Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (11) Thangam went home to visit her mother as she was having a fever. Sinniah accompanied her. She took Samuel with her. They did not return that night. James decided to go to Sinniah’s house. The company rules did not allow him to visit worker’s houses unless it was to attend to a maintenance problem. He could always say the he went there to check out a roof or other problem, in case McKenzie questions him. When he got to the house, he was surprised. In fact it was just one room with a pit toilet outside. There was no furniture except two small chairs at the entrance door. There were only two tiny windows. They were covered by two home made curtains made from cheap clothing. “Thank you for coming Sir. We are honoured.” said Sinniah. ...
Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (10) James walked out after lunch. it was a sunny afternoon. A very pleasant one. He felt happy. He put his worries away and enjoyed the walk. He looked out any signs of coffee blight on the young plants. They were growing well. There was no sign of any disease. This could be one of the few plantations that will survive the blight, he thought as he walked briskly, his boots digging into the soil. He needed to bring some aggregates and stones to make the paths stronger. It may all wash away when the rains came. He stopped to examine the trees that were looking taller and stronger. Some of the coffee trees were much taller and the leaves bright green with no signs of any insect attack. He walked towards the East where the Cinchona plants were ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (9) When James arrived, Sinniah was waiting anxiously. “ I’m not happy about Periya Dorai McKenzie not giving you transport Mr. James. He should be sending you two horses and a carriage. That’s normal. He is not treating you like a dorai. All of us are not happy about the way things are being done by the company.” said Sinniah. “ Don’t worry too much Sinniah. Tell everybody that I will do my best with what the company is giving. My trip to Kandy was to apply for land. Keep this quiet. Don’t tell anybody about it. It might reach McKenzie.” said James. “ Yes. I will keep it secret. No need for all to know about this.” said Sinniah. “ I feel a bit hot. Maybe I should lie down for a while. How is ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (8) He arrived in Naranghena and there were no signs of anybody living there. He needed rest and the horse needed rest. He found the old bucket and filled it up and gave the water to the horse, after drinking some of it from the little bucket. He went to lie on the bed and there was Thangam lying on the bed smiling. “ My darling Thangam. You were here all the time.” “Yes. Dorai James. I wanted to surprise you. I’m always making out reasons for coming here. I’m always hoping you will come here.” she said. James held her tight and lifted her up and kissed her as if she was a child. They kissed deeply. He carried her and swung her around and they got into bed. James came inside her. She did not ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (7) When James woke up, he could see that there were several people assembled at Loolacondere. The kankanee had brought his group for the work. James went to the makeshift coconut leaf shower room outside and poured water on himself from the drum using a can. I must get at least a small bucket he told himself. He got dressed and ate a meal of bread, butter and jam. He was not sure how Sinniah had managed to find the food. . The kankanee must have brought these he guessed. “ This is Arumugam Mr. Taylor. He is our kanakanee. he has brought this group of workers for your work.” said Sinniah. “ Hello Arumugam. Nice to meet you. How are you. Thank you for bringing these people. I can get started today.” said James, smiling at the ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (6) James’s journey to Loolecondere was very pleasant even though the road was rough and the cart shook a lot. He noted that the old coach he had travelled in from Colombo was a luxury coach compared to the cart he was now travelling in. The cart had a flat surface, a floor like a wooden tray where people could sit and keep their goods. The protection from the weather was a thatch roof over the wooden floor . It was a curved hood made of rattan and woven coconut thatch. It provided shade and protection from rain and the Sun for passengers and goods. James felt sorry for the bull that was pulling them along. He offered to walk alongside the cart to relieve the bull but Sinniah refused his offer saying that the bull was a ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (5) The white man did not get up when James walked out to the sitting area. “ Taylor. My name is McKenzie .” They shook hands. “ I came to see you to tell you about what you will be doing here. I hope you like it so far.” he said. “ Nice to meet you Mr. Mckensie. Henry did tell me that you may be dropping in some time. Welcome. Can I get you something to drink?” said James. He was somewhat embarrassed as McKenzie would have seen Thangam come out of the room. “Don’t worry Taylor. I’m fine. Sit down. I will tell you about the plans.” James sat on one of the other chairs. “ We need your services at another place urgently. You can get ready to move to Loolecondere ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (4) The coach continued it’s way and reached Narangghena Estate. A dog came out and barked. The coachman shooed the dog away. Henry and James got down and walked towards the small house while the baggage was unloaded. The accommodation was bare. It was no more than a big hut with one reclining chair and two other old chairs in the front sitting room. There were two bedrooms followed by a store room with boxes. The bed looked neat and tidy but needed a proper mattress. There was a small dining table with four chairs. The last part of the house was the kitchen. It had a wood burning fire place for cooking. “ Sorry about this place James. I guess that’s how things are at the start. Somebody has to live here and start the work. You can ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (3) The journey to the hills began the next day. James was feeling happy to be in Ceylon. It was a green and peaceful place. Not at all like London. In some ways it was as peaceful as his home town Auchenblae. He wished his mother was there. Ever since she passed away, he felt a sense of great loss. It was as if he had lost a part of himself. He missed her warmth and a feeling of being with some one who truly loved him. His father was alright. But he was more a helpful person, a person who had James’s best interests at heart. But there was something very special that was missing. A sense of warmth. I was as if the world was a secure and happy place when his mother was there. When he was with ...
Taylors Tea Garden – by Ajit MuttuCumaraswamy CHAPTER ONE (2) Before long Henry called over at the school and told James that he was being offered a job with a coffee estate in Ceylon. He would be a planter. He would be in charge of a large coffee estate or he could be asked to work on a new coffee plantation, clearing trees and clearing the ground to make it ready for the plants brought from the nursery. Henry dropped in at James house to inform James’s father about James getting a job as a planter. James’s father was pleased that his son was going to be a planter in Ceylon. James was at a loss thinking about Janet. Should he be telling her about his getting a job in Ceylon? This was a vexed question. He decided that he would not do anything unless he bumped into her. Camilla ...
