Latest news with #Aaranyak
Mint
9 hours ago
- General
- Mint
How handcrafted tea is changing Kaziranga women's lives
When Meena Tokbipi, living less than one kilometre from Kaziranga National Park's (KNP) Kohora Range in Assam, planted tea saplings in her backyard for the first time in 2004, all she wanted was to grow enough for her family. Cut to 2025, the resident of Engle Pathar, a small village in the Karbi Anglong district, has carved a niche for herself as a proponent of Sa Tokbe—the traditional Karbi green tea, selling green tea at ₹ 3,000 per kilogramme. She also grows black tea (sold at ₹ 3,000/kg), orthodox tea ( ₹ 3,000/kg), and smoked tea ( ₹ 1,600-2,000/kg) in her 7.5 hectare tea garden, which produces 3 quintal tea per week during peak season, i.e, monsoon (June-July). "I decided to start a tea garden in my home in 2002. I plucked tea leaves for the first time in 2009. At that time, after keeping a portion of the produce for the consumption of the family, I sold the tea leaves to middlemen at a nominal price,' the 51-year-old told Mint. The price offered by middlemen fluctuated, from ₹ 30/kg for raw tea leaves to as low as ₹ 10/kg. 'This system continued for a decade. We were somehow managing but not making much profit,' she added. Things changed in 2020 when she participated in a training programme on how to make handcrafted tea, organised by the conservation non-profit Aaranyak. Nineteen Karbi women from 10 villages around KNP participated in the programme. However, only four women from three villages—Engle Pathar, Rongtara, and Bakrung Engti—are actively preparing handcrafted tea. PIRBI store at the Kohora Range within Kaziranga National Park. Aaranyak's initiative, PIRBI, a community business selling naturally grown products that supports Indigenous farmers in the region, is marketing, branding, and selling their products. PIRBI, meaning biosphere in the Karbi language, showcases and sells Karbi ethnic products, such as edibles, handwoven garments, handicrafts, etc., at its store near the main gate of the Kohora Range. The initiative is helping women living in the fringe villages of KNP become self-reliant, said Swapan Nath, the acting treasurer of PIRBI. 'In many of these families, the males don't earn much, and so the burden of running the family falls on the women. The women here are very skilled in making various kinds of products, which attract tourists and walk-in customers—people who stop at our store while visiting the national park.' 'PIRBI contributes 12% of its profit to biodiversity conservation and community development. It shares 5% of the profit with the artisans, growers, and collectors,' explained Nath, who is also an independent journalist and a headmaster at a local school. Tokbipi neither belongs to a tea grower family nor is she from Kaziranga. She hails from a Bodo-Kachari family in Biswanath district's Gohpur town. She married Chandra Tokbipi, a Karbi man working at a tea garden in Behali. Their lives changed in 1989 when Assamese and Bodos got involved in a deadly strife in Gohpur. Karbis were caught in the crossfire in the incident that killed 31 and rendered thousands homeless. Meena Tokbipi. 'In 1990, we decided to leave Gohpur. My husband had an aunt in Karbi Anglong, where we initially took shelter. Later, we went to Bagori in Kaziranga and stayed there for five years. In 1996, we settled in Engle Pathar,' she said. Kaziranga was a harsh landscape, but they slowly adapted. Before her tea business took off, her family had to fight abject poverty. Her husband did odd jobs while she sold products like betel nut and homemade pickles. Things got worse when she lost her husband in a 2011 road accident. Today, she employs five women from her village as pluckers for ₹ 200 each daily. 'As the pluckers working in my garden are not highly trained, they can pluck only 15-18 kg daily. Professional pluckers working in big tea gardens can pluck up to 30 kg daily. To manufacture one kilogramme of handcrafted tea, we need four kilogrammes of raw tea leaves,' said. 'After plucking the tea, the leaves are thrown in boiling water for 5-10 seconds. The boiled leaves are rolled by hand and dried. It takes two sunny days to get the best taste, flavour, aroma, and colour. For perfect green tea, the buds have to turn white and the leaves dark,' Tokbipi explained. Her eldest daughter, Moina Kramsapi (33), a Tezpur Law College graduate, has also become an entrepreneur by turning a portion of her mother's tea garden into an eco-camp named Kramsa Rock Garden. 'I started the eco-camp in 2019. We have a pond with an area of two and a half bighas where we provide our guests the facility of angling for ₹ 50 per hour. We also arrange two trails: a two-hour trek from the camp to a natural rock cave and a half-day trek. We have both English and Assamese/Hindi speaking guides,' she said. Sika Terangpi and her sister-in-law Rukmini from the Rongtara village dealt with a different set of challenges. Before growing tea, their family practised Jhum cultivation, growing crops like king chilli, sweet potato, banana flower, etc. Still, the family led a hand-to-mouth existence. 'After we started growing green tea, our income has increased. We have a small garden, and we are using it entirely to make handcrafted tea. We don't sell tender tea leaves to agents,' Sika said. However, the lack of roads and communication bottlenecks make lives challenging for them. 'There is no motorable road up to our village. It takes around 2.5 hours to walk from the main road in Kohora to reach our village. Phone connectivity is also poor in our village. We have to go down to the plains for every essential work, be it selling our farm produce or obtaining cooking gas,' she added. They couldn't afford to employ pluckers, so they do the plucking, processing, and tea making themselves. Rukmini, a single mother, is financing the education of her three children with the money earned from the tea garden. Not many small tea growers produce handcrafted tea in Assam, according to Bhogeswari Changmai, one of the first people in the state to start making handcrafted tea. While there are 122,415 small tea growers in the state, according to the recent Tea Board of India data, only about 120 people make handcrafted tea, claimed Changmai. The organic, handcrafted tea is popular because of its health benefits, said Changmai, who was awarded 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by the Assam government in 2021 and has exported her products to Taiwan, Dubai, and Belgium. 'It contains antioxidants, and it has got a lot of health benefits like lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease and boosting the immune system.' Though there is demand for handcrafted tea, only a few have been successful in creating a brand, added Dipanjol Deka, secretary, Tea Association of India. 'Also, this tea is mainly consumed by the elite, as everyone can't afford it. Here, common people drink red tea or what we call laal saah in our colloquial language. In the northern and western parts of India, people prefer milk tea. So, producing handcrafted tea is not of much use unless the middle class and the working class start consuming it.' 'Handcrafted tea is yet to reach its real potential. They should be taken to niche markets around the world with a proper marketing strategy,' said researcher Pradip Baruah, who has penned seven books on tea. However, Nath said success stories of women like Tokbipi and Terangpi may inspire more Karbi women to start making handcrafted tea. 'They can turn entrepreneurs and establish a new identity for themselves with the help of handcrafted tea."
India Gazette
4 days ago
- India Gazette
Assam: Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary sees surge in tourists, revenue; Earns Rs 62 lakh this season
Pobitora (Assam) [India], May 28 (ANI): The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Morigaon district has witnessed an increase of tourist footfall as well as revenue collection in the current tourist season. The wildlife sanctuary, which is known as the highest density of one-horned rhino population in the country, has so far collected Rs 62 lakh as revenue in this tourist season of 2024-25. According to the officials of the wildlife sanctuary, this year, nearly 35,000 tourists (both Indian and foreign tourists) have visited the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. Pranjal Baruah, Ranger of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, told ANI that nearly 35,000 tourists, including 650 foreign tourists, have visited the wildlife sanctuary this tourist season so far. 'This tourist season started from 15 October 2024, and it will end on May 31 this year. We have so far collected Rs 62 lakh as revenue. Compared to the previous year, 5,000 more tourists have visited the wildlife sanctuary this year,' Pranjal Baruah said. According to the authority of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, last year, around 30,000 tourists had visited the wildlife sanctuary, and the authority had collected Rs 54 lakh as revenue. Pranjal Baruah further said that they had done lots of infrastructure development work, including repairing roads inside the wildlife sanctuary. Meanwhile, Aaranyak, a leading wildlife NGO, is undertaking a large-scale plantation drive in Assam to address human-elephant conflict by restoring degraded habitats and providing elephants with natural food sources. The goal is to replenish 100 hectares of degraded forest by planting one lakh saplings of native species, improving ecological connectivity for wildlife, particularly elephants, and mitigating human-elephant conflict (HEC). Aaranyak is supported by the SBI Foundation and is a part of the Dhansiri-Sikaridanga Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) is undertaking a massive plantation drive in the Bhairabkunda Reserve Forest along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam's Udalguri district. The plantation drive, now in its third year, has seen the participation of forest officials, FXB India Suraksha, the Bhairabkunda Development Committee, and the Dhansiri-Sikaridanga Joint Forest Management Committee. On the first day of the third-year plantation drive, 510 saplings of 11 native species were planted, including Outenga, Bel, Kola Siris, Gamari, Bhatgila, Amla, Jamun, Bhomora, Xilikha, Bhelkor, Kum, Odal, and Tora. (ANI)
India Gazette
6 days ago
- General
- India Gazette
Aaranyak undertakes massive plantation drive to mitigate human-elephant conflict in Assam
Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 25 (ANI): Aaranyak is undertaking a large-scale plantation drive in Assam to address human-elephant conflict by restoring degraded habitats and providing elephants with natural food sources. The goal is to replenish 100 hectares of degraded forest by planting one lakh saplings of native species, improving ecological connectivity for wildlife, particularly elephants, and mitigating human-elephant conflict (HEC). Aaranyak is supported by the SBI Foundation and is a part of the Dhansiri-Sikaridanga Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) is undertaking a massive plantation drive in the Bhairabkunda Reserve Forest along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam's Udalguri district. The plantation drive, now in its third year, has seen the participation of forest officials, FXB India Suraksha, the Bhairabkunda Development Committee, and the Dhansiri-Sikaridanga Joint Forest Management Committee. On the first day of the third-year plantation drive, 510 saplings of 11 native species were planted, including Outenga, Bel, Kola Siris, Gamari, Bhatgila, Amla, Jamun, Bhomora, Xilikha, Bhelkor, Kum, Odal, and Tora. The objective of the plantation drive is to promote human-elephant coexistence by securing elephant habitats, facilitating elephant movement, and sustaining the watershed for the region. Habitat replenishment can have a lasting impact in favor of mitigating HEC, providing a long-term solution to reduce conflicts between humans and elephants. 'The Aaranyak team is striving for habitat improvement and restoring degraded areas under the project to secure elephant habitat, facilitate elephant movement for long-term mitigation of human-elephant confrontation, and sustain the watershed for the region,' said Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, a senior conservation scientist in Aaranyak. 'Raging HEC undermines efforts for conservation of elephants and their habitat, besides affecting the well-being of people. The complex issue of HEC mitigation requires a multi-pronged and multi-stakeholders approach as has been adopted by research-driven Aaranyak,' said Dr Alolika Sinha, a senior conservation biologist in Aaranyak. (ANI)
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Planting for elephants: Green step in degraded Assam forest on Bhutan border
GUWAHATI After a year, a mission to re-green a 100-hectare degraded Assam forest on the border with Bhutan to mitigate human-elephant conflicts has resumed. Members of Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation group, and the Dhansiri-Sikaridanga Joint Forest Management Committee in north-central Assam's Udalguri district, planted 510 saplings of 11 native species. These saplings – and scores of others planted earlier – are envisaged to provide food and shelter for the elephants in the future. The mission focuses on replenishing 100 hectares of a degraded patch in the district's Bhairabkunda Reserve Forest, administered by the Dhansiri Forest Division. The drive started on May 14. 'The key native plant species being planted during the drive this year include outenga, bel, kola siris, gamari, bhatgila, amla, jamun, bhomora, xilikha, bhelkor, kum, odal, and tora, as they are called in local parlance. We aim to plant 1 lakh saplings during this summer,' Aaranyak's Rabiya Daimari said. Habitat replenishment can have a lasting impact in resolving human-elephant conflicts as it provides a long-term solution to promote coexistence between wild elephants and people. Aaranyak initiated this ambitious project two years ago with support from the SBI Foundation. 'The Aaranyak team is striving for habitat improvement and restoring degraded areas under the project to secure elephant habitat, facilitate elephant movement for long-term mitigation of human-elephant confrontation, and sustain the watershed for the region,' Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, a senior conservation scientist at Aaranyak, said. The area targeted for replenishment is a mosaic of grasslands and woodlands, with different soil substrata ranging from sandy coarse to rocky and swampy areas. Illegal logging and encroachment of elephant corridors in the vicinity are some of the factors that affected the forest patch strategic for elephants. Aaranyak has been engaged in empowering local communities and securing habitats to promote human-elephant coexistence. As a wide-ranging species, the Asian elephant needs expansive resources for its survival and often comes into conflict with humans through crop and property damage, deaths and injuries, and retaliatory killing of the pachyderms. 'Raging human-elephant conflict undermines efforts for conservation of elephants and their habitat, besides affecting the well-being of people. The complex issue of mitigating such conflicts requires a multi-pronged and multi-stakeholder approach,' Alolika Sinha, a senior conservation biologist at Aaranyak, said.
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
King Charles calls for collaboration to save the planet
King Charles has made a heartfelt call for people to help save the planet as he said "collaboration is far better than conflict". The monarch was speaking with Camilla by his side at an event to support the Elephant Family, a wildlife conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand. The event, called Wonders of the Wild: An Evening of Art and Conservation, was set up as a celebration of art and nature and a fundraiser for the charity that works with conservation experts to tackle the challenges facing Asia's wildlife and the communities that live alongside it. Charles told guests the evening was "an opportunity to pay a special tribute, I think, to all the wonderful people who do all the work on the ground in India to rescue, not only just elephants now, but even more species". He said the charity's work was happening at a time when efforts are being made to "develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict". "It just seems to me that this is a great example of why collaboration is far better than conflict, and also why, if we're going to rescue this poor planet (from) continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature, we need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us." Princess Beatrice, Brazil's former World Cup winning footballer Ronaldo, actor Ed Westwick and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among more than 250 guests who attended the event at the Temperate House in Kew Gardens on Tuesday. Charles and Camilla also presented two special recognition awards on the night. They went to Aaranyak, an organisation which works with Elephant Family in India, and artist Rebecca Campbell, who celebrates her tenth year as an ambassador for the charity. King Charles has made a heartfelt call for people to help save the planet as he said "collaboration is far better than conflict". The monarch was speaking with Camilla by his side at an event to support the Elephant Family, a wildlife conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand. The event, called Wonders of the Wild: An Evening of Art and Conservation, was set up as a celebration of art and nature and a fundraiser for the charity that works with conservation experts to tackle the challenges facing Asia's wildlife and the communities that live alongside it. Charles told guests the evening was "an opportunity to pay a special tribute, I think, to all the wonderful people who do all the work on the ground in India to rescue, not only just elephants now, but even more species". He said the charity's work was happening at a time when efforts are being made to "develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict". "It just seems to me that this is a great example of why collaboration is far better than conflict, and also why, if we're going to rescue this poor planet (from) continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature, we need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us." Princess Beatrice, Brazil's former World Cup winning footballer Ronaldo, actor Ed Westwick and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among more than 250 guests who attended the event at the Temperate House in Kew Gardens on Tuesday. Charles and Camilla also presented two special recognition awards on the night. They went to Aaranyak, an organisation which works with Elephant Family in India, and artist Rebecca Campbell, who celebrates her tenth year as an ambassador for the charity. King Charles has made a heartfelt call for people to help save the planet as he said "collaboration is far better than conflict". The monarch was speaking with Camilla by his side at an event to support the Elephant Family, a wildlife conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand. The event, called Wonders of the Wild: An Evening of Art and Conservation, was set up as a celebration of art and nature and a fundraiser for the charity that works with conservation experts to tackle the challenges facing Asia's wildlife and the communities that live alongside it. Charles told guests the evening was "an opportunity to pay a special tribute, I think, to all the wonderful people who do all the work on the ground in India to rescue, not only just elephants now, but even more species". He said the charity's work was happening at a time when efforts are being made to "develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict". "It just seems to me that this is a great example of why collaboration is far better than conflict, and also why, if we're going to rescue this poor planet (from) continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature, we need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us." Princess Beatrice, Brazil's former World Cup winning footballer Ronaldo, actor Ed Westwick and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among more than 250 guests who attended the event at the Temperate House in Kew Gardens on Tuesday. Charles and Camilla also presented two special recognition awards on the night. They went to Aaranyak, an organisation which works with Elephant Family in India, and artist Rebecca Campbell, who celebrates her tenth year as an ambassador for the charity. King Charles has made a heartfelt call for people to help save the planet as he said "collaboration is far better than conflict". The monarch was speaking with Camilla by his side at an event to support the Elephant Family, a wildlife conservation charity founded by her late brother Mark Shand. The event, called Wonders of the Wild: An Evening of Art and Conservation, was set up as a celebration of art and nature and a fundraiser for the charity that works with conservation experts to tackle the challenges facing Asia's wildlife and the communities that live alongside it. Charles told guests the evening was "an opportunity to pay a special tribute, I think, to all the wonderful people who do all the work on the ground in India to rescue, not only just elephants now, but even more species". He said the charity's work was happening at a time when efforts are being made to "develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict". "It just seems to me that this is a great example of why collaboration is far better than conflict, and also why, if we're going to rescue this poor planet (from) continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature, we need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us." Princess Beatrice, Brazil's former World Cup winning footballer Ronaldo, actor Ed Westwick and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among more than 250 guests who attended the event at the Temperate House in Kew Gardens on Tuesday. Charles and Camilla also presented two special recognition awards on the night. They went to Aaranyak, an organisation which works with Elephant Family in India, and artist Rebecca Campbell, who celebrates her tenth year as an ambassador for the charity.
