by Bipin Tandon
In the second half of the 80's, efforts were being made to bring Arunachal on to the tea map. One enterprising man Mr.Basant Dube had taken the lead. He had persuaded an influential politician to plant a garden.
I got a call SOS at Lucknow, where I was living after a sack from DUNCANS after 19 years of service. I was disappointed with tea and was trying other means of making a living.
However Mr. Dube told me come as leave vacancy for not over a month, as his manager had developed some medical problem. He would be back soon.
I could not turn down his offer.
Third day I took a flight to Lilabari and then drove 250 kms! -to Jonah - last place in Assam.
The driver took me to an abandoned saw mill. He said arrangements had been made for me to stay the night there. In the morning we would go to the garden.
At eight am the next day we set off for the garden. After driving 20kms or so we reached a river bank. Driver showed me that the garden was on the other side and since the river had a lot of water we could not cross.
I am a non swimmer. CHALLANGE Number One!
I told the assembled locals to get a rope tied to trees on both ends of river. I got stilts made and crossed the holding rope.
We had a bamboo house for the manager's bungalow with GCI sheets. The house had electricity and a telephone. It had a thunder box cubicle with a bucket. Rain water was collected through the roof guttering.
We had a television and fixed what was a sofa for sitting - posts driven in. The ground floor was a kitchen. Beds made of bamboos. This was how we began.
Now imagine what would have been situation in 1880-90s! Salute to the pioneers. What a life, gone now - built up with hard work.
The writer introduces himself:
Bipin Behari Tandon. Joined Duncans in 1964.
An agri graduate from UPAU Pantnagar.
Out from TEA since Jan.2018.
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. You will find yourself transported to another world!
Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
ADD THIS LINK TO YOUR FAVOURITES : https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/Indian Chai Stories
In the second half of the 80's, efforts were being made to bring Arunachal on to the tea map. One enterprising man Mr.Basant Dube had taken the lead. He had persuaded an influential politician to plant a garden.
We had a bamboo house for the manager's bungalow with GCI sheets. The house had electricity and a telephone. It had a thunder box cubicle with a bucket. Rain water was collected through the roof guttering.
We had a television and fixed what was a sofa for sitting - posts driven in. The ground floor was a kitchen. Beds made of bamboos. This was how we began.
Now imagine what would have been situation in 1880-90s! Salute to the pioneers. What a life, gone now - built up with hard work.
The writer introduces himself:
An agri graduate from UPAU Pantnagar.
Out from TEA since Jan.2018.
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. You will find yourself transported to another world!
Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
ADD THIS LINK TO YOUR FAVOURITES : https://teastorytellers.blogspot.com/Indian Chai Stories
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