The chirping song of birds pierced the stillness of the warm, humid air. A merry murmur punctuated with hearty laughter announced the presence of the ladies on the lawn of the Burra Bungalow, with its unique thatched roof. Their colourful sarees blended in with the vibrant phlox flowers that had begun to bloom and the Sweet Williams that clambered along the bamboo lattice behind. The ladies appreciated the green thumb of their hostess, taking in the view of the flower beds, well-manicured lawns as well as the maali-baari which had retained an organic beauty. Alo Bonerjee stretched out her fingers to feel the silky petals of rose buds inhaling deeply. Surely, there was a charm to the Bangladesh tea estates! Rita Singh, Jolly Durgaprasad and Monica Dasgupta nodded in unison.
1. Burra Bungalow with a thatch roof Allynuggar (Bangladesh)
2. The expanse of the extended verandah of the Burra Bungalow
Towards the middle of the lawn, sat a group of planters on the garden chairs, engaged in animated conversations of their own. The five planters and their wives were enjoying the hospitality of their hosts in Bangladesh, where they had been attending an Annual Exchange Program. As they landed in Dhaka from Kolkata that October morning in 1987, Dhaka City beckoned them with festive pomp that went hand-in-hand with Durga Pujas. The dark nimbus of the monsoon had left the sky and the clouds came in brighter tones, as did the sunshine. They spent the night at the grand Sonar Bangla – Dhaka, and the next morning, the guests were ferried across the Padma River, their hosts orienting them on the geography and the unique culture with their stories.
The Land Rovers and Sedans which awaited across the river, took the couples to tea estates Chandpore, Allynuggar, Chatlapore, Amo and Mazdehee. The week passed by in a blink, full of fun and frolic amidst the working schedules for men and shopping sprees for the ladies. The guests were overwhelmed with the hospitality and by now they knew that it was never a meal in Bangladesh but always a banquet with the most delectable menu imaginable. As was the signature, the table always had a lip-smacking illish maach and rosogollas along with several other items.
1. Mr Raja Durgaprasad and Jolly, Mr Bawa Kuldip Singh and Reeta
2. Mr Bibek Bonerjee and Alo Bonerjee
Throughout the week, everyone had eaten to their heart’s content and the hosts left no stone unturned to make sure of it. The farewell lunch was no different. As they sat around the lawn, basking in the happy moments of their last afternoon together, Mrs Shain Alam came with a bearer following her carrying a large bucket of rosogollas in his hand. “We can’t let these go to waste,” she said pointing at the large spongy soft white balls of the sweet.
She met the eyes of her guests but they all claimed to be too full to even have another bite. “Nonsense! It would be a sin to let these rosogollas go to waste,” suggested Raja Durgaprasad. “Of course not and anyway, meethe ke liye toh alag compartment hai!” was the boast of Bawa Kuldip Singh and Raja Durgaprasad. A Bangladesh vs India Rosogolla Eating Competition was suggested, with the leader of the pack, Bibek Bonerjee cheering on his team.
Jolly and Reeta stared at their husbands agog. The other ladies too stared open-mouthed but owing to the cheerful mood, there was little resistance and the teams were announced. Four energetic planters formed the host team and Raja and Bawa Kuldeep, their worthy opponents.
The bucket of rosogollas was placed in the centre of the table and the competitors sat around. The onlookers stood behind, cheering and clapping to boost the morale of the teams. With much fanfare, the host team started the competition. “One more! One more!” encouraged the audience and the final count of the youngsters was tallied at an astounding 18! Applause erupted at the solid target that had been set for the guest team and a claim to a walk-over victory reverberated.
The Indian duo began, “Come on Kuldeep,” cheered Bibek and Bawa Kuldeep in his usual measured manner enjoying each piece at a time with a lot of cheering, clapping and repartee. Reeta held her head in her hands concerned about a sick husband when at the count of 17 he passed the baton to Raja who guffawed in his unique style, getting everyone rolling with laughter. Raja proceeded to finish the last piece in the bucket, which brought his final count to 27!
“I could have had another one,” he said searching the bucket and earning more applause, laughs and warnings from the concerned onlookers. The foes turned friends, were offered a bowl of dahi each and the tournament ended with an uproar of fun, laughter and a sense of satisfaction which can only be the result of the bonds formed by rich relationships.
Glossary:
Maali baari: Kitchen garden
Illish maach: Illish fish / Hilsa herring
Rosogollas: a white spongy ball, made of chhena, dunked in syrup
Meethe ke liye toh alag compartment hai: There is a separate compartment for sweets/ desserts