Latest news with #Karbi
Mint
4 days 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."
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Coin toss decides two seats in Assam panchayat election
BJP secured a decisive victory in Assam panchayat elections. However, two candidates, Purabi Rajkhowa and Nalin Lekhathop, secured victories in two wards in Assam's Nagaon and Golaghat districts a flip of a coin, TOI reported. #Operation Sindoor The damage done at Pak bases as India strikes to avenge Pahalgam Why Pakistan pleaded to end hostilities Kashmir's Pahalgam sparks Karachi's nightmare This was done as per the election regulations after both received an equal number of votes as their closest competitors. The rule about which neither of the candidates or election officials were aware of. The panchayat elections were conducted through ballot papers and saw several nail-biting clashes, with some candidates winning by a single vote. Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like People thought hearing aids were expensive till they saw this. Read more Learn More Undo Nalin, a contender from ward no-6 of Rangbong gaon panchayat in Golaghat district, faced fierce competition in a constituency with over 500 voters from diverse communities, including Karbi and adivasi groups. There were four candidates contesting for the post of ward member. "Me and my closest opponent got 130 votes each. The officials present in the counting hall faced a dilemma and consulted senior officials. Few hours later, we were called inside and toss was done with a coin. I was named the winner," Lekhathopi told TOI, on Monday. Live Events Despite the unusual resolution, both Lekhathopi and her opponent Puja Paik accepted the result without dispute. "I have decided to carry forward works of my ward with the help of my opponent who got equal number of votes. It is only pure luck for which I won," Lekhathopi said. A similar situation happened at Raha in Nagaon district, where Purabi Rajkhowa contested from ward no-7 of Pramila gaon panchayat. She and her rival, Beauty Bhuyan, both secured 618 votes, prompting another toss. "It's a great feeling. With blessing of God and public, I emerged as winner through toss," she said. "Despite all odds, our candidate won — it's a blessing," the supporter said, as celebrations erupted in the village.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Heads or tails? Fate of 2 candidates sealed by a flip
Guwahati: In a panchayat election where BJP is on the verge of securing another decisive victory, two women candidates — Purabi Rajkhowa and Nalin Lekhathopi— secured victories in two wards in Assam's Nagaon and Golaghat districts through an unexpected method: a coin toss. As per election regulations, their fate was determined this way after both received an equal number of votes as their closest competitors — a rule about which neither the candidates had heard nor many of the election officials were aware. The panchayat elections , conducted via ballot papers, saw several nail-biting finishes, with some candidates winning by a single vote. Nalin, a contender from ward no-6 of Rangbong gaon panchayat in Golaghat district, faced fierce competition in a constituency with over 500 voters from diverse communities, including Karbi and adivasi groups. There were four candidates contesting for the post of ward member. "Me and my closest opponent got 130 votes each. The officials present in the counting hall faced a dilemma and consulted senior officials. Few hours later, we were called inside and toss was done with a coin. I was named the winner," Lekhathopi told TOI, on Monday. Despite the unusual resolution, both Lekhathopi and her opponent Puja Paik accepted the result without dispute. "I have decided to carry forward works of my ward with the help of my opponent who got equal number of votes. It is only pure luck for which I won," Lekhathopi said. A similar situation unfolded at Raha in Nagaon district, where Purabi Rajkhowa contested from ward no-7 of Pramila gaon panchayat. She and her rival, Beauty Bhuyan, both secured 618 votes, prompting another toss. "It's a great feeling. With blessing of God and public, I emerged as winner through toss," she said. One of her supporters said the poeple are with Purabi and their goal is to make a model panchayat free from corruption. "Despite all odds, our candidate won — it's a blessing," the supporter said, as celebrations erupted in the village.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP govt successful in bringing peace & devpt to state: Saikia
Guwahati: Establishment of peace in the state, following almost all the militant outfits joining the mainstream, and the subsequent withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from 24 districts and one sub-division, are significant achievements of the present state govt, said BJP's state president .Saikia, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, described the four years of the present BJP govt in the state as successful. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He stated, "In recent years, several major peace accords have been signed between the BJP-led Assam govt and the central govt, including the Karbi, Adivasi, Dimasa, and Ulfa peace agreements, since 2023. These agreements have opened the path for peace and progress in Assam."He added that the Assam Police's strict actions will play a decisive role in curbing future jihadi activities. "The govt's zero-tolerance policy on drugs and corruption has continued through a statewide crackdown by the crime and anti-corruption branch," he added that the border disputes with neighbouring states had long disturbed the peace and obstructed the northeast's progress. Tackling the complex issues of constitutional and traditional boundaries, CM Sarma, with the Centre's guidance, has taken historic steps to resolve decades-long disputes and restore peace to the achievements on the completion of the four years of the present govt on Saturday, he said that during the recently concluded budget session of the Assam assembly, the Assam Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was unanimously passed. Through this, the 'panchayati raj' system at the grassroots will become more empowered and reiterated that public healthcare has been a priority and commitment for the BJP-led govt. By strengthening healthcare infrastructure, the Assam govt has placed public health at the top of its agenda. "With the establishment of the first AIIMS in the Northeast, Assam is set to become a state with 24 medical colleges in the coming years," he state President also mentioned that various economic indicators, including GSDP growth, per capita income, economic development rate, fiscal strength, and poverty reduction, reflect Assam's steady rise. "Over the last nine years, the state's economy has stabilised. The state budget has consistently grown from Rs 66,142 crore in the last Congress budget (2015–16) to Rs 43,891 crore in 2024–25," he added that while the Congress govt could spend only 63% of the allocated budget in 2015–16, the BJP-led govt has increased budget utilisation to 85% in the 2024–25 financial year. President Saikia emphasised that the remarkable transformation of Assam over the past four years has been possible due to the spirit, resilience, and trust of the people in the BJP govt.
