NCERT Book Class 10 English First Flight Ch 7 Glimpses of India pdf Part C
Glimpses of India
Part C
Tea from Assam
Pranjol, a youngster from Assam, is Rajvir’s classmate at school in Delhi. Pranjol’s father is the manager of a tea-garden in Upper Assam and Pranjol has invited Rajvir to visit his home during the summer vacation.
“CHAI-GARAM… garam-chai,” a vendor called out in a high-pitched voice.
He came up to their window and asked,”Chai, sa’ab?” “Give us two cups,” Pranjol said.
They sipped the steaming hot liquid. Almost everyone in their compartment was drinking tea too. “Do you know that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world?” Rajvir said. “Whew!” exclaimed Pranjol. “Tea really is very popular.”
The train pulled out of the station. Pranjol buried his nose in his detective book again. Rajvir too was an enthusiastic fan of detective stories, but at the moment he was keener on looking at the beautiful scenery. It was green, green everywhere. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery before. Then the soft green paddy fields gave way to tea bushes.
It was a magnificent view. Against the backdrop of heavily wooded hills a sea of tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see. Dwarfing the tiny tea plants were tall sturdy shade-trees and amidst the orderly rows of bushes busily moved doll-like figures.
In the distance was an ugly building with smoke billowing out of tall chimneys.
“Hey, a tea garden!” Rajvir cried excitedly. Pranjol, who had been born and brought up on a plantation, didn’t share Rajvir’s excitement. “Oh, this is tea country now,” he said. “Assam has the largest concentration of plantations in the world. You will see enough gardens to last you a lifetime!” “I have been reading as much as I could about tea,” Rajvir said. “No one really knows who discovered tea but there are many legends.” “What legends?”
“Well, there’s the one about the Chinese emperor who always boiled water before drinking it. One day a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell into the water giving it a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves.” “Tell me another!” scoffed Pranjol.
“We have an Indian legend too. Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic, cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and drunk banished sleep. “Tea was first drunk in China,” Rajvir added, “as far back as 2700 B.C.! In fact words such as tea, ‘chai’ and ‘chini’ are from Chinese. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth century and was drunk more as medicine than as beverage.”
The train clattered into Mariani junction. The boys collected their luggage and pushed their way to the crowded platform.
Pranjol’s parents were waiting for them. Soon they were driving towards Dhekiabari, the tea-garden managed by Pranjol’s father. An hour later the car veered sharply off the main road. They crossed a cattle-bridge and entered Dhekiabari Tea Estate.
On both sides of the gravel-road were acre upon acre of tea bushes, all neatly pruned to the same height. Groups of tea- pluckers, with bamboo baskets on their backs, wearing plastic aprons, were plucking the newly sprouted leaves.
Pranjol’s father slowed down to allow a tractor, pulling a trailer-load of tea leaves, to pass. “This is the second-flush or sprouting period, isn’t it, Mr Barua?” Rajvir asked. “It lasts from May to July and yields the best tea.” “You seem to have done your homework before coming,” Pranjol’s father said in surprise. “Yes, Mr Barua,” Rajvir admitted. “But I hope to learn much more while I’m here.”
Words: – Dwarfing – cause to seem small; Sturdy – strong; shade-tree – tree that gives shades and one can sit to take rest; amidst – surrounded, in the middle of; Busily – effectively; twigs – branches; scoffed – made fun of; banished – get rid of; clattered – reached; veered – turned; gravel – very small, irregular pieces of rock and stone. Pruned – trimmed.
Theme of Story
In ‘Tea from Assam’ Arup Kumar Datta describes how popular tea has become as a beverage in the world. Over 80 crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world. It shows the increasing popularity of tea. The lesson gives a graphic description of the sea of tea bushes stretching as far as eyes can go in Assam. The plucking of the newly sprouted leaves by groups of tea-pluckers with bamboo baskets on their backs are vividly described in the lesson.
Character Sketch
Rajvir: He was a youngster and classmate of Pranjol in Delhi. He was excited to visit Tea estate in Assam. He was invited there by Pranjol to spend summer vacation. He was an ardent (keen) fan of detective stories. He enjoyed seeing the magnificent view of tea-bushes in Assam. His knowledge about tea and its history was profound (deep). He had done a lot of reading about tea. He even surprised Pranjol’s father with his in-depth knowledge of the subject.
Pranjol: He had been born and brought up on a tea plantation. He studied with Rajvir in Delhi. His father was the manager of a tea-garden in upper Assam. He invited Rajvir to visit his home and the Dhekiabari Tea Estate during summer vacation. He was an ardent fan of detective stories.
Important Questions
1. Why did Rajvir visit Assam?
Answer. Rajvir had been invited by his classmate Pranjol, who was from Assam, to visit his home during the summer vacation.
2. How does Rajvir describe the tea-garden at Dhekiabari?
Ans. On both sides of the road were acres and acres of neatly pruned (cut) tea bushes. It was the second sprouting period. Women wearing plastic aprons were plucking new tea leaves and putting them in the bamboo baskets.
3. Describe the scenery that Rajvir saw as soon as the train pulled out of the station.
Ans. When the train moved ahead, there were huge fields full of green plantations. Rajvir had never seen so much greenery. He called it a ‘magnificent view’. The bushes were spread like a sea against the backdrop of densely wooded hills.
4. How are tea pluckers different from other farm labourers?
Ans. The tea pluckers are different from other farm labourers. The women plucking tea leaves in the tea gardens look like dolls. They wear plastic aprons and carry baskets at their backs to put tea leaves in them.
5. How can you say that tea was first drunk in China?
Ans. There is an ancient legend about the discovery of tea. A Chinese emperor had the habit of drinking boiled water. One day a twig from the fire fell into the pot in which water was being boiled. It gave a delicious flavour to the water. It is said that those were tea leaves and that was the first tea. It is thus thought that tea was first taken in China.
6. What information was given by Pranjol’s father to Rajvir about Assam Tea Estate?
Ans. He was the manager of a tea garden in upper Assam. He showed Pranjol and Rajvir the acres of tea bushes, all neatly pruned to the same height. Groups of women pluckers with bamboo baskets were plucking the newly sprouted leaves.
7. What was the Indian legend about the discovery of tea?
Or Write down the Buddhist legend about tea.
Ans. An Indian legend goes like this. Once there was a Buddhist, ascetic Bodhidharma who used to feel sleepy during meditations. So he cut off his eyelids. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. When the leaves of these plants were put in hot water and drunk, they banished sleep.
8. Why did Pranjol’s father say in surprise that Rajvir had done his homework before coming there?Ans. A tractor was pulling a trailer-load of tea leaves at the Dhekiabari Tea Estate. Rajvir asked Pranjol’s father if that was the second flush or sprouting period. Rajvir told that the second sprouting period lasts from May to July and yields the best tea. Such detailed information about tea leaves surprised Pranjol’s father. He told Rajvir that he seemed to have done his homework before coming here.