A cup of Assam Tea

The meditation center       In the kitsch of chaotic world, Namphke village is tucked in quaint calm and tranquility of solitude. It is situated on the banks of Burhidihing river which is a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra river.  25 miles away from Dibrugarh Assam, the road from the tea town Dibrugarh takes you through the emerald green tea gardens, dusty roads with the glimpse of river views to the melange of natural beauty and peace, Namphake.  Burhidihing river       The lifeline of the village is Namphake Buddhist monastery. The origin of Namphake village can be traced back to 1850 A.D. The people living here are descendants of the great Tai race believed to have migrated from Myanmar. They have over 150 families now. This monastery is considered as the most esteemed and oldest Buddhist monastery in Assam. It has a meditation center with the attached library has several Buddhist manuscripts reserve...

      I don't remember how the word tea entered into my life, perhaps even before my birth. When I was deciding on a name for my blog, the moment "A cup of Assam tea" came to my mind, it stuck firmly. You probably know, I originally come from Assam, India, where I was born and brought up till my 20 and moved to the USA 15 years back. Assam is the highest tea producing state in the world. My mom has a tea connection. Both my maternal grandfather and great-grandfather worked for Assam tea company, later my maternal uncle owned tea gardens. I grew up hearing those tea garden stories and tea tribe stories of struggle as a lullaby from my mother. Our ancestral house in Assam is in the midst of tea garden. Those memories of quaint lush green tea, I always carry within me, even after moving to the USA to stay with me forever. The smell of tea, the memory of those two leaves one bud tea, labors music during festival floating in the air and buzzing in the ear.   ...