The early morning September sun was bright, casting its warm glow over the Assam tea estates. Brenda was gradually getting used to the regional time shift, the Bagaan time being an hour earlier than the standard time. She sat on the verandah, admiring the golden tips of the glistening tea bushes. She sipped her tea peacefully, knowing that the leaves in her cup had been brewed from these very bushes.
That day there was an added vibrance in the ambience. Vishwakarma Puja was being celebrated with vigour throughout the plantations, and preparations were underway. Before Brenda could finish her cup of tea, the bungalow maali approached her, asking for permission to get flowers from the compound for the puja at the factory. Brenda nodded and advised him to get some from the maali baari as well.
Despite it being early in the day, the hustle and bustle was a refreshing change from the typical laahe laahe (slow) mornings that Brenda had grown accustomed to. The celebratory air hung heavy all around. The bearer came to her, saying, “memsaab, factory se gaikheer lene aaya hai.” (Someone has come from the factory to fetch some gaikheer.)
“Kheer banana bola tha kya?” (Were we asked to make kheer?)
“Ji nahi memsaab, kutcha gaikheer lega.” (No ma’am, they want uncooked gaikheer).
“Kutcha kheer?” Brenda was taken aback. “Yes, the factory chowkidaar is at the kitchen door.” She could have her Bawarchi cook some kheer for Prasad but that too would take a while. And here the bearer was insistent on 5 litres! “From where did they get it last year?” she asked, hoping to make some sense of the situation.
They told her that it was customary to send it from the Burra Bungalow every year. Brenda was starting to get exasperated that she had not been informed earlier, feeling at the end of her rope. After a few minutes of speculation, she decided to call Neelu who had been her friend and guide. Neelu and Umesh (Mistri Saab at the time) had gone out of their way to welcome them at Mackeypore tea estate, post their 3-decade stint in Dooars.
“Neelu, they want kutcha kheer! How am I supposed to dish out 5 litres while the factory chowkidaar is standing right here waiting for it?”
“Kutcha kheer?” Neelu was baffled too.
“Yes, apparently it is sent from the Burra Bungalow each year,” informed Brenda, smoothening the wrinkles on her forehead. To her amusement, she heard Neelu break out into a little giggle on the other side of the phone.
“Sorry Brenda,” she said, “they must be asking for kutcha gaikheer. Gaikheer in the local language means milk, and they want it without any boiling or processing.” Relieved, Brenda chuckled and handed over the milk for the Pujas.
Later that morning, as she entered the factory for the Vishwakarma Puja happy to see her husband Conrad and the other executives and their families immersed in the vivid festive essence. She realized that little moments of life like these make stories for years of celebrations told through the wispy aroma of dhoop kathis and ghee diyas. The Prasad was a feast of emotions – a perfect symbol of the everlasting bonds between the saabs, the staff, and the workers.
Glossary:
Bagaan: Estate
Maali: Gardener
Maali baari: Kitchen garden
Bawarchi: Chef
Prasad: a devotional offering made to a God, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees
Kheer: Pudding made with rice and milk
Dhoop kathis: Incense sticks
Ghee diyas: Oil lamps