Flavour of a wholesome brew

Vikrant Parmar

Tea estates in Assam have a rich legacy, a regal lineage; a history ensconced in the cosy lap of its inhabitants, its owners, its descendants. This microcosm emanates its salubrious aroma in author Chanda Singh’s novel The Last Boga Sahib. Boga stands for ‘white’ in Assamese, the original British owners of the estates and the word at once sets the tone of the narrative. It is one such ‘white’ man, David Borrow — a third-generation planter owning Lombai, a tea estate at Cachar during the 1960’s — around whom the story revolves.

David is caught between his British roots and the compulsive desire to stay within the environs of his estate. Except that an uncertain future stares in his face. David is ‘reluctant to leave the land of his forefathers’, but as the other Boga sahibs are turning towards the West, his reluctance faces a stern test. He marries a British girl, Iris, with whom he imagines an idyllic life, but once she lands on the estate, loneliness grips her being, which, ultimately, spawns rebellion. Iris fails to abide by the dastoor — ‘unwritten rules of conduct, behaviour, courtesy, everything’ — of the estate and antagonises almost everyone.

Eventually, she returns to her native place, leaving David a shattered man. However, the beauty of true love touches David and that too when he least expects. He sticks to the dastoor, like a vigilant guardian of the estate; something that soothes his soul, gives him a meaning in life.

The author has done a remarkable job of capturing life inside a tea garden in its true essence, drawing richly from her own experiences in the estates of Assam. Her language is simple and the metaphors rich. Barring the length of the narrative that could have been reined, the novel impresses in every which way. It is surely a whiff of fresh tea brewing in the estates of Assam!