Class 10 ENGLISH GLIMPSES OF INDIA - III. TEA FROM ASSAM

 III. TEA FROM ASSAM- by Arup Kumar Datta

I. Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:  

1. 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-puckers with bamboo baskets on their backs, wearing plastic aprons, were plucking the newly sprouted leaves. 

 (a) How are the women tea-puckers different from the other workers on the farms?

 (b) What did they find on both sides of the road?

 (c) How did the tea bushes appear? 

 (d)What were the groups of women doing? 

Answer: (a) They had bamboo baskets on their backs and wore plastic aprons. 

 (b) On both the sides of the gravel road were acre upon acre of tea bushes. 

 (c) The tea bushes were all neatly pruned to the same height. 

 (d) They were plucking the newly sprouted leaves.  

II. SHORT QUESTION AND ANSWERS-    

Q1. Why was Rajvir excited to see the tea gardens? OR What made Rajvir amazed on the way? 

 Answer:  Rajvir found the view outside the train splendid and eye catching with a lot of greenery. It was his first visit to Assam and he was fascinated by the sprawling tea gardens, spreading like the green sea of neatly pruned bushes and found it more interesting to watch, than reading his book on detectives. 

 Q2. How did Rajvir describe the view from the train? 

 Answer: Rajvir described the magnificent view of the landscape from the train window. It was a sea of tea bushes, fleeting against the backdrop of densely wooded hills. At odd intervals, there were tall shade-tree and one could see women tea-pluckers picking tea leaves, who appeared to be doll like figures. 

 Q3. What information was given by Pranjol’s father to Rajvir about Assam Tea Estate? 

Answer: Pranjol’s father agreed to Rajvir’s information about it being the second-flush or sprouting period and it lasted from May to July and yields the best tea. 

 Q4. What legends are associated with the origin of tea? 

 Answer: According to Chinese legend, once a few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell into the water and gave a delicious flavour: According to the Indian legend, Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditation and threw them on the earth. Ten tea plants grew out of those eyelids. When he boiled them in water and drunk that water, it banished his sleep. 

 Q5. What is the Chinese legend regarding tea? 

 Answer: The Chinese legend about tea is that there was a Chinese emperor who had the habit of boiling water before drinking it. Once, a few twigs of the leaves burning under the pot fell into the water and gave it a delicious flavour. Those leaves were tea leaves. 

 Q6. How did Rajvir describe, the tea garden at Dhekiabari? 

 Answer: Rajvir’s visit to Dhekiabari, where Pranjol’s father worked as a manager, was a novel experience and he found it extremely fascinating. As they proceeded along the gravel road, with neatly pruned sea of tea bushes spreading over acres of land, he saw groups of tea-workers, wearing plastic aprons and baskets of bamboo sticks on their back, picking newly sprouted tea leaves. 

 Q7. Describe the magnificent views of tea estate with reference to the lesson ‘‘Tea from Assam’’. 

 Answer: The view around the tree estate was magnificent. There was greenery all round. Against the backdrop of densely 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 of tea-pluckers. 

 Q8. Which story of a Chinese emperor is associated with the discovery of tea? 

Answer: According to one legend, a Chinese emperor discovered tea by chance. He always boiled water before drinking it. One day a few leaves off the twigs burning under the pot fell into the water. As a result, the boiled water got a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves. 

 Q9. How has tea become a popular beverage? 

Answer: Tea is decidedly a very popular beverage in the world. More than eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world. At every platform in India, you can hear vendors crying “Chai-garam”. The people can’t resist buying the steaming hot cups of tea. 

 Q10. How and where are tea leaves collected in Assam? 

 Answer: Assam has the largest number of tea estates in India. Acre upon acre of tea bushes is stretching as far as the eyes can go. All the bushes are pruned to the same height. Groups of tea pluckers carry bamboo basket on their back to collect tea-leaves. They wear plastic aprons. They pluck the newly-sprouted tea leaves from, the bushes. Then the leaves are dried and processed in factories.

III. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS: 

Q1. What are different legends related to tea? 

 Answer: Tea was first drunk in China as far back as 2700 B.C. In fact, words like ‘Chai’ and ‘Chinni’ came from Chinese. According to one Chinese legend, there was a Chinese emperor. He always boiled water before drinking it. One day, some leaves from the twigs burning under the pot fell into the boiling water. The leaves gave a delicious flavour. It is said that they were tea leaves. We have an Indian legend too about the discovery of tea leaves. Bodhidharma was an ancient Buddhist ascetic. It is said that he cut off his eyelids because he fell sleepy during meditations. It is said that ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids. The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and drunk banished sleep. In Europe, tea came as late as the sixteenth century. It was drunk more like medicine than a beverage. 

Q2. Rajvir seemed to have a lot of information about tea. What all does he tell? What character trait about him is revealed? Is it essential for children ? 

 Answer: Rajvir had been invited to spend his vacations with his classmate Pranjol whose father was the manager of a tea estate in Assam. He was quite excited about the trip and had gathered considerable amount of information about where tea originated and how it became such a popular beverage. He informs that about 50 crore cups of tea are consumed daily and that the name tea itself has originated from Chinese. He narrates two popular legends about the origin of tea. Rajvir exhibits an important value trait, that is the pre-requisite to gain knowledge curiosity and eagerness to know. Moreover, he is not a passive learner but is proactive in collecting prior information to any real experience. He likes to do his homework thoroughly before going to a place. This is something very appreciable and children should develop this habit of finding out about the place they are going to visit. These are extremely desirable traits for all learners.