* They stood on the deck of a house which opened up to the beach.
She looked at the diamond on her finger shooting sparks in the light of
setting sun.yes!!! she was engaged & was so happy that she felt giddy . She
looked at him ,he stood at the table that held a champagne bucket & the
bouquet of blush pink roses he had brought for her.though he gave his full
attention to popping open the champagne ,she could see joy in his deep
eyes,his body language. the cork opened with a muffled pop & he poured
the champagne in two flutes. he offered one to her & they toasted each
other saying *to us!!!*
she sipped a little champagne then put it aside , then put her arms around
his neck. hugging him she put her head on his chest, he held her close with
one arm.
"you know ,i really don't need this champagne , i am drunk with joy." she
said. He smiled at her words ,sipping a bit from his flute.
" how do you manage to do it every time?? how did you decide on this
setting ,this place ?? how did you know i will love it??" she said in a muffled
voice as her face was hidden in his chest.
He put aside his flute then & holding her closer raised her face to look in her
eyes. " i plan on doing this only once in my life,so it damn be perfect. " he
said in an amused voice. her eyes widened & she scuffed him on his chest.
now he laughed out aloud," were you expecting some filmy,cheesy reply
princess?? sorry to disappoint you." " no my lord!! " ,she teased back," i
know you are incorrigible." They held each other close & laughed .*
their laughter rang in Nupur's ears ,she smiled in her sleep & hugged a
pillow close.
Nupur came down to the dining room & saw Mayank ,Shilpa aunty were
already there.
She greeted them & settled down to have
her tea. she was feeling strangely euphoric ,*may be it is the effect of that
dream *she thought.Nupur stole a glance at Mayank & saw he was
watching her with those deep intense eyes. she could not bear the intensity
in them & looked away.
" what are your plans for the day Nupur beta ?? " asked Shilpa. " i
am going out for the day for a fund raiser committee meeting & will be
back by evening. you can either stay here or go with Mayu . he will show
you around our tea plantation." Nupur perked up at that. " i would love to
visit the plantation ,if its alright with Mayank." she said . Mayank gave a
little shrug & said " by all means. you can come with me . we will leave in
another 30 mins . wear your most comfortable shoes.as we will have to
walk quite a bit."
They started driving towards the plantation in a spiffy
SUV.Mayank pointed out various things to Nupur. The awkwardness
brought on by the eyelock on breakfast table was forgotten.Soon they
reached the plantation. its was spread over a vast area , grown on slopes
in neat rows. Mayank explained to her that the plants were kept waist high
for easy plucking. he plucked a bud surrounded with two leaves .
"this is what makes the tea leaves. These buds and leaves are called flushes.
A plant will grow a new flush every seven to fifteen days during the
growing season, and leaves that are slow in development always produce
better flavored teas." informed Mayank." There are two major objectives in
the processing of tea. The first is to preserve the tea by driving most of the
moisture from the leaves. The second objective is to bring flavor out on the
surface of the leaves so that it can transfer quickly to the water during the
steeping process. After picking, the green leaves are spread out to wither
between 12 to 18 hours. During the withering process, the leaves lose most
of their moisture, becoming soft and pliable. This allows the leaves to be
rolled without tearing. Rolling breaks the membranes of the leaves
releasing the natural juices to collect on the surface of the leaf. After rolling,
the leaves are kept into large, cool, humid rooms to ferment. The
fermentation process produces essential oils from the natural juices. The
essential oils give each black tea it's characteristic aroma and flavor. The
fermentation process must be stopped at the point where the aroma and
flavor of the tea have fully developed. This is done by firing the leaves in
large ovens. The essential oils dry on the surface of the leaves and remain
relatively stable until exposed to boiling water during infusion.
now i will stop ,before you go cross eyed with all this information
overload." said Mayank laughing.
" no, no!! its really fascinating . " said Nupur smiling at Mayank.
" want to walk down the slope ??" asked Mayank. " sure !!" said Nupur.
the women who were plucking the flushes gave them both curious glances.
Nupur turned around to look up the slope as they reached the
bottom & gasped ,it was a beautiful sight . rows upon rows of lush green
tea plants interspersed with women in colorful clothes plucking the leaves.
she clicked several photos . after a while they walked up the slope &
Mayank took her around to show rest of the operation.
" we employ 50 people ,and hire more on temperory basis if needed". said
Mayank. " these are their quarters ." Mayank pointed towards a group of
cottages with sloped roof. some children were playing outside them . As
soon as they spotted Mayank they shrieked with joy & ran towards him
shouting ," Mayank bhaiyya!!!"
Nupur moved away to avoid the stampede. soon Mayank was surrounded
by the children ,all of them talking to him at once. they were sharing their
day at school with him , each child was vying for Mayank's attention. He
too patiently listened to every one of them. This apparently was a routine
occurence thought Nupur smiling at the group. Mayank then reached in his
pocket & took out chocolates & started distributing them.
Nupur was startled by a distressed cry & turned around to see a chubby
little girl of about 4-5 years running towards the group ,afraid that she
might not get her share of treat. suddenly she missed a footing& pitched
forward ,starting to fall. Nupur immediately rushed to save the child ,she
caught hold of the girl but twisted her ankle in the process. " ouch!! " she
cried out. she had badly twisted her ankle & the pain was so sharp that she
sat down where she stood. The girl whom Nupur saved got scared & started
crying.
this got the attention of the group & they rushed towards them. some body
picked up the girl from Nupur's lap . " whats wrong Nupur ?? " asked
Mayank in a concerned voice. Nupur held her hurt ankle ," i hurt my
ankle badly ." she clenched her teeth against the pain. Mayank sat besides
her & took a look at her foot removing her shoe. He moved it slightly
earning a gasp from Nupur. " i don't think its fractured Nupur. just badly
twisted ." replacing the shoe on her foot. " can you get up ?? i will take you
home ." Nupur tried to put weight on her leg & gasped in pain. Mayank
then asked one of the kids to get a chair , who ran away to comply.
Mayank helped Nupur to the chair. with in a few minutes Mayank brought
the SUV where Nupur was & helped her in . they waved bye at the kids &
started back home.
Veer Hanuman
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
