evening approached, we all decided to go to Moran Polo Club nearby where we were introduced to Mr.Bipul Barsaikia, Mr.Siban Mazumdar, Mr.Phunu Das and later many others who arrived to celebrate our visit.

We all were informal, as it was not a club evening, and we decided to sit on the verandah. The drinking session continued with rum glasses lining up as the "Bearer Ghuraow"* continued. As mentioned by someone, rum was the cheapest drink available in the club, and whisky was unaffordable for young assistants.  For the bachelors those days, the club bill used to be higher than their pay packets.

The following evening Mr.Bipul Barsaikia brought two bucket full of "first cut Haspani" (first distilled local Assamese brew) and kept it in the massive "Electrolux Kerosene Refrigerator" of the Chhota Bungalow. He declared "Haspani" is cheaper than whisky or rum.

The drinking session with "Haspani" and the merry making continued till late at night. Suddenly someone suggested "Let's have Mitha Paan!"

In the middle of the night, we all drove down in Mr. Bipul Barsaikia's car to a Paan shop in Moran town which was open in the middle of the night. Thanks to the organised bachelors of those days who enjoyed life much more than thinking about their pay packets.

*'Bearer, Ghuraow' - instruction to the bearer to serve a round of drinks.

 Dhiraj Barman adds : The names mentioned in my story "Expensive Whisky" are all real names. Mr. Bipul Barsaikia, a tea planter, a body builder and at one time "Mr. Assam", passed away at a rather young age. Mr. Siban Mazumdar left tea long ago. Mr. Phunu Das opened his own tea garden in Upper Assam is doing well.

The Mystery of the Missing Pumpkin

Dhiraj Kumar Barman

There is no denying the fact that tea estate Burra Bungalows are self-sufficient in fruits, vegetables and milk. The Burra Memsaabs take pride in declaring the same during Club get-togethers and kitty parties. 

As a young assistant in _________ T.E., I always expected to receive some fresh fruits & vegetables from the Burra Bungalow either directly or by coaxing the Mali. Only those very close to the Burra Memsaab there used to get a share or two. Also the local fruit seller, who had direct access to the Burra Memsaab bid the highest price much before the fruit was ripe!

The Burra Bungalow pineapple (as they called it, “Singapori Anarash”) was in demand for its massive size and sweetness.  The lychees were also a big draw in any fruit & vegetable exhibition where Burra Memsaab participated, not to talk of the high demand amongst the local fruit sellers.  The lychees were as big as golf balls, very sweet  and fleshy with a tiny seed. The trees were laden with lychees during the season. The duty of the night chowkidar was to guard them with a catapult  -- not from human beings, but from bats.  

Extraordinary care used to be taken by the Burra Memsaab in supervising the "Mali" and the "Bagals" for the optimum output at work.  Being an intelligent lady, many innovative measures were applied by her. 

The following episode of solving the Mystery of the Missing Pumpkin remains fresh in my mind.

In one of her innovative ideas, Burra Memsaab decided to put serial numbers on the pumpkins in the "Malibarie" so that she could keep track of their growth and future value per piece at the vegetable market. As the pumpkins grew, it was easier to write numbers on them with lime so that they were prominent when seen from a distance. "Burra Kothi" pumpkins were famous and the bidding price was high.

To protect them from the evil eye, the Mali decided to put up hand-painted sign boards with a skull and crossbones instead of a scarecrow.  Seeing this, Burra Memsaab was very happy, appreciating the Mali for his initiative and thoughtfulness. To her regular enquires the Mali replied, "Memsaab, sab thik hai".

As the time approached, the pumpkins were ready to be disposed of.  Memsaab decided to send her trusted ‘Bawarchi’ to the Malibarie to check them.

Bawarchi frantically came running and reported, ‘Memsaab...9 number kaddu chori ho gaya! (Number 9 pumpkin has been stolen!!)’ Furious and agitated, Memsaab scolded the Mali for his gross negligence, and decided to report the matter to the Burra Saab.

I, being the only Assistant, was called by Burra Saab to do ‘bichar’ and to find the culprit. The Mali was summoned to the ‘kamjari office’. He expressed his ignorance with folded hands.  Finally I decided to visit the spot myself. 

As luck would have it, the Mali, a garden school dropout, had somehow written Serial Number 6 twice on two different pumpkins instead of 9. The pumpkins were at a distance from each other, hidden below leaves – and Memsaab had failed to notice the mistake.

Within no time the truth was revealed.  Burra Memsaab thanked me as all the pumpkins were intact... and heaved a sigh of relief, as  Burra Saab was all set to lodge an FIR at the local police station for the missing No.9 "kaddu"!!

For a job well done, I was treated to a cinema show and dinner in the Planters’ Club!

 

                        

While Welcoming the VA

As a young Assistant, I had the opportunity of witnessing certain unusual and hilarious misadventures in the Burra Bungalow at _______ T.G. My Burra Saab, though senior in age, got his billet in a small garden where there was no bungalow for the Asst. Manager.  I, being the only Asst. Manager appointed by the company, was accommodated in the Annexe of the Burra Bungalow.

It was the first time that a Visiting Agent was due to visit the garden.  My Burra Saab somehow did not like the idea of someone superior to him coming  to the garden...to bother him. However, Burra Saab's personal Ambassador car was sent to the airport, and the driver was briefed to receive him.

As the V.A. got out of the aircraft, may be due to the change of weather, he was sneezing and he gradually began feeling miserable. The road from the airport to the garden was pathetic, which aggravated his problem.

The V.A. reached the Burra bungalow and was made to sit in the ‘Jali Verandah’ for some time. Burra Saab took his time, and showed up in a fresh pajama-kurta. The meeting was brief with some exchange of words, and the V.A. decided to retire for the day as he was running a mild fever.

The guest room was decorated with fresh winter flowers. The V.A. went inside and closed the door. Somehow he was allergic to the smell of the flowers and he wanted them to be removed from the room.  The call bell by the side of the bed was pressed.

For very long there was no response to his repeated calls. Finally he decided to come out of the guest room towards the dining room. There he met Burra Memsaab and requested her to remove the flowers and also complained about no one responding to his call bell.

The V.A. was now fuming, thinking that these things were all deliberately done. He decided to have a hot water bath. The bearer was asked to put ’Ghusal pani' in the bath tab. The hot water pipeline to the Guest Room was through the "kitchen chullah".

The bathtub was filled with hot water. The V.A. lay down for some time and found it soothing. The hot water made the fresh white paint in the bathtub soft.

Soon, there were shouts from the bath of the guest room but it was closed from all sides. Somehow the bearer broke open the door  to find the guest stuck to the bath tub with the  paint. The bearer ran frantically looking for kerosene oil.

The V.A. managed to spend the night, and demanded to be dropped at the airport the next morning.

Dacoity in a Tea Bungalow

Dhiraj Kumar Barman

I being the "Mistri Saab" of a renowned 100% Orthodox Tea Estate in the Dooars had just got married a few months back in Shillong and was settling down as a married tea planter  buying foreign household items, cut glasses and  Pink Lady tea and dinner sets.

As usual to open the factory at 12 midnight, the duty of "Mistri saab"  was to arrange workers at night, checking the withered leaf on the withering troughs, checking the boiler steaming up to run the line shaft and rolling tables...left  the factory around 3.00 AM after checking the  first drier mouth coming out from the steam heated dryers. 

My newly wed wife was alone in the "Palang Kamra" on the first floor of the sprawling half round bungalow. Night Chowkidar was alert to open the gate knowing fully well that "Mistri Saab" is coming back from "Kol Ghar" any moment.

As I drove my well maintained shiny black Ambassador car into the bungalow portico, the time was quarter past three a.m. I hurriedly climbed the steps of the staircase... knocked on the bed room for my wife to open the door.

Sleep did not come  instantly and may be within half an hour's time of my lying on the bed,  there were knocks at the bed room door from outside. I could hear my Night Chowkidar knocking  repeatedly and calling me "Saab...Saab"....

Thinking that there might be some incident in the factory...I shouted from inside "kya hua" but there was no reply, only knocking. Thinking that there might  be an emergency in the factory, I opened the bed room door.

Hell broke loose. Four persons armed with pistol and khukri entered the bedroom threatening us, "maar dinchu", "kat dinchu"..."chabi...chabi"....which was handed over to them out of fear and pleading them not to physically harm us. By then they had  opened the Godrej Almirah and took away my wife's marriage gold jewellery, sarees, valuables, wrist watches and two-in-one on the bed side tables: putting every thing in pillow covers they  decamped with my car key.  Suddenly the thought came to blow the "siren" which was blown but too late.

We were scared to move out of the bed room but  could hear the engine of a vehicle being started and driven away. Badly shaken and shivering,  we both moved down the staircase to find my shiny black Ambassador car missing from the portico and the bungalow chowkidar lying on the verandah, hands and feet tied.

By then some people from servants quarters gathered followed by my colleagues and Burra saab, followed by the police around 10.00 AM.

For almost a week we were being invited for lunch or dinner to neighbouring bungalows as people wanted to know about the incident. Our confidence was gradually building up to narrate the horrible incident in the form of a story.

It was the first dacoity in a Tea Bungalow in the Dooars as the GNLF movement had started.Though the police investigation continued for sometime  nothing could be recovered except my shiny black Ambassador which was found abandoned on the road side near Ghoom (Darjeeling). The car had a long scratch on its left side, may be the dacoits hit a bridge or a culvert. 

Managed to drive down with a driver cum mechanic after due formalities completed at the Ghoom Police Station.

As a good gesture our company had sanctioned  financial assistance, without creating any precedent, a sum of Rs.20000/- which was invested to make some gold jewellery for my wife to wear on occasions.

It is almost 31 years now...never disclosed to both my sons... and both me and my wife quietly thanking God for saving our lives from that dreadful incident.

Dhiraj Kumar Barman

(Still a tea planter with innumerable real incidents to narrate in the near future)

Dhiraj and his lady, Gargee (Jurie)