Tea: Legend, Life and livelihood of India (Hardcover)

by Gautam Prasad Baroowah (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
On the life and times of Rudrasiòmha, King of Assam, 18th century.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Red River, India; 1st edition (July 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8185921024
• ISBN-13: 978-8185921020
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,559,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Every Tea Lover, October 14, 2006

By	Rajen Barua "Oxom Bondhu" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tea - Legend, Life and Livelihood of India is a story of dedication and evolving culture. This is a multi-dimensional look at one of India's most successful industries. Carrying a message of good-will with a bold perspective, the book is conceived and written by a leading steward and insider to the trade. The seven narrative chapters--Discovering Tea, Tea is Forever, Flavour and Taste, Indian Tea - Partners in Progress, A Colourful Life and Culture, A Health Drink and The Future--cover the triumphs and tribulations of the trade since its inception as a commercial enterprise in Assam in the mid 1800's.

Topics covered are the tea plant (Camellia Assamica and Camellia Sinensis)--history of cultivation and use; a survey of the industry and its growth in India and globally; the manufacturing process--tea tasters and quality control; tea as a health drink; the culture and lifestyles of the owners/planters and workers; the evolution of labor relations (standard of living, educational and medical care facilities--a prototype for fast newcomers), and reflections on adapting to change.

Three things make this book unique and stand out from the lot; the content which is 'well researched' and yet fluid and written in poetic language by the Assamese poet Gautam Prasad Baroowah; non-fiction mixed with fiction and poetry; and stunning photography (by Dushyant Parasher) of various scenes from life in tea garden. If you want to have a mystic feeling of yourself standing on the remote Upper Assam country road looking at the fresh greenary of a tea garden on a foggy January morning when the near distant scene is half covered with fog, you should this book; if you want to feel what various poets said about tea in general, starting from Confucius to T.S Elliot to Rudyard Kipling and Rabindra Nath Tegore, you should have this this book; if you want to know how a 75 years old British Tea garden director returns to Assam seeking his roots and pays tribute to Bruce brothers and to Maniram Dewan on one hand for the indebtness of generations of tea planters to come; and at the same time how he remembers his old boyhood Assamese village friend, Bhogai, remembers the days when he spent with him eating Assamese village delicacies like 'Goroi Pwra' (grill fish), then you should have this book; if you want to know everything about the tea industry and specially about the future of the industry, then you should have this book.

"This well-designed, entertaining, and informative book deserves a place on every tea lover's book shelf. The photos are spectacular; the next best thing to actually standing in an Indian tea garden. The charming story of Mr. Bowles' return to Assam, and his visit to Charles Alexander Bruce's grave, to tell the pioneer about the continuing story of tea, around the world, is worth the price alone." writes -- Elizabeth Knight (Author of Tea in the [...]

"The well-designed book with captivating photographs to supplement it is a well researched story of the bud and two leaves...this book is sure to attract the attention of producers, buyers, sellers, brokering houses and last but not the least, the government, as his (Baroowah's) recommendations are subtle and authoritative: a very powerful combination." -- The Hindustan Times March 2006

If you are a Tea Lover, you should definitely like to have and keep this book in your home