Sylhet is mostly known as the birthplace of Bangladesh's tea industry. We usually visit Sylhet to enjoy the view of the roadside tea garden. But staying in an actual tea estate, learning about how tea leaves are processed and the connection of our liberation war with this tea estate was totally a different experience! Teliapara Tea Estate is famous from every angel!
First, let me describe how tea estate is different from tea garden. Generally, a tea estate is self-sufficient. It has all kinds of facilities ranging from doctors to schools so that you don't need to go outside of the estate for any emergency needs. Most importantly, in a tea estate, there is land used for tea plantations, along with a factory. The factory and its premises are typically designed for processing the tea and other related works.
Teliapara National Tea Estate is the 2nd largest tea estate in Bangladesh. It is so large that we weren't able to cover the whole area within two days! We were the guests of the Assistant Manager of the tea estate, so we learned a lot of insiders about the estate.
For example, the manager and the assistant manager mainly hold the utmost power of a tea estate. Each has 8 servants for different purposes, and it's usually hard for them to manage vacations and leave the estate. They get weekends off but they have to remain in their bungalow for any emergencies.
You get the best view of a tea garden in the early morning. So we woke up at the dawn and went to explore the estate. The first thing we noticed was how the morning dew in the tea leaves glitters in the sunlight. It was a majestic sight!
I had this question in my mind about how black tea is different from green tea, when both from the same tea leaves. Then our assistant manager told that though the leaves are the same, the processing method is different. Like for green tea, workers pluck the leaves, roll them by hand, and then dry them under the sun. On the other hand, black tea is made inside the factory. It goes through five crucial steps: withering, heating, rolling, oxidization then drying. Oxidation involves exposing tea leaves are exposed to the air in order to dry and darken. This step enhances the flavor and aroma of tea.
Inside the estate, there were some beautiful lakes, all covered with water lilies. Usually, waterlily blooms usually bloom in the first half of the morning. So when we were there, the lakes were flickering pink lights all around!
The lilypond makes me so overwhelmed that I have painted a series of canvases on different shades of lily!
Look how beautifully they bloom!!
One of the lake also has stairs! The water was so cold that it relaxed our whole body!
But to me, the most fascinating part was the road! I always crave the grassy, dirt, unpaved road. And such roads are impossible to find in Dhaka city. We walked for almost 2 hours along this road but any kind of tiredness didn't affect me! I think nature is the ultimate power that boosts people while trekking through mountains!
The warm sunray, misty-foggy weather and those aged-old plants created a surreal environment!
After walking for one hour, we took a little break beside this old banyan tree. While having our snakes, we gazed at the tree. The way it was spreading its branches felt as if it were protecting this area and giving shade to the tea plants and passersby. I Wonder how many aged-old stories this tree is holds! Wish it could talk so we could hear the past!
After our break, we started our journey again and came to a very historical place. Teliapara tea estate holds a crucial chapter in the history of our liberation war. After the terrible genocide in Bangladesh on March 25, 1971, soldiers started to gather against the Pakistani army. As a war strategy, the Bangladeshi army formed 11 units named the East Bengal Regiment. Among them, the 2nd and 4th East Bengal Regiment came to this Teliapara tea garden and set up their headquarters.
On the 4th of April of 1971, the first and foremost meeting was held between our commander-in-chief of the liberation war MAG Osmani and the East Bengal Regiment. After the meeting, Colonel Osmani declared the formal launching of Muktibahini (freedom fighters force) by firing shots in the air from his revolver. For this significance, this tea estate has become the apex attracting point for the war researchers along with the tourists.
Whenever I visit a place like this, a strong sense of nationalism courses through my body. The sacrifices of our freedom fighters and the sufferings of local people are beyond comparison! As a member of a free state, we will be always grateful to these people!
As the sun was rising, the temperature was getting high too. So we head back to our bungalow.
This trip was an amazing experience for us! We are planning to visit the same place in different seasons to see how the tea garden changes its color! Probably rainy season will be the best! Who knows!
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