by Sarita Dasgupta
As far as I’m concerned, it is not a coincidence that Serendip is the old Persian name (‘Serendib’ in Arabic) for the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. The word ‘serendipity’ stems from that, and it means ‘the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way’. When I told Gowri, Editor of Indian Chai Stories, that my sister Rupa and I were going to Sri Lanka in December and hoped to visit some of the tea estates in Nuwara Eliya, she suggested that I get in touch with Devaka Wickramasuriya, a planter from Sri Lanka who also writes for the blogspot. She sent me his email address and I got in touch. As John Barth wrote in The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, “…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.”
When Devaka took matters into his own hands and organized our visits to the MJF Centre in Colombo and two of the most beautiful tea estates in the Nuwara Eliya area, I just followed John Barth’s advice, and left it to him!
We reached Colombo on the evening of 12 December and were struck by the cleanliness of the city and the friendliness of the people. Devaka got in touch to find out if we had reached safely and whether or not the hotel was satisfactory. I was touched by his concern and assured him that we were fine. The next evening, he and his charming wife Kamalini came to pick us up at 7pm on the dot. (The punctuality of tea planters everywhere!) Meeting them was like meeting old friends – we felt an immediate rapport with this warm and friendly couple.
They took us for dinner to the Mount Lavinia Hotel. This majestic building dates back to 1805, when the 46-year-old bachelor, General Sir Thomas Maitland, sailed to the island of Ceylon as the second British Governor. He fell in love with a captivating local dancer called Lavinia, and built a mansion right on the seafront. A secret tunnel was constructed, leading from the cellar of his mansion to the home of his lady love nearby. Years later, the mansion was converted into a hotel and named after Lavinia, the reason for its existence.
Devaka had asked David Colin-Thome, Editor of the Dilmah Tea sponsored History of Ceylon Tea website, to arrange our visit to the MJF Centre (named after Merrill Joseph Fernando, founder of Dilmah Tea) the headquarters of the MJF Charitable Foundation. David very kindly did so, and we went to the Centre on the morning of the 14th. We were taken around the Dilmah Conservation Sustainable Agriculture Research Centre which supports research on sustainable agriculture and promotes organic home gardening methods. The vegetable garden reminded us very much of our ‘mali baris’ in the tea estates of Assam. It was very interesting to see the aquaponic project - a system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals, such as fish, in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. We saw many different kinds of butterflies in the Butterfly Garden, a haven for butterflies in the midst of a busy city.
We were privileged to watch the children of the Rainbow Centre (children with special needs) and the MJF Kids Programme (children from low income families) dance to catchy tunes, rehearsing for a concert to be held on the 16th. Seeing their smiling faces and enthusiasm as they responded to the affectionate encouragement of their teachers, was a heartwarming experience.
The next day, we drove through the scenic landscape on the Hatton road to Somerset tea estate (Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC). As we entered the beautifully located, stone-façaded and elegant Manager’s Bungalow, we were warmly welcomed by Eranga Egodawele and his lovely wife, Tarun, who served us a delicious lunch. After a cup of tea, Eranga took us to the factory where we were welcomed with garlands made of tea leaves. I’ve spent almost my whole life in Tea but never seen a tea-leaf garland before! But what could be more appropriate?
The Factory has a wonderful old wooden staircase connecting the different levels. Through the large glass panes of the windows, one can see an endless, undulating vista of tea bushes. Eranga, an expert tea taster himself, very kindly encouraged us greenhorns to taste the teas. Fortunately, having watched my grandfather, father and husband taste teas, I knew the ritual and managed a creditable performance (I hope!). Sujeev, who looks after the factory, took us around, explaining the process, which was as familiar as the smell of tea leaves undergoing the various stages of the manufacturing process. (As that is a fragrance dearer to me than the most exotic perfumes of the world, I inhaled it in lungfuls!!) I was happy to see the familiar Trinic (or Trinick) Sorter, named after its inventor, the legendary tea taster, late John Maxwell Trinick, who had a very long association with the Williamson Magor Group (McLeod Russel) and whom I was privileged to write about for The Camellia some years ago.
We were presented with packets of Somerset estate’s famous BOP tea by our courteous host, Eranga, as we took our leave. On our way out, we stopped at the Somerset Tea Centre to buy some strawberry jam but, alas, someone had pipped us to the post and bought the last bottle! We drove on to Nuwara Eliya which is very reminiscent of a small town in England, and walked around admiring the festive lights in all the buildings.
The next morning, after a quick look at the quaint (still functioning) Post Office, Gregory Lake and the beautiful golf course, we drove to the picturesque Pedro estate (Kelani Valley Plantations PLC) and straight to the factory where the Deputy General Manager, Anura Senanayake, and his ‘second-in-command’ Nadun Madhushan, greeted us most warmly. They took us to see the hospital where the lady doctor, midwife and other staff were happy to show us around and tell us about the wonderful work they are doing especially towards the welfare of women and children. Seeing some women plucking close by, I was struck by their lightweight baskets. Anura let us take a closer look at the innovative baskets which are strapped around the plucker’s waist, have a peaked cap attached and can hold 7 kg of tea. He mentioned that the baskets were Dr Rajadurai’s idea.
Anura and Nadun then very kindly took us to Pidurutalagala, the highest peak in Sri Lanka. As we drove through a thick forest (with signs warning us to look out for leopards!) we were fortunate enough to see the Nelu flowers which bloom once in twelve years.
After a sumptuous lunch at Anura’s charming bungalow, we took a tour of the factory, escorted by Nadun and a woman worker. The latter explained the various stages of the manufacturing process very professionally. Being fascinated by tea chests and their role in the history of tea, I was thrilled to see one displayed in the vestibule of the factory on our way out. Sitting on the deck of the Tea Boutique, we sipped on refreshing cups of Pedro tea and admired the breathtaking view. As we were leaving, we were presented with packets of the much lauded Pedro tea by our generous host, Anura.
On our return to Colombo after our travels around the historic sites of Sigiriya and Anuradhapura, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Dr Roshan Rajadurai – Managing Director of both Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC and Kelani Valley Plantations PLC – at a wedding reception. Serendipity once again! I was glad of this opportunity to thank him for arranging for us to visit Somerset and Pedro on Devaka’s request.
I was overwhelmed by the warmth, kindness and courtesy extended to us – complete strangers – by Devaka, Dr Rajadurai, Eranga, Anura and David. I have, of course, experienced the closeness of the tea community in our own country but now realize that it extends to the tea fraternity worldwide.
As a wise soul said, “We don’t meet people by accident… they were meant to cross our paths for a reason.” Our lives have been enriched by meeting Devaka & Kamalini Wickramasuriya, Dr Roshan Rajadurai, Eranga & Tarun Egodawele, Anura Senanayake, Sujeev, Nadun Madhushan, and the teachers and children of the MJF Centre. They played a major role in making our Sojourn in Sri Lanka such a memorable one. Ayubowan!
Meet the writer, Sarita Dasgupta:
"As a ‘chai ka baby’ (and grandbaby!) and then a ‘chai ka memsahab’, I sometimes wonder if I have tea running through my veins!
I have been writing for as long as can remember – not only my reminiscences about life in ‘tea’ but also skits, plays, and short stories. My plays and musicals have been performed by school children in Guwahati, Kolkata and Pune, and my first collection of short stories for children, called Feathered Friends, was published by Amazing Reads (India Book Distributors) in 2016. My Rainbow Reader series of English text books and work books have been selected as the prescribed text for Classes I to IV by the Meghalaya Board of School Education for the 2018-2019 academic session, and I have now started writing another series for the same publisher.
I am also the Editor of The WM Times, McLeod Russel’s bi-annual house journal." - Sarita Dasgupta
Sarita was one of the first 'Indian Chai Stories' writers - this page wouldn't ever have taken off without the wonderful tea memsaab storytellers (more on this later)!
Have you read Sarita's earlier stories? The Gracious Hostess, followed by The Dastoor called 'Acting' and River Escapade are all full of the irrepressible spirit of fun!
And don't miss Nick Flittner's story about the tea chest - Nick's Treasured Chest
A Word Of Welcome
Is this your first visit here? Welcome to Indian Chai Stories!
If you've ever visited a tea garden or lived in one, or if you have a good friend who did, you would have heard some absolutely improbable stories!
You will meet many storytellers here at Indian Chai Stories, and they are almost all from the world of tea gardens: planters, memsaabs, baby and baba log. Each of our contributors has a really good story to tell - don't lose any time before you start reading them!
My name is Gowri Mohanakrishnan and I'm a tea planter's wife. I started this blog because one of the things that I wouldn't want us to lose in a fast changing world is the tea story: a story always told with great seriousness, no matter how funny, always true( always ), maybe a tall tale, or long, short, impossible, scary, funny or exciting but never dull.
Do you have a chai story of your own to share?
Send it to me here, please : indianchaistories@gmail.com.
The blog is updated every two to three days. You will find yourself transported into another world!
Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
Gowri
As far as I’m concerned, it is not a coincidence that Serendip is the old Persian name (‘Serendib’ in Arabic) for the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. The word ‘serendipity’ stems from that, and it means ‘the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way’. When I told Gowri, Editor of Indian Chai Stories, that my sister Rupa and I were going to Sri Lanka in December and hoped to visit some of the tea estates in Nuwara Eliya, she suggested that I get in touch with Devaka Wickramasuriya, a planter from Sri Lanka who also writes for the blogspot. She sent me his email address and I got in touch. As John Barth wrote in The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, “…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.”
 |
| With the hospital staff , Nadun (left) and Anura (right) at Pedro |
When Devaka took matters into his own hands and organized our visits to the MJF Centre in Colombo and two of the most beautiful tea estates in the Nuwara Eliya area, I just followed John Barth’s advice, and left it to him!
We reached Colombo on the evening of 12 December and were struck by the cleanliness of the city and the friendliness of the people. Devaka got in touch to find out if we had reached safely and whether or not the hotel was satisfactory. I was touched by his concern and assured him that we were fine. The next evening, he and his charming wife Kamalini came to pick us up at 7pm on the dot. (The punctuality of tea planters everywhere!) Meeting them was like meeting old friends – we felt an immediate rapport with this warm and friendly couple.
 |
| Rupa, Kamalini, Devaka and Sarita |
They took us for dinner to the Mount Lavinia Hotel. This majestic building dates back to 1805, when the 46-year-old bachelor, General Sir Thomas Maitland, sailed to the island of Ceylon as the second British Governor. He fell in love with a captivating local dancer called Lavinia, and built a mansion right on the seafront. A secret tunnel was constructed, leading from the cellar of his mansion to the home of his lady love nearby. Years later, the mansion was converted into a hotel and named after Lavinia, the reason for its existence.
Devaka had asked David Colin-Thome, Editor of the Dilmah Tea sponsored History of Ceylon Tea website, to arrange our visit to the MJF Centre (named after Merrill Joseph Fernando, founder of Dilmah Tea) the headquarters of the MJF Charitable Foundation. David very kindly did so, and we went to the Centre on the morning of the 14th. We were taken around the Dilmah Conservation Sustainable Agriculture Research Centre which supports research on sustainable agriculture and promotes organic home gardening methods. The vegetable garden reminded us very much of our ‘mali baris’ in the tea estates of Assam. It was very interesting to see the aquaponic project - a system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals, such as fish, in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. We saw many different kinds of butterflies in the Butterfly Garden, a haven for butterflies in the midst of a busy city.
 |
| The Butterfly Garden |
The next day, we drove through the scenic landscape on the Hatton road to Somerset tea estate (Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC). As we entered the beautifully located, stone-façaded and elegant Manager’s Bungalow, we were warmly welcomed by Eranga Egodawele and his lovely wife, Tarun, who served us a delicious lunch. After a cup of tea, Eranga took us to the factory where we were welcomed with garlands made of tea leaves. I’ve spent almost my whole life in Tea but never seen a tea-leaf garland before! But what could be more appropriate?
 |
| With Eranaga at Somerset |
We were presented with packets of Somerset estate’s famous BOP tea by our courteous host, Eranga, as we took our leave. On our way out, we stopped at the Somerset Tea Centre to buy some strawberry jam but, alas, someone had pipped us to the post and bought the last bottle! We drove on to Nuwara Eliya which is very reminiscent of a small town in England, and walked around admiring the festive lights in all the buildings.
The next morning, after a quick look at the quaint (still functioning) Post Office, Gregory Lake and the beautiful golf course, we drove to the picturesque Pedro estate (Kelani Valley Plantations PLC) and straight to the factory where the Deputy General Manager, Anura Senanayake, and his ‘second-in-command’ Nadun Madhushan, greeted us most warmly. They took us to see the hospital where the lady doctor, midwife and other staff were happy to show us around and tell us about the wonderful work they are doing especially towards the welfare of women and children. Seeing some women plucking close by, I was struck by their lightweight baskets. Anura let us take a closer look at the innovative baskets which are strapped around the plucker’s waist, have a peaked cap attached and can hold 7 kg of tea. He mentioned that the baskets were Dr Rajadurai’s idea.
 |
| Pluckers at Pedro |
After a sumptuous lunch at Anura’s charming bungalow, we took a tour of the factory, escorted by Nadun and a woman worker. The latter explained the various stages of the manufacturing process very professionally. Being fascinated by tea chests and their role in the history of tea, I was thrilled to see one displayed in the vestibule of the factory on our way out. Sitting on the deck of the Tea Boutique, we sipped on refreshing cups of Pedro tea and admired the breathtaking view. As we were leaving, we were presented with packets of the much lauded Pedro tea by our generous host, Anura.
On our return to Colombo after our travels around the historic sites of Sigiriya and Anuradhapura, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Dr Roshan Rajadurai – Managing Director of both Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC and Kelani Valley Plantations PLC – at a wedding reception. Serendipity once again! I was glad of this opportunity to thank him for arranging for us to visit Somerset and Pedro on Devaka’s request.
 |
| A spot of 'tasting' |
I was overwhelmed by the warmth, kindness and courtesy extended to us – complete strangers – by Devaka, Dr Rajadurai, Eranga, Anura and David. I have, of course, experienced the closeness of the tea community in our own country but now realize that it extends to the tea fraternity worldwide.
As a wise soul said, “We don’t meet people by accident… they were meant to cross our paths for a reason.” Our lives have been enriched by meeting Devaka & Kamalini Wickramasuriya, Dr Roshan Rajadurai, Eranga & Tarun Egodawele, Anura Senanayake, Sujeev, Nadun Madhushan, and the teachers and children of the MJF Centre. They played a major role in making our Sojourn in Sri Lanka such a memorable one. Ayubowan!
Meet the writer, Sarita Dasgupta:
"As a ‘chai ka baby’ (and grandbaby!) and then a ‘chai ka memsahab’, I sometimes wonder if I have tea running through my veins!
I have been writing for as long as can remember – not only my reminiscences about life in ‘tea’ but also skits, plays, and short stories. My plays and musicals have been performed by school children in Guwahati, Kolkata and Pune, and my first collection of short stories for children, called Feathered Friends, was published by Amazing Reads (India Book Distributors) in 2016. My Rainbow Reader series of English text books and work books have been selected as the prescribed text for Classes I to IV by the Meghalaya Board of School Education for the 2018-2019 academic session, and I have now started writing another series for the same publisher.
I am also the Editor of The WM Times, McLeod Russel’s bi-annual house journal." - Sarita Dasgupta
Sarita was one of the first 'Indian Chai Stories' writers - this page wouldn't ever have taken off without the wonderful tea memsaab storytellers (more on this later)!
Have you read Sarita's earlier stories? The Gracious Hostess, followed by The Dastoor called 'Acting' and River Escapade are all full of the irrepressible spirit of fun!
And don't miss Nick Flittner's story about the tea chest - Nick's Treasured Chest
A Word Of Welcome
Is this your first visit here? Welcome to Indian Chai Stories!
If you've ever visited a tea garden or lived in one, or if you have a good friend who did, you would have heard some absolutely improbable stories!
You will meet many storytellers here at Indian Chai Stories, and they are almost all from the world of tea gardens: planters, memsaabs, baby and baba log. Each of our contributors has a really good story to tell - don't lose any time before you start reading them!
My name is Gowri Mohanakrishnan and I'm a tea planter's wife. I started this blog because one of the things that I wouldn't want us to lose in a fast changing world is the tea story: a story always told with great seriousness, no matter how funny, always true( always ), maybe a tall tale, or long, short, impossible, scary, funny or exciting but never dull.
Do you have a chai story of your own to share?
Send it to me here, please : indianchaistories@gmail.com.
The blog is updated every two to three days. You will find yourself transported into another world!
Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
Gowri
Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and great people. Always loved visiting the Emarald Isle.
ReplyDeleteMt. Lavinia hotel features prominently in Sir David Lean's Oscar winning movie ' Bridge on the river Kwai"
To borrow your adjective, a serendipitous travelogue indeed. The warmth of our Sri Lankan counterparts almost definitely stems from serial ingestion of Camellia Sinensis and the haunting fragrance of freshly manufactured tea wafting into bungalows from the factories.
ReplyDeleteDespite so many years away from the plantations, the air around us is still redolent with that fragrance, although in its doppleganger avatar I'm sure!
Enjoyed your article Sarita. It reminded one that the tea communities are unique and live a gracious life amidst enviable surroundings. Must have been quite a trip!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarita. Enjoyed reading your article.
ReplyDeleteSouls return to places that feel like home....the tea life and it's people still fortunately captures the minutes I am in. Beautiful article ,love your writing as always
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading Sarita's article it transported me to our days of living on the tea estates.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarita
Many thanks Raj, Roma, Joyshri, 'Unknown', Deb and Mrs Sehgal for your comments. I'm so glad the article struck a chord with all of you. Ayubowan!
ReplyDeleteVery well written Sarita .I enjoyed reading it. Took me back into the memory lane....Our days in Tea
ReplyDeleteKeep it up dear.
Sarita's post reminded me of my trip to Kandy from Colombo via Nuvarya Elya part by rail and the road winding through Tea Gardens. That was about 20 years back. Fascinating land and tea-views. We also stopped at a tea factory and Planters' Club for lunch not far from Kandy. Shame Sri Lanka/Ceylon had gone through a nasty patch in its dealings with the Tamils.
ReplyDelete