Latest news with #StJoseph'sCollege
Mint
01-06-2025
- General
- Mint
Meet the folks packaging Meghalaya's indigenous rice beer
While the North-East has a long tradition of brewing rice to make beer and wine, efforts to brand and bottle them are yet to catch on. The relative success of fermented rice beverage brands like Judima and Xaj from Assam has now brought young entrepreneurs from Meghalaya to package and promote the local rice beer of West Garo Hills—chubitchi or bitchi. Startups such as 7 United run by Keenan K. Marak and Chuchekra by Tengnang D. Sangma are trying to preserve the heritage drink and reach a wider market. Bitchi is made using a starter culture or yeast that has been passed down for generations. It is this yeast that makes it lighter and milder compared to most other rice beers in the North-East. Locals also use a special earthenware jar called diktom that stores the sticky rice while it ferments. 'We received a GI tag for bitchi in 2024, and therefore only rice grown in these hills can be used to make it. The sweet and smoky taste is unique to the rice beer from these parts," says Marak. Sangma says that the early makers divided the spirit into gender-specific terms, making it one of the only spirits to be classified into male and female sections, depending on its flavour. 'If the bitchi tastes bitter, it is known as Bitchi Bipa (male) and if it tastes sweet, it is called Bitchi Bima (female)," he says and adds, 'The diktom jar is considered as female genitalia inside which bitchi is created and is called as the brew of the gods passed down to humanity." Every village in Garo Hills celebrates their harvest festival known as Wangala where bitchi is distributed to appease Minima Rokimi, the local deity of rain, prosperity and fertility. The yeast used to make bitchi is used to mark the face during weddings, birthdays and funerals. 'Even today, if you go to smaller villages, you will be treated with bitchi and not tea," says Marak. The idea to bottle bitchi came to both entrepreneurs during the covid-19 pandemic. Marak had just graduated from St Joseph's College in Bengaluru before heading back home during the lockdown. He started making fruit wines and moved to rice beer. The first couple of iterations learnt from YouTube went horribly wrong and made him realise he needed to learn from the local communities. Also read: The new wave of North-East Indian food in Andheri 'It took me around four months to learn the process. I realised the younger generation was out of touch with their tradition, so I decided to make a trendy rice beer," says 26-year-old Marak, who put up an Instagram post in August 2022 about the product, and got hundreds of followers overnight enquiring where they could buy it. 7 United is the first bottled bitchi and comes in an aluminium can instead of regular glass bottles. Marak says he studied cola and beer brands, and wanted to prevent glass breakage, especially since he adds extra carbonation to the spirit to make it easier to drink, and bring down the ABV to 7%. The brand is available in Tura in West Garo Hills, and debuted in Shillong last year. Marak has also applied for a grant from the state government to launch a new variant even as he eyes Assam next after selling 28,000 cans last year. For 34-year-old Sangma, who is an anthropologist and musician, the workings of the Garo community, especially the way they treat their yeast used to make bitchi, like a family heirloom, drove him to start Chuchekra. 'It's an old word that many people have forgotten, but it's the literal term for storing bitchi," he says. Chuchekra is made from the first extract of the distilled rice after it is stored in a diktom jar for one month. The brand launched in 2022 and is available by direct order or at cultural festivals and local events in Shillong—they make about 4,000 litres a year. He is also keen to serve traditional bitchi without adding carbonation, and looking to expand to Himachal Pradesh next, followed by Goa and Bengaluru.. The potential for rice beers is seemingly huge given that soju and sake, with similar taste profiles, are still in the nascent stages of adoption for the wider Indian audience. At a conference last month in Vienna, Marak took a few cans for sampling and was blown away by the response. 'When you say rice beer, most people automatically think of soju or sake, but as Indians, we are never proud of what we already have. This product can change global perspectives," he says. With a consolidated movement towards popularising heritage spirits in the North-East and young, passionate founders looking to expand in India and beyond, it's time this unique rice beer gets its due. Also read: North-East food creators get candid on cuisine Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry.
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Teacher caught having sex with pupil in car writes kid's book on 'bad choices'
Eppie Sprung, from Scotland, was struck off the teaching register for sleeping with a student. Now, she is writing a book which states 'making bad choices doesn't make you a bad person' A former teacher who was caught having sex with a male pupil in her car has written a children's book to help other parents tell their kids about something they did wrong in the past. Eppie Sprung, from Scotland, was banned from teaching after she carried out the sickening crime with a dyslexic teenager, aged 17. The married educator, who worked at St Joseph's College in Dumfries, had agreed to give the boy additional lessons. She was busted for having an affair after she was spotted half-naked with him in a layby. She was placed onto the sex offenders register with a six-month community payback order after she pleaded guilty to a breach of trust. Now, she is hoping to use her experience to build communication between parents and their kids. The slogan of her book states: "You and I know that making bad choices doesn't make you a bad person." The story centres around a conversation between two bears (a parent and a child), in which the parent tells the child about choices from their past that are still impacting on their lives today. The child asks questions and the parent answers as best they can. In a recent blog post titled: "Not a Monster, a Mum", Sprung confirmed that she was motivated to write the book before having own children, reports Daily Record. She said: "One day, they're going to learn to type things into internet search engines and they're going see my name emblazoned across tabloids - Eppie Sprung: Sex Offender. I realised that I was going to have to handle talking to my children about my conviction very carefully. So, I put pen to paper and 'Here, with you' is my attempt to fill that gap." Back in 2012 officers spotted the married teacher, who was 26 at the time, parked in a layby with the pupil after noticing condensations on her car windows. She split from her husband of two years after the incident and the pupil moved in with her. Their relationship came to an end in 2015. Sprung has since attempted to share messages of remorse and rehabilitation, including starting a charity for ex-offenders called 'Next Chaper Scotland'. Her book release comes just months after she sparked controversy for whining about the 'stigma' surrounding her conviction in a call-in to BBC Radio One. The mother-of-two, who has since remarried, complained about the judgement she faces due to living with a criminal record and told how she doesn't "get invited to kids parties". She previously said she found it difficult to move on with her life and said media coverage of the case meant potential employers were "concerned I bring with me a reputational risk". She added: "Everybody knew who I was." Sprung said a bar owner "took a punt on me" after her conviction. She was later offered a job at a charity before setting up Next Chapter Scotland. The venture was handed thousands from the public purse through a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, which she says will help those with criminal records 'navigate discrimination'.
Edinburgh Live
27-05-2025
- Edinburgh Live
Immoral Scottish teacher 'caught with pupil in her car' makes career change
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Scottish teacher who was added to the sex offenders register for involvement with a male pupil has written a children's book. Eppie Sprung was struck off the register after she admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old boy in 2012. The married teacher had agreed to give the dyslexic teenager extra lessons while working at St Joseph's College in Dumfries, before she was caught half naked in a layby with him after a Christmas dance. After pleading guilty to a breach of trust over the affair, she was added to the sex offenders register with a six-month community payback order, reports the Record. Sprung, 39, has now penned a book called Here, with you, aimed at "helping families discuss parental criminal convictions". In a bid to help parents to share their past with their kids, the book uses the slogan: "You and I know that making bad choices doesn't make you a bad person" as the story centres around a conversation between two bears (a parent and a child), in which the parent tells the child about choices from their past that are still impacting on their lives today. The child asks questions and the parent answers as best they can. In a recent blog post titled: "Not a Monster, a Mum", Sprung confirmed that she was motivated to write the book before having own children. She said: "One day, they're going to learn to type things into internet search engines and they're going see my name emblazoned across tabloids - Eppie Sprung: Sex Offender. "I realised that I was going to have to handle talking to my children about my conviction very carefully. "So, I put pen to paper and 'Here, with you' is my attempt to fill that gap." Back in 2012 officers spotted the married teacher, who was 26 at the time, parked in a layby with the pupil after noticing condensations on her car windows. She split from her husband of two years after the incident and the pupil moved in with her. Their relationship came to an end in 2015. Sprung has since attempted to share messages of remorse and rehabilitation, including starting a charity for ex-offenders called 'Next Chaper Scotland'. Her book release comes just months after she sparked controversy for whining about the 'stigma' surrounding her conviction in a call-in to BBC Radio One. The mother-of-two, who has since remarried, complained about the judgement she faces due to living with a criminal record and told how she doesn't "get invited to kids parties". Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. She previously said she found it difficult to move on with her life and said media coverage of the case meant potential employers were "concerned I bring with me a reputational risk". She added: "Everybody knew who I was." Sprung said a bar owner "took a punt on me" after her conviction. She was later offered a job at a charity before setting up Next Chapter Scotland. The venture was handed thousands from the public purse through a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, which she says will help those with criminal records 'navigate discrimination'. The Record contacted Eppie Sprung for comment.
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Shamed teacher caught romping with Scots school pupil pens children's book about past mistakes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TEACHER who was struck off for having sex with a male pupil has written a children's book about past mistakes. Eppie Sprung was caught romping with the 17-year-old in a layby in 2012. 4 Eppie Sprung was caught having sex with a pupil in a layby in 2012 Credit: John Gunion - The Sun Glasgow 4 She was added to the sex offenders register and lost her job as a teacher Credit: Steve Welsh - The Sun Glasgow 4 She has now written a children's book about how parents can explain their convictions to their kids Credit: Next Chapter Scotland They were caught by cops after another pupil saw them leaving a school dance together. After being found half-naked with the pupil, Sprung pleaded guilty and was added to handed a six-month community payback order and was added to the sex offenders register. The shamed Miss also lost her job at St Joseph's College in Dumfries after she was struck off. The disgraced ex-teacher has now penned a children's book to help parents talk about their criminal past and convictions with their kids. Sprung has published 'Here, with you', which is about two bears. In it the adult bear has to tell the child bear about the bad choices which will still impact their life. The front cover features and adult and child bear sitting in a boat while holding a lantern. In a blog post, she told how she feared her shameful crime will impact her kids, and how they will inevitably find out about her sex offender status. The post, titled "Not a Monster, Mum", read: "Their friends are going to talk about it behind their backs. "People are going to ostracise them. They'll probably question who I really am and whether the feelings of safety I instil in them are actually some sort of lie. Society will tell them I'm a monster. "The long, long shadow of the poor choices I made back then will likely continue to impact on my children long into adulthood." Female teacher, 27, had 'sex with student in classroom' hours before arrest as '8-month relationship' exposed It added: "I realised, long before my daughter was even conceived, that I was going to have to handle talking to my children about my conviction very carefully." She went on to say: "The very first thing I did was look for story books that would help me to have this conversation. "I wanted to find a book that would let me draw parallels with the characters and provide me with some age-appropriate language. (Don't even get me started on how on earth you find the age-appropriate words to tell a 4-year-old that you were caught having sex in a car!) "I found wonderful books aimed at children with a parent in prison and books for children who have seen a parent be arrested but nothing that suited my circumstances. "So, I put pen to paper and 'Here, with you' is my attempt to fill that gap. "The story centres around the conversation between two bears (a parent and a child), in which the parent tells the child about choices from their past that are still impacting on their lives today. The child asks questions and the parent answers as best they can." Radio moan Last year, Sprung called into BBC Radio Scotland to whinge about the "stigma She said: "I have a conviction for a sexual offence. I was a teacher and I had an affair with a 17-year-old pupil. "So I do have experience of, kind of, living with the challenges that a person can face as a result of having a criminal record. "I never experienced a custodial sentence, but I certainly did experience stigma. "I mean, I had an exceptionally large amount of press coverage, media coverage, for many, many years following my conviction. "And I think I would say that was the most difficult thing I experienced. "But I mean, of course, as with people with a conviction for a sexual offence particularly, face the highest degree of stigma. "And so things like employment, even things like not being invited to my daughter's friends' birthday parties." We told how Sprung secured £7,000 of public funding to set up a new venture in 2023. She started Next Chapter Scotland, a website aiming to support people with criminal records. Sprung was handed a six-month community payback order after admitting to breach of trust in court in 2013. She was found unfit to teach by a disciplinary panel, consenting to be removed from the register for a minimum of two years. Sprung later divorced her husband and moved in with the pupil before they split up in 2015. She also underwent a compulsory course of psycho-sexual counselling.
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Daily Record
Sex shame teacher caught romping with pupil in her car pens children's book
Eppie Sprung has now a published a children's book about past mistakes in another attempt to rewrite her history. A sex shame teacher who was caught romping with a male pupil in her car has written a children's book. Eppie Sprung was struck off the register after she admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old boy in 2012. The married English teacher had agreed to give the dyslexic teenager extra lessons while working at St Joseph's College in Dumfries, before she was caught half naked in a layby with him after a Christmas dance. After pleading guilty to a breach of trust over the affair, she was added to the sex offenders register with a six-month community payback order. Sprung, 39, has now penned a book called Here, with you, aimed at "helping families discuss parental criminal convictions". In a bid to help parents to share their past with their kids, the book uses the slogan: "You and I know that making bad choices doesn't make you a bad person" as the story centres around a conversation between two bears (a parent and a child), in which the parent tells the child about choices from their past that are still impacting on their lives today. The child asks questions and the parent answers as best they can. In a recent blog post titled: "Not a Monster, a Mum", Sprung confirmed that she was motivated to write the book before having own children. She said: "One day, they're going to learn to type things into internet search engines and they're going see my name emblazoned across tabloids - Eppie Sprung: Sex Offender. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "I realised that I was going to have to handle talking to my children about my conviction very carefully. "So, I put pen to paper and 'Here, with you' is my attempt to fill that gap." Back in 2012 o fficers spotted the married teacher, who was 26 at the time, parked in a layby with the pupil after noticing condensations on her car windows. She split from her husband of two years after the incident and the pupil moved in with her. Their relationship came to an end in 2015. Sprung has since attempted to share messages of remorse and rehabilitation, including starting a charity for ex-offenders called 'Next Chaper Scotland'. Her book release comes just months after she sparked controversy for whining about the 'stigma' surrounding her conviction in a call-in to BBC Radio One. The mother-of-two, who has since remarried, complained about the judgement she faces due to living with a criminal record and told how she doesn't "get invited to kids parties". She previously said she found it difficult to move on with her life and said media coverage of the case meant potential employers were "concerned I bring with me a reputational risk". She added: "Everybody knew who I was." Sprung said a bar owner "took a punt on me" after her conviction. She was later offered a job at a charity before setting up Next Chapter Scotland. The venture was handed thousands from the public purse through a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, which she says will help those with criminal records 'navigate discrimination'.
