Its People And Their Lifestyle

"Life in a tea garden is like living a king's life". Spending about 17 years of my life in a tea estate, this is one thing I have personally experienced that the statement above is so true. 

Staying in those big wooden, British style bungalows with big lawns, kitchen gardens and beautiful sit-outs is just not enough; to add on to it are the huge rooms, corridors, a proper dinning hall with a big dinner table, is truly an awesome experience. The bed tea that is provided to you in the exact time you'd ask for; and later the dinner table that is already set ready with neatly ironed table cloth, plates and spoons and to give it a western touch, of course the napkins. Before you could come and pull your chair,they are already kept ready for you.
Well, this was all about the spending your life in a Bungalow. 
Apart from this there are Planters Club or Sports Club which organises club days for the planters for their relaxation and enjoyment. A lot of activities are held and lunch, dinner or evening tea is served with great zeal.
Activities like flower arrangements, jam making,crafts,etc. are organised for everyone, this helps in meeting and socialising with other members of the other tea estates.

Cricket and Football tournaments are also organised for both the stuffs and workers of different tea estates every year. Golf is a famous game played here,it is a great exercise and a very relaxing sports.


It is surely a great experience and life in a tea estate. And one can never really afford to loose an opportunity to lead a comfortable life like this one.Staying here, one can correctly say "live life king size".
   

The Roots On which Tea Plants Survive

India map showing the area with the
largest  tea plantation

A lot of research and studies have been done to study the cultivation of tea. The factors responsible for better growth of tea can be categorised into climatic factors,soil factors,and other factors.  


CLIMATIC FACTORS:
According to studies a tea plant requires a moderately hot and humid climate.
Rain,is one of the most important factors in tea cultivation.Luckily,the average annual rainfall in North-East India ranges from 2000-4000mm.But for a good yield you need to have a stable amount of rainfall. But unfortunately In the North East India, the rainfall distribution is not even. The excess rainfall in the monsoon 
months of June-September causes drainage problems,which adversely affects the tea cultivation.Sometimes it also happens that due to less rainfall, it results in soil moisture deficit again affecting the tea bushes.
Temperature,being the second most important need for tea plants,researchers have concentrated a lot in this regard.In general, the ambient temperature within 13°C and 32°C is advisable for tea plantation.Temperature more or less than this could lead to damage of the crops. That is the reason why there is no plantation during the winter  months of December to March as the temperature drops down to 12°C and there is hardly any growth during this period. 
There are mainly four flushing periods(when the new shoot appears from the dormant bud). The 1st flush period commences from March and April, the 2nd flush period is during the months of May and June; July,August and September being the 3rd flush period also known as 'rain flush' and the last and the 4th flush period is the 'autumn flush' which commences during the month of October and November. Studies have also found that low temperature causes slower growth and low yield. This is the very obvious reason why the hilly districts of Darjeeling has low tea cultivation in comparison to the plains of Dooars and Assam.


SOIL FACTORS:
As a child I have always heard my dad talk about well drained soils with good depth being very important for better growth of the tea crops.Studies have found that acidic pH in the range 4.5 to 5.5 and more than 2% organic matter are other different very important factors. It also reveals that the depth of ground water table should not be less than 90 cm for good growth of tea. Catchment planning is required for improved soil and water management practices.

Tall tress are planted in between 
the tea rows

OTHER FACTORS:
To improve the nutritional value of the soil many different kinds of small plants like fern,green manure,etc are planted between the tea rows. This provides temporary shade to the young tea crops which in turn helps in branch and seedling formation, helps the tea plants from soil erosion and weeds.
The long, tall trees like those of the Eucalyptus, Teak , etc. are planted between the tea rows only after it has grown fully.
These trees in return helps improving the moisture content in the atmosphere around.


These are some of the amazing factors and main roots on which a tea plant survives. 

The Swaying Greenery

Assam is famous in the world map for its popular tea culture. Assam tea, which I was talking about in my previous post is known for its aroma, briskness and strong colour. It is produced not only for the Indian sub-continent but is also served in the breakfast tables of countries all over the world. 

It is believed that tea was brought to Assam by the Bodo Tribe for their own use. It is said that during 1823, the British government introduced it for commercial purpose. They learned the method of tea production from China and they hired people from Orissa and Bihar for human resource.

A woman worker plucking tea leaves

More than half of the tea produced in India comes from the land of Assam, which is sold after the auction that takes place in the centre in Guwahati. Assam accommodates more than 850 tea estates and more than 2500 tea gardens which covers thousands of acres of land. Most of the tea estates are found in Jorhat which is 'the Tea Capital of the world'. It is a real pleasure to walk through the alleys of these gardens as the workers carefully pick-out the right 'threesome' (called 'eti-koli-duti-paat' in Assamese) which means 'two leaves and a bud', collecting them in a huge basket that they carry on their back.

~Experience The Real Assam~

What could be a better start  of a day than sitting in the open garden feeling the cool breeze, bringing along with it the smell of greenery and, 'a cup of tea'. 

I am lucky to have been brought up in a place where I could experience this everyday of my life. At that point of time I never realized, what could have gone into making this cup of tea so relishing, but now that I am far off from that experience I am regressing into the thoughts of freshly brewed 'Assam Tea'.