An Old Letter from Burma

27Sep07

In light of all the news coming in from Myanmar, I thought it apt to share this piece, written by imprisoned Nobel laureate and pro-democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, way back in 1996. Letter from Burma (No. 21) by Aung San Suu Kyi Mainichi Daily News, Sunday, April 14, 1996 Tea plays a […]

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The Fighter Boys Of Assam

05Apr07

Few people remember that during World War II, Americans were firmly planted in India. India was part of the so-called China-Burma-India theater. I was delighted to come across this brief account of life in Assam from the (it appears — rather bored) American soldier’s perspective. Time Magazine: Monday, March 8, 1943. (Incidentally, Time has free […]

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Fancy Your Tea Pickled?

07Mar07

Originally uploaded by pessoa. A popular snack in Myanmar (formerly Burma) is pickled tea. Although the Burmese produce green and black tea in relatively substantial quantities (they produce about 90 million kilos of tea annually), the production of pickled tea makes up about 17% of total volume. Young and old in Myanmar fond of the […]

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The News From Assam

04Oct06

Assam — now officially renamed “Asom” — has been in the news a lot lately. But the news isn’t good. On September 24, Haridhan Das, the manager of the Hullunghabi tea estate was brutally gunned down by ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) militants with four bullets fired at close range [link]. That same night, […]

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