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Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 7 – Glimpses of India (Part 3) Tea from Assam
By Arup Kumar Dutta
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.

Introduction:

The lesson is about two friends- Pranjol and Rajvir who are travelling to Pranjol’s hometown Assam for the summer vacation. Assam is known as the ‘tea country’. It has the largest concentration of plantations in the world. During their journey they discuss about the various ‘legends’ that are known to have discovered tea. The story tells us about the popularity of tea as a beverage.

Summary:

The story revolves around the infamous beverage ‘tea’ telling us more about its history and discovery. It begins from the scene where two friends, Pranjol and Rajvir are set to go to Assam, Pranjol’s hometown when a tea vendor asks them if they would like to have some freshly made tea. They buy two cups joining almost every other person in their compartment. From there, the journey begins and Pranjol starts reading his detective book while Rajvir decides to enjoy the scenic beauty. There were soft green paddy fields followed by tea bushes. Rajvir is very excited on seeing such large plantations of tea but Pranjol is unable to match the same level because he was born and brought up in Assam, famously known as the ‘Tea country’. Visiting there for the first time, Rajvir did a lot of study about how tea was discovered and that it dates back to 2700 B.C. According to what he read, it was first consumed in China and reached Europe in the 16th century, where it was mostly popular for it’s medicinal properties. There are numerous stories as to how it was discovered, one about a Chinese Emperor and the other about a Buddhist monk. The former liked the taste of it while the latter, used it to get rid of sleep. As they were having this discussion, they reached their destination where Pranjol’s parents had come to receive them and take them to their tea garden. On their way, they passed a cattle bridge and gave way to a truck filled with tea leaves which drew their attention to the fact that it was the second sprouting season. Rajvir, indeed did a lot of study before coming which impressed Pranjol’s father and he intended to learn a lot more.

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