III. Tea from Assam ARUP KUMAR DATTA

 Chapter: Tea from Assam

Author: Arup Kumar Datta
Book: First Flight (Class 10 English, NCERT)

Summary

The lesson “Tea from Assam” describes a journey made by two friends – Rajvir and Pranjol.
Pranjol’s father is a manager of a tea garden in Assam. Rajvir is visiting him for the first time.

As the train moves through the beautiful countryside, Rajvir is amazed to see endless stretches of green tea bushes. He learns about tea — its discovery, popularity, and production.

Rajvir tells an interesting story that tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor about 5,000 years ago, when some leaves accidentally fell into his cup of boiling water.

He also says that tea reached Europe only in the 16th century and became very popular as a drink.

When they reach Assam, they see the real tea gardens where women are plucking fresh tea leaves. Rajvir is excited to learn more about tea and its making, while Pranjol, who was born and brought up there, is not surprised.

The story helps us know that Assam is famous for tea plantations and that tea has become a part of our daily life all over the world.

Word Meanings

Word	Meaning
Scenic	Beautiful to look at
Hilly	Full of hills
Plantation	A large farm where crops (like tea) are grown
Stretches	Long areas of land
Vendor	A person who sells things (like tea or snacks)
Sip	Drink slowly
Legend	A traditional story
Shade	A shadow or darker area
Astonishment	Great surprise
Acres	Units of land measurement
Manicured	Neatly cut and well-maintained
Emerald	Bright green color
Sprouted	Grown from seeds
Harvesting	Collecting ripe crops from the field

Questions and Answers

1. Who are Pranjol and Rajvir? Where are they going?

Answer:
Pranjol and Rajvir are classmates. They are going to Assam to visit Pranjol’s home. Pranjol’s father is the manager of a tea garden there.

2. What did Rajvir see on his way to Assam?

Answer:
Rajvir saw beautiful tea gardens, green fields, and tea bushes stretching as far as he could see. The scenery was very beautiful and green.

3. What is the Chinese legend about the discovery of tea?

Answer:
According to a Chinese legend, about 5,000 years ago, some tea leaves accidentally fell into the cup of hot water of a Chinese emperor. The water changed its color and gave a pleasant smell. That’s how tea was discovered.

4. What is the Indian legend about tea?

Answer:
The Indian legend says that a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids while meditating. Some tea plants grew out of them. When he drank the leaves, he never felt sleepy again.

5. What did Rajvir tell about tea’s popularity in Europe?

Answer:
Rajvir said that tea was first drunk in China, but it became popular in Europe only in the 16th century.

6. What makes Assam famous?

Answer:
Assam is famous for its large tea plantations and for producing one of the best varieties of tea in the world.

7. Why was Rajvir excited to visit Assam?

Answer:
Rajvir was excited because he had studied a lot about tea in books and now he had a chance to see the real tea gardens with his own eyes.

8. What did Rajvir and Pranjol see after reaching Assam?

Answer:
They saw women plucking fresh tea leaves and tea factories where tea leaves were being processed.

9. What message does the chapter give?

Answer:
The chapter tells us about India’s rich tea culture, its origin and importance, and teaches us to observe and learn from nature.

10. What does the story show about Rajvir’s character?

Answer:
Rajvir is curious, intelligent, and observant. He loves to learn new things and shows great interest in tea and its history.

Tea from Assam – Arup Kumar Datta

Q1. What did Pranjol order for? 
Pranjol ordered two cups of tea from the station tea stall. Both he and Rajvir enjoyed sipping the hot tea. While drinking, Rajvir told him that people all over the world drink millions of cups of tea every day.

Q2. Where were both the boys going to?
Both Pranjol and Rajvir were going to Assam, where Pranjol’s father worked as a manager in a tea garden. Rajvir was very excited because he had never seen a tea garden before, and he wanted to learn many new things about tea.

Q3. What was Pranjol doing?
During the journey, Pranjol was busy reading a detective storybook. He was already familiar with tea gardens because he had grown up in Assam. On the other hand, Rajvir was looking out of the window, enjoying the beautiful scenery of tea bushes and hills.

Q4. What was surprising for Rajvir?
Rajvir was surprised to see the wide stretches of green tea bushes spread all over the hills. He had never seen anything like that before. It looked as if the earth was covered with a green carpet. The tea pickers among the bushes also caught his attention.

Q5. What two crops did Rajvir see?
On his way to Assam, Rajvir saw mustard fields first — bright yellow flowers that looked like gold. Then he saw the endless rows of tea bushes spread across the hills. The sight of tea plantations made him very happy and curious to know more about tea.

Q6. What was magnificent?
The sight of the tea garden in Assam was truly magnificent for Rajvir. The vast green fields of tea bushes, the high hills, and the women plucking tea leaves made the whole view look beautiful like a painting. Rajvir found the scene very charming and exciting.

Q7. Who were the doll-like figures?
The doll-like figures were the women tea pluckers working in the tea gardens. From a distance, they looked small and pretty like dolls as they moved in rows among the green tea bushes, plucking the fresh tea leaves and putting them in their bamboo baskets.

Q8. What is Rajvir telling Pranjol?
Rajvir told Pranjol many interesting facts about tea — like where it was first drunk and how it spread to other parts of the world. He said that tea was first discovered in China, and even the word “tea” comes from the Chinese word “Chai” or “Tey.” He also shared legends about how tea was discovered by accident.