Just One Drink

by Indi Khanna

In 1983, working with Warren Tea Limited, I was the Garden Assistant on Dhoedaam Estate in Upper Assam in the Doom Dooma area. Regardless of the age difference and the disparity in our seniority levels, Himmat Singh - many years my senior and a Senior Manager on Tara, another one of the Warren Estates in the district - had become one of my very close friends. One of the many friends whose bungalow we would happily drop in to unannounced.

This being well before not just mobile services, but also any other form of telephony, our normal mode of communication was dependent upon letters delivered to each other via the estate 'mail service' (a messenger who would carry official and unofficial letters and the like between estates); our terrestrial alternative to pigeon mail.

Received a letter one day mid-week from Himmat telling me that his wife Krishna was away on holiday in Jaipur and that since my wife was also away on a jaunt, would I like to drop in that evening for a drink. Never one to refuse a good offer, come the evening I headed off to Tara. It was one of those lovely Assam evenings when nature would routinely open all the sluice gates and send down enough rain to put the Niagara Falls to shame, all the while lighting up the sky with millions of volts of electricity and an equal amount of decibels of thunder. In short, just the sort of conditions which would have made Shakespeare rub his hands in glee and call on the three witches to make their appearance.

Drove into Tara around 2030 Hrs to find Himmat waiting for me in his 'Jalli Kamra', enjoying the lovely weather. Being almost par for the course, the thin spray of rain hanging over one's heads akin to a personal cloud accompanied by the occasional wisp of mist finding its way into the Jalli Kamra was never taken cognisance of.

 Settling down, my first statement to Himmat was that I wanted an early evening since I had a very early start (when was it ever not an early start for us?) and needed to get my beauty sleep before facing the formidable Bahadur Singh (my boss) in the morning, and to be well in time for my Kamjari.

Almost knocked the socks off me when Himmat tells me, "We'll have just one drink before khana" and then shouts "Jannu, saab ka aur mera drink lao". In toddles his faithful Jaanu with two VERY large brandy snifters and two bottles of our favoured tipple, Beehive brandy.

Quite obviously having been instructed in advance of what he was required to do when faced with this strange order, Jannu very nonchalantly unscrews the tops of the two bottles to break the seal and proceeds to pour the contents into the two snifters. To say I was aghast would be an understatement.

My "Himmat, what the hell is this?" was met by an almost angelic smile and a "Well, it is only ONE drink", following which statement Himmat decided to become stone deaf and took on the majestic appearance of Mount Rushmore!

By 2200 Hrs, one small sip at a time, I had managed to bring the level of the brandy down just below the rim.

"Himmat, can we eat?"

"Don't be silly, we have to finish our one drink!" And then back to being Mount Rushmore.

2400 Hrs
My "Himmat, I need to get back and am bloody hungry", was met by a glare which made me decide to shut my mouth for a mite longer.

0200 Hrs my next request for dinner met the same fate as did the one an hour later.

Finally at 4 in the morning, in total exasperation I was left with no option but to say to Mr Stone Deaf that this was it and that I simply HAD to leave.

 And what does my host do, "Jannu, Saab is not finishing his drink so cover his glass and keep it in the fridge for him as he'll be coming back tomorrow to finish it and have his dinner!"

Cold, very hungry and somewhat miserable Mr Khanna drives back to Dhoedaam. Got to my bungalow, wolfed down a packet of biscuits, changed into my shorts and dragged myself to my Kamjari office.

Oh yes, during the day Himmat received a letter from me by way of the terrestrial pigeon post thanking him for his hospitality and the "ONE DRINK"!

Is this your first visit here? Welcome to Indian Chai Stories!
 
Do you have a chai story of your own to share?  
Send it to me here, please : indianchaistories@gmail.com. 

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, long, or short, impossible, scary, funny or exciting but never dull.
 Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!

Meet the writer:

Indi Khanna with Xerox

With an industry experience and a tea knowledge base of four and a half decades and counting, I literally live and breathe tea. 

Starting my career in 1975 as an Assistant Superintendent with Malayalam Plantations Ltd, rolling up my sleeves by 'dirtying' my hands at the grassroots level and having literally 'grown' in the business, my experiences have matured me into a ‘one of a kind’ unique entity in the industry.

My journey which literally starts from the tea nursery and stretches all the way up to the consumer shelf, is in many ways unique. Regularly roaming the tea world, delving into the most remote areas wherever tea is grown or consumed, constantly interacting with Tea folk, I have always been learning and innovating. The invaluable experiences along this very interesting route have culminated into a unique new venture, a one-of-a-kind specialty tea manufacturing facility unit in the Nilgiris - www.teastudio.info.

My life has been and continues to be blessed.

Thankfully this very interesting Tea journey continues as an ongoing learning experience.

Characters!

by Rajesh Thomas
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is not the result of chance. It is deliberate.
 

To be a successful planter one must be a concoction of unusual things. Firstly, a love for agriculture and a knack to make things grow. Then have a deep biased love for his garden and its inhabitants. Also be a businessman, legal brain and public relations officer.

Little bit mechanically minded to see the engines in his factory run smoothly and the vehicles keep plying on the dirt tracks. A dash of civil engineering to lay a new road or to build a new building. Become fluent in an alien language. To enjoy long stretches of loneliness, solitude, and boredom. And most important of it all to be balanced to take all his power with a grain of salt.

In spite of all the above, the gardens are full of cranks, oddities, and half-brained fanatics. It takes all sorts of characters to make the world and the world of tea is full of them. Here are a few and you are welcome to add to it.

The Rules Man

The Rules Man – A stickler for rules. He is very rigid, and lives in the shadows of the black and white ink of policies and procedures. In his estate, rules dominate and regulations have only one interpretation. Change is not only avoided and feared by him but also ridiculed and scorned. Very fond of Managers and Assistant managers of similar ilk.

The Disciplinarian – To him discipline is everything. His first love was the army and planting was his alternative option. Tries to run the estate like a regiment. Gets very annoyed if things are not kept in a row or when workers do not walk in a single file.

The Brown Sahib – if you close your eyes and talk to him you would be transported to old blighty. Will be immaculately dressed. He will have a fine collection of jackets and blazers; very fond of ties and cravats. Most conversations will start with “in the good ole days “ Sadly a dying breed.

The Hermit – The hermit is the most elusive of managers. The hermit likes to remain isolated from the rest of the estate and hide behind closed doors in the estate office, which is treated as the sanctum sanctorum of the estate with the access normally controlled by the Section officer or the Office Babu, who act as gatekeepers. Normally a very Senior Manager who has been bypassed for promotion to head office and has a few years to his retirement. 

The Spy Master

The Spy Master – A man of intrigue. He plays his cards close to his chest. Has spies all over the estate. Spies mostly will be the estate drivers and watchmen. Each spy will have his regular spot where the manager will meet him on his field rounds. Mainly to keep tabs on the activities of the Assistant Manager and the Senior Staff. But funnily the spymaster will rarely act on the tales carried on to him, as he will rarely have the courage to act on it or have a face to face confrontation. Nowadays his life has been made easier for him after the advent of the mobile phone, he doesn’t have to rely on the bush telegraph, he gets all the gossip straight on his phone before breakfast.

The Henpecked --This manager will be in office till very late in the evening, keeping himself busy with a list of silly tasks for himself and the office staff. While everyone else thinks he is very hardworking, the truth is he is scared to go home. Till a sharp rebuke on the phone from the missus will send him scurrying home.

Can’t take a Decision – Decision-making paralysis is his wont. Can conjure up impossible scenarios before making a decision. Even a making a simple decision stresses him out.

Mister Tough Guy

The Tough Guy - Public school educated, and mostly would have boxed in school. Walks with his chest out and stern face. Workers and Union Leaders are mortally scared of him. Loves a confrontation. Projects the tough guy image at the club bar too. Actually, in most cases, he is a softie at heart.

The Golfer – As he is walking along the rows of tea amidst the pluckers he imagines that he is in the bunker at the fifth hole of the local golf course wielding a sand wedge. The pluckers have seen it all before and turn a blind eye. Common indicators his golf averages fluctuate in correlation to his crop and sale averages. A major variant is a cricketer who practices the forward defense between the withering troughs. A minor variant is the tennis player and the angler.

The Numbers Man

The Numbers Man –To him the world is numbers and spreadsheets are his things. Sits the whole morning in office twisting numbers to prove to Head Office that he is superior to his contemporaries. Specialist in formats. Normally one will find different colors of pens and highlighters on his table, to prove his point on the monthly statements. This type has become more common after the advent of the computer.

The Yes Man – Mostly a talentless manager, whose rise is based upon unquestioning obedience and loyalty to the powers to be. His motto in life is ‘above you God, below you dog'.

The Wiggler – The manager who cannot be pinned down. Any fault is the Assistants Mistake. His daily perspective changes with the flow of the situation. Statements like “I never said that” or “I didn’t mean it like that” are very common, especially when there is a visit by a higher-up.
Changing viewpoints is an everyday occurrence making the rest of the estate unsure of how they should view anything new. Every day is a new day under him.

Epilogue – The inspiration for writing this piece came when I was introduced to a senior army officer at a dinner and when he found out that I was a planter, he had this to say “ I thought I had seen all kinds in the army, till I happened to meet a few planters”.

 Is this your first visit here? Welcome to Indian Chai Stories!
Do you have a chai story of your own to share?  
Send it to me here, please : indianchaistories@gmail.com. 

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, long, or short, impossible, scary, funny or exciting but never dull.
 Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!

Meet the writer:

  Rajesh Thomas introduces himself:
"A second generation planter. Born and grew up in the planting districts of Southern India. Started my career in the High Ranges and Annamallais Planting Districts for twelve years. Had a stint in Africa for two years. Since 2009 been planting in the Nilgiris.

Read all of Rajesh's stories at this link: https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/search/label/J.Rajesh%20Thomas

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Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!