'Assam Tea: Glorious 200 Years' chronicles tea's journey and impact on Northeast India

Guwahati, Jan 1: ‘Assam Tea: Glorious 200 Years’, a comprehensive book covering the 200-year history of tea in Assam, was released at the Assam Book Fair on Friday last.

According to a press release, the book, authored by noted journalist Dr Samudra Gupta Kashyap, traces the history of tea in the world, examines the 'discovery' of tea in Assam by the British way back in 1823, and analyses the growth and development of the tea industry and its socio-economic contributions.

"The story of tea in Assam is also inseparable from the socio-political and economic developments that the north- eastern region has experienced in the past two centuries. That 'discovery' and the developments that followed literally changed the course of the history of Northeast India," said Dr Kashyap. "The British, in fact, would have gone back from Assam after flushing out the Burmese invaders in the 1820s, but for the 'discovery' of tea, which opened up a new area of enterprise and trade for the East India Company," he added.

Published by Publication Board Assam, the book also brings to the fore the contribution of the small tea growers in meeting the growing demand for tea in the world, apart from the various crises Assam's tea industry has passed through in the past 200 years. Commenting on the book, Publication Board Secretary Pramod Kalita said the book has been published to mark 200 years of 'discovery' of tea in Assam. "Dr Kashyap has done a wonderful job within a short period of time by going deep into the history of tea, as well as into the all-round impact the tea industry on Assam and the region," Kalita said.

"The book has also brought to light, for the first time, several interesting aspects of Assam which had so long remained unnoticed," he added.