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W
hen
the
blistering heat
of summer is
past, winter slowly makes an
appearance with cool mists
blanketing the countryside
in the evenings and perky
wagtails hopping around on
the lawn in the mornings. It's a busy time for Tea ladies
and their 'maalis' as they start preparing their garden
for the cold season flowers and vegetables – from
sowing seeds to nurturing tender seedlings, to planting
them out in carefully nourished beds and then tending
them religiously till such time that the garden is
transformed into a riot of colours with flowers of every
hue and variety adorning one’s compound and fresh
vegetables aplenty on one’s table. Methinks even the
weather gods step gingerly around so as not to incur the
ladies' wrath!
During this season, Flower Shows are held in every Tea
club, this event holding the utmost importance for all
the ladies, when prized exhibits are displayed to
perfection, cookery talents showcased in
the Home Produce Section and beautiful
arrangements crafted in the Flower Arrangement
Section.
So it is, that flower buds are coaxed into blooming,
whilst vegetables are pampered, pot plants tended
lovingly and fruit trees watched over with an eagle eye,
all in preparation for the Big Day. It is not so much
about winning, as it is about the satisfaction of having
a well kept garden and enjoying Nature’s beauty,
which we, in the tea gardens, are so lucky to have
around us.
As the cold season draws to a close, it's time to once
again plant out the summer seedlings in keeping with
Mother Nature's cycle of life, for, as they say, “Each
moment of the year has its own beauty... a picture which
was never before and shall never be seen again.” (Ralph
Waldo Emerson)
July 2014 63
I
n July 1972, Major S.N. Banerjee of Ouphulia T.E. founded
the Janamangal Adarsh Andha Bidyalaya ( JAAB) in Moran
township for children with impaired eyesight. Starting with
four students in the first year, the number rose to twenty by 1980.
Eighty-two children from neighbouring tea estates and villages,
as well as from Arunachal Pradesh, are currently studying there.
In 1981, when the founder’s son, actor Victor Banerjee,
approached Mr B.M. Khaitan for the Company’s support in
running the school, it was given wholeheartedly. According to the
school’s Principal, McLeod Russel’s has been the biggest
contribution since then, and continues to be so.
All the Company’s estates belonging to the Moran circle donate
generously towards providing the food, clothes and other
necessities of the students for the entire year. In addition, the
Management at Moran T.E. is always ready to provide logistical
support whenever required.
Janamangal Adarsh
Andha Bidyalaya, Moran
The welfare and development of the people
living on our estates and surrounding areas
has always been of paramount importance to
the Company. Among the diverse social responsibilities that
MRIL has taken on is the school for visually impaired children,
in Moran town of Dibrugarh District, Upper Assam.
– Sarita Dasgupta
62 July 2014
THE WMTIMES TEAM
Editor : Sarita Dasgupta
Assistant Editor : Rupa Saikia
Coordinator : Sunny Uthup
The Main Building
The Girls’ Hostel
The Kitchen
Weaving
Tabla Lessons
Music Lessons
The Dining Hall