Tea Resort
Episode 9
Shariq Ali
Valueversity
Our van stopped in front of a tall iron gate. A uniformed guard stood outside. As soon as he saw Dr. Salik and Muneera Rahman, the guard promptly opened the gate. Our van began to move along the winding, narrow path leading to the Srimongal Tea Resort. The resort, nestled on a hill surrounded by tea gardens, was located in the outskirts of Sylhet and was perhaps the largest resort in the area. Although the hill wasn’t particularly high, the gentle slopes and inclines made the location remarkably picturesque.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s leading tea producers, and the Sylhet region is often referred to as the “Tea City” due to its numerous tea gardens. Over 150 tea plantations are spread across the scenic valleys, where mostly women expertly pick tea leaves, a skill crucial for maintaining the quality of the tea.
Our van stopped at the end of the path in front of the main building. The sprawling tea resort had cottages or guest houses scattered across the slopes of the hill. These beautiful cottages were marked with various numbers, with a total of around fourteen or perhaps sixteen. The main building stood separate from the cottages.
The main building wasn’t very tall but covered a large area. In the center, there was an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The building housed a conference hall, a dining hall, and a few residential rooms. Our conference was to take place in this central building.
Upon arriving at the resort, it was decided that we would all first head to our respective cottages to rest for a while and then reconvene at the main building for the evening meeting. After this was settled, we gathered our belongings and headed toward the designated cottages. To reach my cottage, I had to pass through the tea gardens. Bangladesh’s tea, especially green tea, is rich in health-boosting antioxidants, which help in preventing heart diseases and aid in weight loss. The export of tea from the Chittagong port continues, making Bangladeshi tea famous worldwide. Every year on December 15, “International Tea Day” is celebrated, highlighting the importance of tea workers.
I was allotted Cottage Number 3, where I was to stay with two Indian plastic surgery trainee doctors, Rajesh and Rahul. Since I was a faculty member, I was given a large master bedroom with an en suite, while Rajesh and Rahul were each assigned single rooms, which they were both delighted with. During the three-day stay, they took great care of me, and I never felt the need to make tea for myself.
After arriving at the room, I organized my belongings, took a long shower, and rested for a while. After about an hour and a half to two hours, I put on jeans and joggers and headed toward the conference hall.
As the course director, it was my responsibility to review the seating arrangements and other facilities in the conference hall since the conference was scheduled to begin at 8:30 the next morning, followed by a hands-on workshop. Upon arrival, I discovered that the seating arrangement for the workshop was not up to my standards. I informed the volunteers and hosts about this. Together, we rearranged the seating to meet the requirements of the conference and workshop. I then inspected the audiovisual system and ensured it was fully prepared.
This entire effort also served as excellent team-building, as it strengthened our coordination. After three hours of hard work, we had the conference hall set up exactly as we wanted.
It was now time for dinner…
(To be continued)