This from the New York Times 28 April 2011, by Jeremy Olshan
The whole world is going to teapot.
There's only one proper way to toast to the pomp and frenzy surrounding the royal couple as they tie the knot tomorrow: with a cup of English Breakfast tea.
The famed blend of Ceylon and Assam tea leaves is ideal for the 5 a.m. event, said Nicky Perry, owner of Tea & Sympathy in the West Village.
"It's what the queen herself drinks," she said. "She makes her own teas and travels with her own kettle, using nothing but Malvern [spring] water."
Unfortunately, many Americans are ill-informed about the details of tea, Perry lamented.
"American tea tastes as though it were pulled straight from Boston harbor," Perry said.
As for brands, Perry recommends, PG Tips or Yorkshire Gold.
"For God's sake, forget the Lipton," she said.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Article relating to Gillanders - should business houses be allowed to open banks
This in the Economic Times . It gives some history of the tea companies
The answer is "No". A business house " is a uniquely Indian expression. It is not common in other countries. By "business house" we refer to a loose conglomerate with ownership and control usually vesting with a family. The conglomerate almost always consists of multiple private and public companies, where the shareholdings of the controlling group/family can be very low or very high. "Business houses" are lineal descendants of "managing agencies" which dominated the business scene in British India. Andrew Yule, Gillanders Arbuthnot and so on were the fabled names. When Indians emerged as entrepreneurs, they imitated managing agencies and we had the emergence of Tata Sons , Birla Brothers and so on.
The managing agency system did at first serve a positive purpose as investors were reluctant to put their capital directly into companies not "backed" by well-known names. But over time, the maze of related party transactions among the different companies managed by a single "House" was rightly seen as inimical to good corporate governance and minority shareholders. Hence the Managing Agency system was abolished. But by this time, large interlocked conglomerates had become well-established.
In the sixties, the Hazari Commission and the Dutt Committee established the fact that the principal beneficiaries of the infamous permit-licence raj were these business houses who systematically pre-empted valuable licences that were sparingly doled out by our socialistic sarkar; they effectively sabotaged the entry of competitors. In the absence of free and easy entry for new entrepreneurs our economy became sclerotic; Indian consumers were forced to buy shoddy and expensive goods all coming from the same handful of powerful and influential business houses.
The control that business houses exercised over commercial banks (through pretty low shareholdings) resulted in even more insidious outcomes. A new entrepreneur who did not have connections to these families found himself or herself pretty much excluded from bank finance. Easy bank finance (without too many uncomfortable questions being asked) was also made available to the business houses to acquire controlling interest in several companies especially the ones that British capital was pulling out of.
That is why many economists opposed to "social control" and later bank nationalisation went along with these decisions as serving a second order optimisation purpose-by eliminating the vice that resulted from the interlocking of banking with commerce. This, incidentally has been the governing principle for banking permissions in the US where there has been an abiding fear that banks are already very powerful and letting them into the world of commerce would lead to unacceptable levels of concentration of power that would be inimical to the political economy of a democratic republic. To this day, General Electric has not been granted a banking licence precisely for this reason.
The proposal to grant banking licences to Indian business houses is bad policy given the history of our country as any cursory reading of the Hazari and Dutt reports will show. It will reinforce the unhealthy trends of crony capitalism that we see so much of. It will result in the creation of gigantic Zaibatsu houses a la Japan. It will definitely dampen new entrepreneurship as cozy inter-connected clubs like to keep out upstarts. The argument that only large business houses have capital is a weak one. World-class banks like HDFC Bank , Axis Bank and ICICI Bank have emerged without such backing. At this point in time in our history, let us not give in to the phony arguments of crony capitalist ideologues.
(Jaithirth Rao has been a banker, an IT entrepreneur and now runs a company that provides low- cost housing.
A regular in the newspaper commentary space, his calling card is iconoclasm)
The answer is "No". A business house " is a uniquely Indian expression. It is not common in other countries. By "business house" we refer to a loose conglomerate with ownership and control usually vesting with a family. The conglomerate almost always consists of multiple private and public companies, where the shareholdings of the controlling group/family can be very low or very high. "Business houses" are lineal descendants of "managing agencies" which dominated the business scene in British India. Andrew Yule, Gillanders Arbuthnot and so on were the fabled names. When Indians emerged as entrepreneurs, they imitated managing agencies and we had the emergence of Tata Sons , Birla Brothers and so on.
The managing agency system did at first serve a positive purpose as investors were reluctant to put their capital directly into companies not "backed" by well-known names. But over time, the maze of related party transactions among the different companies managed by a single "House" was rightly seen as inimical to good corporate governance and minority shareholders. Hence the Managing Agency system was abolished. But by this time, large interlocked conglomerates had become well-established.
In the sixties, the Hazari Commission and the Dutt Committee established the fact that the principal beneficiaries of the infamous permit-licence raj were these business houses who systematically pre-empted valuable licences that were sparingly doled out by our socialistic sarkar; they effectively sabotaged the entry of competitors. In the absence of free and easy entry for new entrepreneurs our economy became sclerotic; Indian consumers were forced to buy shoddy and expensive goods all coming from the same handful of powerful and influential business houses.
The control that business houses exercised over commercial banks (through pretty low shareholdings) resulted in even more insidious outcomes. A new entrepreneur who did not have connections to these families found himself or herself pretty much excluded from bank finance. Easy bank finance (without too many uncomfortable questions being asked) was also made available to the business houses to acquire controlling interest in several companies especially the ones that British capital was pulling out of.
That is why many economists opposed to "social control" and later bank nationalisation went along with these decisions as serving a second order optimisation purpose-by eliminating the vice that resulted from the interlocking of banking with commerce. This, incidentally has been the governing principle for banking permissions in the US where there has been an abiding fear that banks are already very powerful and letting them into the world of commerce would lead to unacceptable levels of concentration of power that would be inimical to the political economy of a democratic republic. To this day, General Electric has not been granted a banking licence precisely for this reason.
The proposal to grant banking licences to Indian business houses is bad policy given the history of our country as any cursory reading of the Hazari and Dutt reports will show. It will reinforce the unhealthy trends of crony capitalism that we see so much of. It will result in the creation of gigantic Zaibatsu houses a la Japan. It will definitely dampen new entrepreneurship as cozy inter-connected clubs like to keep out upstarts. The argument that only large business houses have capital is a weak one. World-class banks like HDFC Bank , Axis Bank and ICICI Bank have emerged without such backing. At this point in time in our history, let us not give in to the phony arguments of crony capitalist ideologues.
(Jaithirth Rao has been a banker, an IT entrepreneur and now runs a company that provides low- cost housing.
A regular in the newspaper commentary space, his calling card is iconoclasm)
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Web site for the annual Assam Tea Tourism Festival
I would love to go to this.
Assam Tea Tourism Festival
I know it is also possible to do tours of tea gardens and even stay at some while visiting the region.
Assam Tea Tourism Festival
I know it is also possible to do tours of tea gardens and even stay at some while visiting the region.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Another web site with information on Gillanders and a photo showing Jutlibari TE with ISO 9001
Follow the link as the image is copyrighted
Deccan Herald reporter visits Shillong
I came across this story of the Deccan Herald reporter, Bharati Motwani's visit to Shillong, the birthplace of my father.
It is a very informative article which makes Shillong sound beautiful and somewhere I am determined to visit, if the family can ever get itself organised and presuming I will be able to find the money from somewhere in the light of recent events i.e. my losing my job.
A distant dream
Bharati Motwani
Bharati Motwani visits Shillong where music is food for life, buildings reflect the city’s colonial past and warrior tribes still believe in animistic tradition.
Even if he didn’t know it, Bob Dylan had his 69th birthday party in Shillong this year. Long-haired, tattooed musicians played Dylan’s timeless anti-war anthem Blowing in the wind. Standing on a makeshift-stage, 60 year-old Lou Majaw, Shillong’s best loved-musician and Dylan addict said, “To Bob, wherever you are …”, before launching into Everybody must get stoned. Hundreds clapped, cheered and sang along, blocking traffic at a busy roundabout. And that is the spirit of Shillong. A town of pretty, sloe-eyed Khasi girls, pink-cheeked Anglo-Indians, and boys lounging rakishly at street corners, hair gelled, earlobes pierced — dressed to celebrate the evening, the weather, youth and life.
Local wares
Everywhere there is music — thumping out of restaurants and small jadoh stalls, wafting out of churches, reflected through posters for rock-concerts, musical talent hunts, through a retired tea-planter thrumming his old guitar in the backyard and a silver-haired old lady dreaming over the keys of a burnished Steinway. To slip under the skin of this entrancing town, take a ride to Burra Bazar on a local bus.
Squeeze yourself between many betel-stained, rotten-toothed grins; mind you don’t get your bottom pecked by angry, but still lecherous roosters trussed up in a basket; avoid making eye-contact with the severed head of a pig riding in the lap of a little boy. Though it’s only 9 am and a little early to start drinking, it’s okay to accept a swig of gin from the hip-flask so generously proffered by a smiling school teacher. She’s late for class and possibly tipsy, but hey, welcome to Shillong!
The travel brochure says Burra Bazar is a good place for tourists in search of local colour. Here, at a butcher’s section, huge beef carcasses hang from big meat-hooks, mounds of intestines, gizzards and entrails sit around slimily. And in the middle of each stall, framed by all the gore, there sits a pretty local lass, dressed to kill — high heels, bright lipstick, and scarlet nails. Indeed, the Khasis eat pretty much everything that moves, wriggles and slithers.
Another section of the market has tubs full of water-snakes, hornet larvae, maggots and beetles, all alive. A sweet, old lady gave me a recipe for oak-tree maggots sold at Rs 800 per kg, fresh and crawling. Just boil the critters for three minutes, sauté them lightly in butter, add a dash of salt and chilli and serve hot.
There are mounds of fresh kwai or betel nut that locals chew all the time. It warms you up in winter but will leave your ears burning and head spinning. There are baskets of reed, grass and beautifully crafted bows and arrows used by the locals at the Archery Stakes. The old tribal sport of archery has metamorphosed into a major gambling event, with daily stakes at Saw–Furlong and Polo Grounds. Archers from local clubs participate, while bookies scurry about placing bets that run into crores.
The British in India were always homesick for the rolling greens and shifting mists of Devon and the Cotswolds. Here, in Shillong, they rediscovered Scotland and promptly set up shop, making it the administrative headquarters of Assam in 1874. They built cathedrals, laid parks and created a township of winding lanes and mock-Tudor houses with gardens adrift in phlox, pansies and briar rose. Having done that, they laid themselves to eternal rest in shady graveyards.
For memories of the Raj, visit Ward Lake with its curving promenade and Lady Hydari Park with its pine groves (the native Pinus Khasiana that are the signature of these hills). Shillong’s beautiful 18-hole golf course is often compared to Gleneagle in Scotland, and is one of the oldest and most perfect natural golf courses in the world. A short drive away is Umiam Lake, a favourite haunt for Shillong’s high-spirited youngsters.
The tribes of Meghalaya — the Garos, Khasis and Jaintias — are matrilineal. Women wield considerable authority, but Khasi men are fiercely territorial about their women. All three tribes are essentially animistic despite having adopted Christian and Hindu practices. All over the Khasi hills are Stonehenge-like obelisks called mawbynnas, that mark the burials of ancient warriors. At Smit village, at the edge of town, we visit a liquor till, where we quaff a tumbler or two of the staple Khasi tipple — kakyat, a kind of rice beer.
Driving out of Shillong into the countryside, you begin to really breathe in the essence of Meghalaya — home of the storm clouds. The rolling fog is thick with legend, for the locals believe that all things have an indwelling spirit — every waterfall is a sorrowing maiden, every green hill is a brave warrior, every rock-formation the accoutrements of a giant.
Of waterfalls and caves
Just short of Cherrapunjee is Krem Mawsmai, a cave passage into the maw of the hill. The surreal shapes created by thousands of years of calcite sedimentation are believed to be the “marrowless bones of a giant”. Krem Mawsmai is located in the middle of a silent, sacred grove, so thick that light does not penetrate to the ground. Here, one must tread softly so as not to offend the trees. Not a branch must be broken, not a flower violated. The passage at Mawsmai once led all the way to Bangladesh, but the tunnel collapsed during the earthquake of 1894. It is believed that a local king once hid his entire army inside Krem Mawsmai during a battle with the British.
At Cherrapunjee, now unseated by Mawsynram as the wettest place on earth, are the milky Mawsmai Falls, hurtling down a cliff-face. Laitkynsew in Cherrapunjee is a sight straight out of an Enid Blyton story. It has a bridge made out of the secondary roots of a tree, an absolute marvel of bio-engineering and tribal wisdom.
The roots are stretched and planted on the opposite bank. It takes about 30 years for the bridge to gain the requisite strength, growing and regenerating. There are several such living root bridges in the area and they are unique to Meghalaya. Some are over 200 years old and have outlasted conventional bridges.
All of the area is dotted with caves, waterfalls and strange rock formations. Everything is impossibly green, moist and alive. The spirits of the forests have whispered their enchantments into your ears, and your life in the city feels dreamlike. “Why go back?” they whisper.
It is a very informative article which makes Shillong sound beautiful and somewhere I am determined to visit, if the family can ever get itself organised and presuming I will be able to find the money from somewhere in the light of recent events i.e. my losing my job.
A distant dream
Bharati Motwani
Bharati Motwani visits Shillong where music is food for life, buildings reflect the city’s colonial past and warrior tribes still believe in animistic tradition.
Even if he didn’t know it, Bob Dylan had his 69th birthday party in Shillong this year. Long-haired, tattooed musicians played Dylan’s timeless anti-war anthem Blowing in the wind. Standing on a makeshift-stage, 60 year-old Lou Majaw, Shillong’s best loved-musician and Dylan addict said, “To Bob, wherever you are …”, before launching into Everybody must get stoned. Hundreds clapped, cheered and sang along, blocking traffic at a busy roundabout. And that is the spirit of Shillong. A town of pretty, sloe-eyed Khasi girls, pink-cheeked Anglo-Indians, and boys lounging rakishly at street corners, hair gelled, earlobes pierced — dressed to celebrate the evening, the weather, youth and life.
Local wares
Everywhere there is music — thumping out of restaurants and small jadoh stalls, wafting out of churches, reflected through posters for rock-concerts, musical talent hunts, through a retired tea-planter thrumming his old guitar in the backyard and a silver-haired old lady dreaming over the keys of a burnished Steinway. To slip under the skin of this entrancing town, take a ride to Burra Bazar on a local bus.
Squeeze yourself between many betel-stained, rotten-toothed grins; mind you don’t get your bottom pecked by angry, but still lecherous roosters trussed up in a basket; avoid making eye-contact with the severed head of a pig riding in the lap of a little boy. Though it’s only 9 am and a little early to start drinking, it’s okay to accept a swig of gin from the hip-flask so generously proffered by a smiling school teacher. She’s late for class and possibly tipsy, but hey, welcome to Shillong!
The travel brochure says Burra Bazar is a good place for tourists in search of local colour. Here, at a butcher’s section, huge beef carcasses hang from big meat-hooks, mounds of intestines, gizzards and entrails sit around slimily. And in the middle of each stall, framed by all the gore, there sits a pretty local lass, dressed to kill — high heels, bright lipstick, and scarlet nails. Indeed, the Khasis eat pretty much everything that moves, wriggles and slithers.
Another section of the market has tubs full of water-snakes, hornet larvae, maggots and beetles, all alive. A sweet, old lady gave me a recipe for oak-tree maggots sold at Rs 800 per kg, fresh and crawling. Just boil the critters for three minutes, sauté them lightly in butter, add a dash of salt and chilli and serve hot.
There are mounds of fresh kwai or betel nut that locals chew all the time. It warms you up in winter but will leave your ears burning and head spinning. There are baskets of reed, grass and beautifully crafted bows and arrows used by the locals at the Archery Stakes. The old tribal sport of archery has metamorphosed into a major gambling event, with daily stakes at Saw–Furlong and Polo Grounds. Archers from local clubs participate, while bookies scurry about placing bets that run into crores.
The British in India were always homesick for the rolling greens and shifting mists of Devon and the Cotswolds. Here, in Shillong, they rediscovered Scotland and promptly set up shop, making it the administrative headquarters of Assam in 1874. They built cathedrals, laid parks and created a township of winding lanes and mock-Tudor houses with gardens adrift in phlox, pansies and briar rose. Having done that, they laid themselves to eternal rest in shady graveyards.
For memories of the Raj, visit Ward Lake with its curving promenade and Lady Hydari Park with its pine groves (the native Pinus Khasiana that are the signature of these hills). Shillong’s beautiful 18-hole golf course is often compared to Gleneagle in Scotland, and is one of the oldest and most perfect natural golf courses in the world. A short drive away is Umiam Lake, a favourite haunt for Shillong’s high-spirited youngsters.
The tribes of Meghalaya — the Garos, Khasis and Jaintias — are matrilineal. Women wield considerable authority, but Khasi men are fiercely territorial about their women. All three tribes are essentially animistic despite having adopted Christian and Hindu practices. All over the Khasi hills are Stonehenge-like obelisks called mawbynnas, that mark the burials of ancient warriors. At Smit village, at the edge of town, we visit a liquor till, where we quaff a tumbler or two of the staple Khasi tipple — kakyat, a kind of rice beer.
Driving out of Shillong into the countryside, you begin to really breathe in the essence of Meghalaya — home of the storm clouds. The rolling fog is thick with legend, for the locals believe that all things have an indwelling spirit — every waterfall is a sorrowing maiden, every green hill is a brave warrior, every rock-formation the accoutrements of a giant.
Of waterfalls and caves
Just short of Cherrapunjee is Krem Mawsmai, a cave passage into the maw of the hill. The surreal shapes created by thousands of years of calcite sedimentation are believed to be the “marrowless bones of a giant”. Krem Mawsmai is located in the middle of a silent, sacred grove, so thick that light does not penetrate to the ground. Here, one must tread softly so as not to offend the trees. Not a branch must be broken, not a flower violated. The passage at Mawsmai once led all the way to Bangladesh, but the tunnel collapsed during the earthquake of 1894. It is believed that a local king once hid his entire army inside Krem Mawsmai during a battle with the British.
At Cherrapunjee, now unseated by Mawsynram as the wettest place on earth, are the milky Mawsmai Falls, hurtling down a cliff-face. Laitkynsew in Cherrapunjee is a sight straight out of an Enid Blyton story. It has a bridge made out of the secondary roots of a tree, an absolute marvel of bio-engineering and tribal wisdom.
The roots are stretched and planted on the opposite bank. It takes about 30 years for the bridge to gain the requisite strength, growing and regenerating. There are several such living root bridges in the area and they are unique to Meghalaya. Some are over 200 years old and have outlasted conventional bridges.
All of the area is dotted with caves, waterfalls and strange rock formations. Everything is impossibly green, moist and alive. The spirits of the forests have whispered their enchantments into your ears, and your life in the city feels dreamlike. “Why go back?” they whisper.
Election promises for Assam tea workers
It seems I am very unaware of current affairs in India, which was not the case when I was studying for my MA. I am resolved, now I have more time on my hands to be better informed.
Elections are due later this year, and the BJP have made an election pledge to increase the daily pay of workers in Assam to 100 Rs. Despite the fact that Assam produces the most tea in India, the area remains underdeveloped and more investment is needed. The party is making this pledge because to woo the votes of those living and working on the tea gardens.
Read the full story in The Times of India.
Elections are due later this year, and the BJP have made an election pledge to increase the daily pay of workers in Assam to 100 Rs. Despite the fact that Assam produces the most tea in India, the area remains underdeveloped and more investment is needed. The party is making this pledge because to woo the votes of those living and working on the tea gardens.
Read the full story in The Times of India.
Article about the affect of climate change on Assam tea
A worrying article from the Guardian in 2010, describing the affects of global warming on the taste of Assam tea. To think that the taste of Jutlibari tea could change .......
Climate change leaves Assam tea growers in hot water
Rising temperatures reducing yields and altering distinctive flavour of India's most popular drink
Climate change is affecting the cultivation of Assam tea, with rising temperatures reducing yields and altering the distinctive flavour of India's most popular drink, researchers say.
High hills and abundant rainfall make the north-eastern state of Assam an ideal place to grow tea, with 850 gardens over 320,000 hectares (593,000 acres) producing the majority of the country's harvest. But in the last 60 years, rainfall has fallen by more than a fifth and minimum temperature has risen by a degree to 19.5C.
"This is clearly climate change, and it is bound to have major impact on the tea industry," said Debakanta Handique, a climate scientist in Assam.
The Tea Board of India said it had recorded a steady decline in tea production in recent years. In 2007, Assam produced 512,000 tonnes of tea. By 2008 this had declined to 487,000 tonnes, with estimated production in 2009 down again to 445,000. A further decrease is expected this year.
Mridul Hazarika, director of Tocklai Tea Research, the oldest tea research station in the world, said rainfall and minimum temperature were two of the most important factors affecting both quality and quantity of harvests.
"The decline has been taking place although there has been an increase in the area of tea cultivation as new gardens have come up, and many gardens have added new areas for tea plantation. This is an indication of the seriousness of the threat," said Hazarika. Efficient rainwater harvesting and new breeds of tea plants were needed to reverse the trend.
"Changes have already been observed in the flavour, but it is not possible to blame only climate change for this," he said. "Other factors like the fertilisers used and cultivation methods might also be partly responsible."
The changing taste of Assam tea is a serious concern for growers. Sudipta Nayan Goswami, an Assam-based planter, said subtle changes had already been observed: "The flavour has changed from what it was before. The creamy and strong flavour is no more."
"There is a huge demand for Assam tea abroad, and this is due to its strong, bright flavour. The changes will sharply hamper the demand for this variety of tea abroad."
Climate change leaves Assam tea growers in hot water
Rising temperatures reducing yields and altering distinctive flavour of India's most popular drink
Climate change is affecting the cultivation of Assam tea, with rising temperatures reducing yields and altering the distinctive flavour of India's most popular drink, researchers say.
High hills and abundant rainfall make the north-eastern state of Assam an ideal place to grow tea, with 850 gardens over 320,000 hectares (593,000 acres) producing the majority of the country's harvest. But in the last 60 years, rainfall has fallen by more than a fifth and minimum temperature has risen by a degree to 19.5C.
"This is clearly climate change, and it is bound to have major impact on the tea industry," said Debakanta Handique, a climate scientist in Assam.
The Tea Board of India said it had recorded a steady decline in tea production in recent years. In 2007, Assam produced 512,000 tonnes of tea. By 2008 this had declined to 487,000 tonnes, with estimated production in 2009 down again to 445,000. A further decrease is expected this year.
Mridul Hazarika, director of Tocklai Tea Research, the oldest tea research station in the world, said rainfall and minimum temperature were two of the most important factors affecting both quality and quantity of harvests.
"The decline has been taking place although there has been an increase in the area of tea cultivation as new gardens have come up, and many gardens have added new areas for tea plantation. This is an indication of the seriousness of the threat," said Hazarika. Efficient rainwater harvesting and new breeds of tea plants were needed to reverse the trend.
"Changes have already been observed in the flavour, but it is not possible to blame only climate change for this," he said. "Other factors like the fertilisers used and cultivation methods might also be partly responsible."
The changing taste of Assam tea is a serious concern for growers. Sudipta Nayan Goswami, an Assam-based planter, said subtle changes had already been observed: "The flavour has changed from what it was before. The creamy and strong flavour is no more."
"There is a huge demand for Assam tea abroad, and this is due to its strong, bright flavour. The changes will sharply hamper the demand for this variety of tea abroad."
History of Assam Tea
While there are fewer stories about the Jutlibari Tea Estate to be found on the Internet at present, I would like to take the opportunity of including more general information about the Assam region.
I do not propose to rehash the history, but do check out the Wikipedia entry on Assam Tea. I use Wikipedia all the time to look things up, so while entries are created by individuals I usually find the information reliable.
I do not propose to rehash the history, but do check out the Wikipedia entry on Assam Tea. I use Wikipedia all the time to look things up, so while entries are created by individuals I usually find the information reliable.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Census data from Voice of Bharat
Check out this page for census data for Bijulibari and Jutlibari villages on the tea estates.
My family also had links to Bijulibari
http://www.voiceofbharat.org/dibrugarh/view_results.asp?NAME=&sorttype=ASC&NAV=10&sortid=
Lots of useful information about Dibrugarh generally can be accessed from the homepage http://www.voiceofbharat.org/
My family also had links to Bijulibari
http://www.voiceofbharat.org/dibrugarh/view_results.asp?NAME=&sorttype=ASC&NAV=10&sortid=
Lots of useful information about Dibrugarh generally can be accessed from the homepage http://www.voiceofbharat.org/
Check out this great tea blog: AmazonV tea taste tracking
With apologies to Nicole Schwartz, with whom I exchanged comments at finding a photo of a jutlibari tin on her blog and asking if I could create a link. Nicole really takes her love of tea seriously and has comprehensively tasted and catalogued a wide variety of teas.
A great resource for the tea lover!
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/
A great resource for the tea lover!
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Aerial Map showing Jutlibari from Wikimapia
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=27.4055282&lon=95.3823781&z=17&l=0&m=b&search=jutlibari%20TE
Army Donates Weaving Centre at Jutlibari 2008
Just found this article reported in the Hindustan Times, originally in the Assam Tribune, located on High Beam's Web site 2008
DOOMDOOMA, May 14 -- The wife of Brigadier Binoy Poonnen, Commander, 181 Mountain Brigade, inaugurated a cooperative weaving centre at Jutlibari village here recently.
The centre was donated by 6 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles under their Op Sadvabhana project. It is expected that the women of this backward village dominated by Moran community will be benefited from this centre.
Brigadier Poonnen also gave out certificates along with tool kits to successful graduates of an electrician course which had been run here to provide self-employment opportunities to 40 young educated unemployed youths of this …
DOOMDOOMA, May 14 -- The wife of Brigadier Binoy Poonnen, Commander, 181 Mountain Brigade, inaugurated a cooperative weaving centre at Jutlibari village here recently.
The centre was donated by 6 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles under their Op Sadvabhana project. It is expected that the women of this backward village dominated by Moran community will be benefited from this centre.
Brigadier Poonnen also gave out certificates along with tool kits to successful graduates of an electrician course which had been run here to provide self-employment opportunities to 40 young educated unemployed youths of this …
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Killings spark tension in tea belt - Hundreds from tea tribe lay siege to village in Doomdooma
Article from 09 June 2009
The Telegraph in Kolkata
Dibrugarh, June 8: Tension gripped the tea belt of Doomdooma in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district following the murder of two persons belong to the tea community late last night.
Police said Maghen Moran, a resident of Jutlibari village, murdered two of his neighbours Nareswar Murah and Sarban Tanti and critically injured another, Monoj Murah, after a quarrel broke out between them last night.
Monoj, who was stabbed with a sharp weapon, is battling for his life at the Assam Medical College and Hospital.
As news of the killing spread, hundreds of people from the tea community from neighbouring tea gardens like Daisajan, Doimukhia and Rupai descended on the Moran-dominated village early this morning and laid a siege. Some of them were armed with traditional bows and arrows.
Fearing retaliation, most Moran tribals fled the village to safer locations.
Jutlibari, which has a mixed population of Morans, Ahoms and former tea garden labourers, is about 20km from Doomdooma police station and is surrounded by several tea gardens.
Tinsukia deputy commissioner K.K. Dwivedi and superintendent of police Diganta Bora rushed to the spot this morning and were camping there with a huge contingent of security forces to prevent any outbreak of ethnic violence.
Bora said over telephone the situation was very tense but under control.
“We have deployed additional forces in the vulnerable area and more forces are being called in. We cannot allow this small incident to spill over into anything major,” he added.
Rupesh Gowala, the secretary of the Doomdooma branch of the Asom Chah Mazdoor Sangha, said, “We have appealed for calm but the agitated people are in no mood to listen. They are also not paying any attention to requests from the administration.”
The people demanded arrest and exemplary punishment to the culprit within 12 hours, a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the victims, their proper rehabilitation, medical care for the injured and a written assurance from the administration that such incident will not take place in the future.
A delegation of the Moran Students Union, which tried to enter the conflict zone to take stock of the situation, was sent back by the administration to ensure that the situation remains under control.
“We appeal to all sections of society to maintain peace. We assure that the guilty will definitely be punished,” an official from the Tinsukia district administration said.
Bora said a massive manhunt had been launched to nab the culprit and he would be arrested soon.
“Search teams have been sent in various directions to track the culprit. Law will take its own course. Hence people should not try to take the law into their own hand. We will not be a mute spectator if anybody tries to take the law in his hand,” he added.
The protesters lifted the siege this evening.
The Telegraph in Kolkata
Dibrugarh, June 8: Tension gripped the tea belt of Doomdooma in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district following the murder of two persons belong to the tea community late last night.
Police said Maghen Moran, a resident of Jutlibari village, murdered two of his neighbours Nareswar Murah and Sarban Tanti and critically injured another, Monoj Murah, after a quarrel broke out between them last night.
Monoj, who was stabbed with a sharp weapon, is battling for his life at the Assam Medical College and Hospital.
As news of the killing spread, hundreds of people from the tea community from neighbouring tea gardens like Daisajan, Doimukhia and Rupai descended on the Moran-dominated village early this morning and laid a siege. Some of them were armed with traditional bows and arrows.
Fearing retaliation, most Moran tribals fled the village to safer locations.
Jutlibari, which has a mixed population of Morans, Ahoms and former tea garden labourers, is about 20km from Doomdooma police station and is surrounded by several tea gardens.
Tinsukia deputy commissioner K.K. Dwivedi and superintendent of police Diganta Bora rushed to the spot this morning and were camping there with a huge contingent of security forces to prevent any outbreak of ethnic violence.
Bora said over telephone the situation was very tense but under control.
“We have deployed additional forces in the vulnerable area and more forces are being called in. We cannot allow this small incident to spill over into anything major,” he added.
Rupesh Gowala, the secretary of the Doomdooma branch of the Asom Chah Mazdoor Sangha, said, “We have appealed for calm but the agitated people are in no mood to listen. They are also not paying any attention to requests from the administration.”
The people demanded arrest and exemplary punishment to the culprit within 12 hours, a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the victims, their proper rehabilitation, medical care for the injured and a written assurance from the administration that such incident will not take place in the future.
A delegation of the Moran Students Union, which tried to enter the conflict zone to take stock of the situation, was sent back by the administration to ensure that the situation remains under control.
“We appeal to all sections of society to maintain peace. We assure that the guilty will definitely be punished,” an official from the Tinsukia district administration said.
Bora said a massive manhunt had been launched to nab the culprit and he would be arrested soon.
“Search teams have been sent in various directions to track the culprit. Law will take its own course. Hence people should not try to take the law into their own hand. We will not be a mute spectator if anybody tries to take the law in his hand,” he added.
The protesters lifted the siege this evening.
The tea is poured
A pale orange colour when poured. Forgot the most important pic of us tasting tea, but it was great. Not as strong as we had thought, and obviously we drank it without milk. Mixing it with anything else would truly be a waste of this champagne of teas.
Thinking of the prices that it goes for, and the size of the packet (from a relative in Paris, who knows someone who works in the tea shop), this must be an expensive packet of tea and we are very lucky to have been sent one.
We believe that the other meaning of FTGFOP is true.
Far Too Good For Ordinary People!
Tea Leaves - FTGFOP
In the flesh the tea leaves lived up to the pics on the web. Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
We try the tea!
After probably two years in the cupboard, we finally tried some jutlibari tea. Unfortunately it was over a year too late for my Dad - that last Christmas he was very ill and I had flu. So a few weeks ago I decided the time was right. We found the packet out of the cupboard and put on the kettle. We also had to locate a tea pot and tea strainer - all very traditional.
We were all nervous that it would not live up to expectations, despite great reviews from German, Japanese and French web sites as well as reports from the tea auctions. But would we really like it, who normally drink PG, Tetley and Twinings.
We were all nervous that it would not live up to expectations, despite great reviews from German, Japanese and French web sites as well as reports from the tea auctions. But would we really like it, who normally drink PG, Tetley and Twinings.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Reason for the music track title
I received a response to an email recently. I had emailed the site where the jutlibari track was listed
The edited response is below.
jutlibari is one of the titles of a duo cd with the sax player frank paul schubert:
http://www.leicom.de/konnex/assets/s2dmain.htm?http://www.leicom.de/konnex/konnex/cd/schubertfrankpaulantonisanissegos.htm
the title came up because we used to perform in a tea shop, that had tea from all over the world,
mainly from asia.
so we decided to name all the free improvised tracks with names of various tea brands.
we chose the best sounding names, among which is jutlibari.
funny and interesting to receive a mail from you about it.
now i know more about jutlibari.
thanks for contacting me, and maybe you might be interested to hear also the track one day.
I have not yet contacted them to hear the track!
The edited response is below.
jutlibari is one of the titles of a duo cd with the sax player frank paul schubert:
http://www.leicom.de/konnex/assets/s2dmain.htm?http://www.leicom.de/konnex/konnex/cd/schubertfrankpaulantonisanissegos.htm
the title came up because we used to perform in a tea shop, that had tea from all over the world,
mainly from asia.
so we decided to name all the free improvised tracks with names of various tea brands.
we chose the best sounding names, among which is jutlibari.
funny and interesting to receive a mail from you about it.
now i know more about jutlibari.
thanks for contacting me, and maybe you might be interested to hear also the track one day.
I have not yet contacted them to hear the track!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
