Miracle – Thy Name is Neem

06Apr07

Photo courtesy Flickr user sk_vel India is hoping that Azadirachta indica will prove to be a miracle for the tea industry. Before we get into the specifics of why, the scientific name of the Neem tree is interesting – it’s actually derived from Persian. Azad: Free Dirakht: Tree i – Hind: Of India Literally, the […]

Filed under: assam, health, india, industry, kolkata, neem, organic, production   |  3 Comments

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 […]

Filed under: assam, burma, china, gardens, history, india, kolkata   |  Leave a Comment

Tracing Tea on a Rickshaw

16Mar07

I received an interesting email from Neil at The Tracing Tea Project today. They’re going to be traipsing about in an auto-rickshaw on a quest to produce a book and TV series that celebrates tea culture. Their journey starts in Kolkata and will end up in London. From the site: In 2007, the 350th anniversary […]

Filed under: india, kolkata, news   |  5 Comments

The Tea Auction System In India

27Feb07

If you’ve ever wondered how tea is bought and sold in India, this report from the BBC is a good introduction to how it all works. The article also highlights the ongoing modernisation debate within Indian tea circles. Note the resistance to the introduction of technology. “An auction is a bit like a football game […]

Filed under: auctions, india, industry, kolkata, technology   |  5 Comments