Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Assam Tea Garden

History of Assam tea

Wake up at morning and a sip of tea, perhaps it is one of the most rejuvenating experience one could have imagined and with Assam tea refreshment will be double. Assam is popular around the world for it's refreshing, full bodied malty tea. Assam tea had been cultured long back (about 2000 years ago) when tea was only consumed as a health drink or medicine by the tribes but it was the first time when Bodos, brought tea in the limelight. After the world recognition of this amazing beverage, geographical and economical configuration had been altered dramatically. Vast wild forest metamorphosed into beautiful embracing tea gardens.

resent scenario
Once neglected beverage is now the most prominent drink of world and India is the largest producer. About 400 millions kgs of tea per year comes from Assam. It contribute more than half of total countries tea production. Tea is an integral part of the amiable Assamese people as well as world. People starts their day with a steaming cup of brew and take it in a regular interval for refreshing mood. In India guests are welcomed by offering a cup of tea. In Assam the traditional way to taste the brew is in Bell Matel Bowl called "Banbati".

Tea gardens are good for holiday trip
Exquisite and incredibly silent tea gardens are bliss for eyes. These are mainly located in the upper Assam and southern Barak Valley region. Serene and smiling tea gardens are one of the major tourist attraction. Enjoy the lush greenery of the undulating tea gardens on both sides of the highway while driving to different tea gardens is an exhilarating sightseeing.

Production of Tea
Production of tea is much like wine. Most of tea undergoes fermentation process, green tea is only exception. Shape of leaf, climate, method of production and soil are causes to give its characteristics flavor. Tea is of three types- Black tea, which is most consumed (more than 90% in the world). Unfermented Green tea, which is important beverage of Chinese and now these days researchers find many medicinal values in it and Ooglong tea, which is partially fermented. Assam is number one production center of black tea. Popularly known as "tippy teas", which is black tea with golden tips. Black tea usually of two types a) orthodox, which more export and have a high demand in the International market. b)Indians are mostly consume CTC (crush-tear-curl) tea because it is less bitter and produce a red rich color when they are boiled. Mainly, Assam is popular for black tea and Darjeeling is for CTC.

Life at Tea Garden
Life at tea garden is oblivion to most of the outsiders.Trees are grown in bushes,the tea bushes are about 3 feet in height with an even surface from the top of which the pluckers pluck the tea leaves. The lay of the land in a tea garden is waving so that excess rainwater or irrigation water does not remain standing at the roots but flows away after watering the soil. Unfortunately, life of tea workers is worsening day by day, at least 700 tea workers have died from diseases linked with malnutrition over the past year after closure of tea estates. Daily wages of tea workers are much lower than tea workers in Kerala and other states.

Source

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Paradise Regained…..Darjeeling.

With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and market, I was utterly surprised to see when I just did routine search in Google and what I came up is that there isn’t a place where you would find real life experiences of the Indian cities, leave aside Darjeeling. Surprised? Yes, even I didn’t know. So will you say our present promotion campaign of the virtual tour operators working alright? good?


The first world countries have started envying us; we definitely deserve a much better platform in the Virtual Tours and Tourism Industry. Coming back to point innovation and ideas seem to be there but the lack of proper execution draws those back. We really need a good word.


Well I am sure, that almost all of you have heard of the Darjeeling---The Queen of the Hills. The tagline doesn’t suggest it, rather justifies it, if you haven’t made a visit to this new paradise in India.


Darjeeling, one of the most prodigy hill resorts in the world, summons up hallucination of tranquility, of lively green hills, tea bushes, alien forests of silver fir steeped in splendor, a land of wonderful beauty crowned by the royal Himalayas. This heavenly retreat under the blanket of a brilliant azure sky dappled with specks of clouds compellingly confounds Darjeeling as the Queen of Hill Stations.


Darjeeling has inherited its name from 'Dorje', a Tibetian word that means the expensive stone or ecclesiastical scepter.


Darjeeling is a mesmerizing place, where the tourist can see a tea forest, the plantation and it’s processing, visit Buddhist monasteries, shop in the multihued markets or go trekking to high altitude spots, near the border with Sikkim, not to mention the Tiger Hill, a beauty in itself.


Conceivably the most delightful experience in Darjeeling is the train trip on the legendary 'Toy Train', which traipses up the hill from New Jalpaiguri all the way to Darjeeling, through the steep mountainsides.

Welcome to Saurav’s Den of Eternity!!!

Welcome to Saurav’s Den of Eternity!!! Just Kidding Guys. J. Well, for an introduction, I am an Indian and am proud to be an Indian. It’s the afternoon of rainy summer Tuesday, and I am excited and thrilled to start this blog today.

I always had the dream to pen down my experiences and let other people have the pleasure to virtually tour all the places I have been, alas I continued to celebrate my ignorance, didn’t I!!! It took me quite a while to get my first personal blog listed in the fraternity of Internet.

I always knew that some kind of subliminal depth charge hidden in a sea of internet noise was always waiting for its next victim. And who could have done it more justice than “SELF”, reaping out those translucent stones and emeralds to bring exuberance of Indian Beauty to the outer world. I always knew, this had to come…like a meme, a contagious plan that only exists in the minds of those exposed to it, waiting to be spread, with all the good fragrances to spread around with it. And now, that it is here, I can assure you that it couldn’t have come at a better time.


I have confronted lots of adventurous tours spanning across eclectic mix of Hill Stations and Resorts, wild life sanctuaries, yoga centers, Valleys, Sea Beaches, athwart the most beautiful places in India since my childhood. So, for all the first comers, a huge and a warm welcome as I hope you enjoy my postings here.