Torsha river by ferry, carrying my lunch box on my bike,
as those days there was no bridge over this river. My
kamjari was to arrange the buyers and sell my product, so
I would carry potato samples and visit all the potato dealers
in Falakata and Cooch Behar. With great difficulty I
managed to sell the entire stock. A few kg of potatoes,
nicely packed in a carton, was also sent to HO, kind
courtesy Brindaban Division! This land project was later
christened Bridaban Division.
Once, during routine kamjari in Assam, I received a
message from Burra Sahab that a disabled child had been
taken captive behind the Burra Bungalow servant’s quarter.
It was similar to a hostage situation. The culprit was
carrying a machete. Cops were informed but as usual they
were not on time. Before I arrived at the site, the Senior
Assistant Manager along with ATPSF personnel had
surrounded the quarter. We started talking to the person
to release the child and asked him to come out of the
quarter, giving all kinds of assurances that he
would come to no harm.
After a long negotiation, when there was no response,
I decided to enter the quarter to rescue the child. At the back
of my mind I was prepared that he would attack me as soon
as I entered and I would have to act fast. And yes, this was
exactly what happened – he attacked me with the machete
and within a fraction of a second I ducked, grabbed him and
immediately the ATPSF personnel behind me overpowered
him. Finally, after more than an hour, the agonizing hostage
crisis ended in a dramatic climax.
This, for me is Tea – all shades of colour, where one has to
be prepared for any kind of eventuality and for which no
training or code of conduct is provided. It’s a management
skill which is imperative to a labour intensive industry
like ours.
B
rought up in the Defence atmosphere, I was made
to understand that there was no better profession
other than the Army. It was like you see the horses
which draw ‘tangas’ in Delhi. Blinds are fixed on the sides
of the horse’s eyes to prevent it from looking at the sides
and getting distracted. Finally at the time of taking up a
career, I cleared the CDSE (Combined Defence Service
Examination) and applied for Tea as well. Coincidentally,
I got joining letters from both on the same day and having
seen the other side, opted to join Tea. I have no regrets
today about making the right choice as I feel proud to be
a part of the world’s number one tea company.
Jainti was my first tea estate, where I had a very short
tenure.The training was very tough and those days there
was a saying that Dooars was the launching pad for
Assam. One evening my Burra Sahab landed up in my
bungalow, handed over my transfer orders and told me to
report to Mathura T.E. by the next morning. He briefed
me that it was a new acquisition and I might have to stay
in a tent as there were no bungalows. Mathura was a
totally different ball game altogether. Kamjari was 24x7.
Being a new property, we had this tremendous task of
bringing it up to our Company’s standards in all respects.
The entire team managed to stay in one bungalow for a
couple of months – Burra Sahab on the top floor, sharing
with an assistant and the rest of us in the dining hall with
partitions made from tea chests. As there were no closets
to keep our clothes in, I grabbed an old fridge lying in a
corner where I managed to keep them. The best thing I
cherish even today was the dinner we all used to have
together. Conversations during the meal provided
opportunities for us to bond, plan, connect and learn from
one another. For at least half an hour we would discuss
how our day had gone, talked about kamjari and made
future plans. This pleasant time seemed like a reward for
the day’s hard work, which I still miss today.
I presume I am the only planter in the entire tea industry
who was given the responsibility of harvesting and selling
potatoes in the ‘mundi’! The Company decided to have a
land project in Falakata, Dooars, as acquisitions of land
were made. Planting of tea commenced immediately after
land preparation in blocks. But as the planting was done
in phases, to guard our land against encroachment it was
decided to cultivate potatoes on some stretches. It so
happened that at the time of harvesting, the assistant in
charge had to go on annual leave and I was sent on
deputation. Every morning I would go
to the land project
crossing the
Pot-o-
Tea
~ Shashi Kant Subba
Tarajulie T.E.
“
Nothing is really work unless you
would rather be doing something else.
”
~ James Matthew Barrie
40
JANUARY 2015
JANUARY 2015
41