GLIMPSES OF INDIA

III-TEA FROM ASSAM

BY: ASHRAF
10-A
 ARUP KUMAR DUTTA

Arup Kumar Dutta is an Indian writer and journalist from Guwahati, Assam. He has written 16 books for adults and
17 adventure novels for young people . In 2014 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour by
Association of Writers and illustrators for Children, New Delhi, the Indian chapter of the International Board of Books
for Young People. He has also won numerous awards including the Shankar's Award in 1979, conferred to mark The
International Year of the Child. He has been awarded the civilian award Padma Shri by Government of India in 2018.

Arup Kumar Dutta was born on 2 July 1948 to Girish and Indira Dutta. He spent his early life in Jorhat, in the tea-
growing Indian state of Assam. At the age of 8, he was admitted to The Lawrence School, Sanawar in Himachal
Pradesh, from where he passed his Senior Cambridge Examination in 1962. After school, Dutta joined Ramjas
College under the University of Delhi from where he completed his bachelor of arts in English Literature in 1966. He
went on to finish his post-graduation in English Literature from the University of Delhi in 1969. Dutta then returned to
Assam to teach English at Jagannath Barooah College, Jorhat. Along with teaching, he also started his journalistic
career writing freelance satirical columns and short stories for numerous Indian magazines and newspapers. In the
course of few years he established himself as journalist of repute at the national level. His writings featured in
journals such as The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Caravan, Femina, JS, Eve's Weekly etc. He was a prominent
writer in the famous Indian satirical magazine, Shankar's Weekly.
 STARTER ACTIVITY

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE

TEA?
 SUMMARY

Pranjol is a youngster from Assam. He is Rajvir’s classmate and currently studying in a school in Delhi. Pranjol’s
father is the manager of a tea garden in Upper Assam. Pranjol has invited Rajvir to visit his home during summer
vacation. Rajvir visits Assam in a train with Pranjol and he keeps taking pleasures of the scenery. They arrive at
Mariani Junction. From there, they drove to Dhekibari Tea Estate. It was the tea garden of Pranjol’s father. They
saw groups of tea-pluckers with bamboo baskets plucking the new leaves from from the plants. Almost 8 crores
cups of tea are drunk everyday in the world.

There is a story about the origin of the tea. It is said that a Buddhist monk names Bodhidharma felt sleepy while
meditating. To avoid it, he cut his eyelids and threw them. Few saplings sprouted out of them. It is said they were
tea leaves that banished sleep after boiling and drinking it.

There is one more story. The other story tells that, there was a emperor in China who was in habit of drinking
water after boiling it. Few twigs fell into his boiling water. After drinking it, his sleep went off. They called it tea.
Tea was first drunk in China as far back as 2700 BC. Tea was introduced to Europe in only in 16th century and
was drunk more as medicine than as beverage. Chai and Chini words have their origin in China.
 QUESTIONS

1) Which state did Pranjol belong to?

2) What was Pranjol’s father?
3) Where were Pranjol and Rajvir going?
4) According to Rajvir, how many cups of tea are drunk daily throughout the
world?
5) Where was tea first drunk and when?
6) Who cut Bodhidharma’s eyelids and why?
7) How long does the second flush or sprouting period lasts?
8) Who were Pranjol and Rajvir? Where were they going?
 ANSWERS
1) Pranjol belonged to Assam.
2) Pranjol’s father was the manager of a tea garden in Upper Assam.
3) They were going to Assam to visit Pranjol’s home on summer vacation.
4) According to Rajvir, over 80 crore cups of tea are drunk daily throughout the world.
5) Tea was first drunk in China in the year 2700 BC.
6) Bodhidharma himself cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during his meditation.
7) There are two flushes or sprouting period. It lasts from May to July and yields the best tea.
8) Pranjol and Rajvir were friends. Pranjol belonged to Assam. He was studying in a school in Delhi. Rajvir
was his classmate. Pramjol’s father was the manager of a tea garden in Upper Assam. Pranjol invited Rajvir
to visit his home during the summer vacation. They both travelled to Assam on a train.