TAMENGLONG TEA
Tea plants growing wild
at Tamenglong Khunjao
Drinking tea regularly can replace the bad
habit of Bacchus worshipping. Arup Kumar Dutta of Assam in his famed book “Cha
Garam – the tea story” says that from an early period Chinese society had tried
to use tea to fight the evils of alcoholism and the immoderate use of wine. He
further says that though there is no etymological evidence to prove it, the
word ‘teetotaller’ or a person who abstains himself from drinking alcoholic
beverages is a phonetic derivation of ‘tea-total’ or a total drinker of tea.
When Sir James Johnstone, the British
political agent in Manipur (1877-1886) once approached the king, Chandrakriti
Maharaja, for permission to grow tea for his own consumption, the latter sent
an official and told the agent, “The Maharaja will supply you with all the tea
you want free of cost, but begs not to think of growing it”. The fear of being
annexed had prompted the Maharaja to prevent the political agent from growing
it.
Tamenglong district shares a common
boundary line with Cachar district (Assam) where tea was introduced long time
back. And it is natural that the plantation came from the neighbouring area.
However, it is believed tea plants have been growing wild in the hills of
Tamenglong since time immemorial. Unknown to the outside world, it has been an
essential item for the tribals.
Tea is so popular in the region that there
is not a single village in the entire district where at least some plants are
not grown. It is planted as boundary fencing of homestead land also. Tender
leaves are plucked and dried either in the sun or in the fire according to the
taste of the villagers. Then the dried tea leaves with stems are hand-crushed
and packed for the morning market. They sold it at Rs. 35 a kg.
Another popular way of drinking it is to
wash down the meals with liberal dose of it which neither has sugar nor milk in
it. They prefer sipping it seated around a fire and visitors are welcomed over
a cup of this tea that cheers the mood and is so mild and benign that it does
not inebriate at all.
There is a likelihood of pesticide residue
in the company marketed tea that will affect the health of consumers whereas
the organically grown tea of Tamenglong is hundred percent chemical free and
perfectly safe for drinking. Manipur Plantation Crops Corporation Ltd.,
established in 1981-82 as a government company under Company Act 1956 to
promote tea and coffee plantation could not extend desired credit facilities to
the poor tribal villagers. Big players like Brooke Bond, Lipton and Duncan Agro
etc., may not like to extend their hands for plantation in the district though
they may have different schemes in neighbouring Assam.
Anyway, when someone says about Tata Tea (
or for that matter any tea company) I would say my Tamenglong Tea because it is
not only cheaper and tastier and free from possible chemical residue but also
organically grown, clean, healthy and what not.
Konjengbam Kameshore
(Courtesy: North East
Sun, New Delhi, October 15-31, 1998)
