ForkTales Destinations: Gora Sahib’s Table in Tea Gardens of Assam
Gora Sahib’s Table
A time travel into India’s colonial past amidst world’s largest tea growing region.
October 6 &7, 2019
Day 1:
You will land in Jorhat – one of the important urban centres of Assam – which was the last capital of the mighty, warrior Ahom Kings in 18 Century BC; in 1824 the British East India Company took over the town from the Ahom kings, started tea cultivation in 1838 and by 1839, the first Assam tea was auctioned in London.
After a 40 minute drive from Jorhat Airport, you will arrive at the tea garden heritage properties – Banyan Grove/Kaziranga Golf Resort. The evening is all to yourself, so take a walk in the 18 hole, par 71 golf course set in the midst of the Gatoonga tea estate, a first of its kind in the world. Venture out amongst the tea bushes; or laze over cups of Assam tea as you watch the sunset and experience the eerie quiet that one can only find in midst of a plantation. Remember, evenings descend early in the Northeast.
Dinner will be at the 125 year old “Banyan Grove”. You will experience the exquisite regional fare from Assam – a cuisine like no other in the Indian sub- continent. We will make it an early affair at 7:30 in the evening so that you can get a good night’s sleep.
Day 2:
You will be where the sun rises much before anywhere else in India, so let your morning begin really early on the patio of your cottage with a fresh brew. Around 6:00 in the morning we will go for a walk in the vast, rolling expanse of the lush tea gardens, where in all possibility the mist hangs low in the wee hours of morning. We will reminiscence the tea history of the state amidst the bushes.
Breakfast will be traditional Assamese breakfast at the Banyan Grove, starting 08:30 a.m. Following which we will start from the resort for a 40 minutes journey through the National Highway 37, flanked by rolling tea estates and small hamlets on both sides to the Seconidhara village in Jorhat for the Jorhat Gymkhana Club. Built in 1876 by D. Slimmon, then Secretary of the club, it has been a venue for horse races ever since its inauguration. It has a lush green 9-hole golf course circuit vying for a position in the “World Heritage list” as the oldest golf course in Asia and the third oldest in the world. After a tour of the Club we will drive to the banks of the Brahmaputra River. If you are in Assam, you have to see this mighty river.
The Planter’s Lunch
Very little exists from the Raj era tea-planter’s food of the Gora Sahibs and the early Brown Sahibs of Assam; even less by the means of written documentation. Most of it is part of regional lore and fading memories of a generation who had experienced the food first-hand. The oft-lamented fact being that it all went with the British and their ‘Mog’ cooks, who excelled in the kitchen and produced a unique cuisine, which marks a stamp in Indian history.
I consider myself blessed that my Grandmother entrusted me with a hand- written recipe book which was her personal heirloom. It had unique recipes that were quite unlike anything else that we came across in homes and restaurants. They were almost English, yet almost Indian. Many moons later, I gathered that I had in hand a treasure trove of Anglo-Indian recipes that came the family’s interactions with the planters and plantations in the tea-rich districts in the upper banks of Brahmaputra that she had grown-up around.
For the exclusive guests of that afternoon, I will recreate a Planter’s lunch from what is one of the last remaining documentation of these recipes.
After a leisurely lunch, we will take a short drive to the Tea Factory and witness a tea tasting by expert tea tasters.
Day 3:
You can choose to fly out of Jorhat or explore Assam.
Cost
Rs.35,000 per pax, inclusive of taxes
Cost includes:-
- Both ways airport transfers 2. Accommodation for two nights (6th and 7th October, 2019) on twin sharing basis 3. All food and travel mentioned in the program
Cost does not include:-
- Any other food and beverage not mentioned in the program 2. Transport to-from and safari in Kaziranga National Park but we will support you with the logistics
Things to do around
Majuli
In the north of the Jorhat district, lying between two channels of the mighty Brahmaputra, Majuli is the largest riverine island of the world – a picturesque watery idyll. It is also the seat of Vaishnavite culture since the age of the Ahom rulers. You can take a short boat ride over the Brahmaputra to Majuli and do a day-trip from Jorhat. Majuli has basic tourist infrastructure, but do try the Assamese food in the Dekasang. It is advisable to get a car as there is very limited transport to get around the island.
Kaziranga National Park
A world heritage site hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros. Kaziranga also boasts the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo and swamp deer. It is 75 km from the Kaziranga Golf Resort. Unless you plan to visit Assam again, we strongly recommend you allocate two days before or after the program to experience the wild life safaris. There are excellent accommodations in the vicinity of the park. Let us know if you want us to send you details of some. You can come back to Jorhat or travel to Guwahati and fly back to your home destination.
See our last event in Assam here. To reserve a seat for this year’s event in October, send us a mail at helloforktales@gmail.com
