Freshly Brewed and Packaged Beautifully

by Ranu Singh Taragi

Tea garden in Cachar, Assam. All pix except author's portrait by Gowri Mohanakrishnan

I spent about fifteen plus years on various tea gardens in the Dooars and Assam. Moved there after I got married to a tea planter. Our children spent their childhood there...and it was a pampered and comfortable life.

I am not only taking into account the material comforts and perks - no doubt there were plenty. What I really wish to recall are the so called 'organic' privileges which we enjoyed every moment of the day ..and took for granted.

First, the endless stretches of green, unlimited source of fresh air - a haven to carry out yoga,or secluded enough to indulge in 'laughter therapy' advocated by Sri Sri, with no embarrassment whatsoever regarding onlookers.

Then, an appetizing supply of freshly grown vegetables, fruits and herbs, to boost the health. Huge malibaris (vegetable gardens ) and sufficient manpower to tackle all the manual work;of course with a barrage of helpful guidance from us 'memsahibs'....as we walked around rejoicing in the produce.

Lots of quiet time and solitude to connect with oneself. It was entirely up to us how much time we wished to devote to spiritual growth. Should one wish to read, the club library housed a store of books,some written by authors one had never even heard of, and many of them left behind by the English planters. Or one could exchange more current books with friends or order from Bibliophile, Reader's Digest....stock up our personal collection as well as the club bookshelves.

As mothers, we were able to spend quality time with the little ones, knit and stitch, go on rambles round the garden and point out the small colourful birds....exclaim with them over the spectacular beauty of the rainbow in the monsoon sky.

There was fresh dairy produce! Mostly all had personal cows - more like pets. Add dogs, guinea pigs and cats to the bungalow menagerie . We just had to play and enjoy the company of those adorable creatures...naturally there were enough hands to do the cleaning and grooming.

The list of all the enjoyable benefits were umpteen more. I could go on for quite a while. Of course, in all honesty, I do confess that now and then, when we got together for a good 'gupshup' over tea and cookies we did grumble, good naturedly, about how living in the wilderness, was cutting us off from life in the metros - how everyone was computer savvy or enjoying cable connections with lots of channels - how housewives were able to build a professional life and so on.

It is human tendency to suffer moments of discontent with our situation or location in life. How we wish things were otherwise....

Now, having moved to a city, I look back with appreciation and gratitude for the blessings we have enjoyed. Life offers us opportunities which are necessary for furthering our personal growth...it is up to us to accept the wake-up-call!

Today, as I read the trending articles, carried by the weekend newspapers advocating the benefits of a stress free outlook, a diet of freshly cooked organic food, joyful picnics 'far from the madding crowd' I smile to myself. For yeah...we had it all and more, only we never assigned fanciful names to our endeavors.

My one regret is that some of us took it all for granted. We weren't conscious enough of the good fortune that was our lot. Seeing how the world today is chasing - and spending heavily on - such a lifestyle, I can only say Life in 'Tea' gave us a headstart!

                             

Meet the writer

Ranu Singh Taragi, with her husband Naresh

Ranu lives in Dehradun with her tea planter husband Naresh. They moved there after almost three decades in the tea gardens of Dooars and Assam. Ranu has been writing since her college days, and her stories for children have been published in 'Children's World' Magazine and the Hindustan Times. 

Read all Ranu's stories on Indian Chai Stories here: https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/search/label/Ranu%20Singh%20Taragi  

The story you've just read was the first post to go up on this blog!

 

Is this your first visit to this page?  
In February 2018, I started 'Indian Chai Stories' because I believe one of the best things about tea life is story-telling.
 

The most improbable things happen in tea. The raconteur was a stock character - at the club, at your breakfast table, at a dinner party - everywhere. It all changed as people grew older, retired or went away. One rarely meets a storyteller in the gardens these days.   

 

You will meet many of them online at 'Indian Chai Stories'. 

Tea planters and their families are generous souls, and they have shared their stories for the sheer joy of the retelling!! Read stories by the chai ka saabs, memsaabs, 'baba and baby log' here. 

 

Do you have a story of your own to tell? Send it to me here : indianchaistories@gmail.com
  Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
- Gowri Mohanakrishnan