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(Photo Credits - Forbes India) Kolkata: Indian black tea , which was first sourced from China by the erstwhile British planters centuries ago, is winning back its roots with a record jump in exports in 2017. The shipment of black tea from India to the Dragon land has taken a big leap last year to 8.3 million kg from 5.5 mkg in 2016, according to the Indian Tea Association (ITA). Only Sri Lanka has beaten India in the Chinese market with an export figure of 9.9 mkg in 2017. India is followed by Kenya (4-5mkg) and Uganda (4-5mkg). China buys a 340 mkg of tea leaves from abroad each year. Traditionally the biggest producer and consumer of green tea, Chinese people, especially youths, are sipping more black tea imported from India. Witnessing an encouraging export demand from China for the last few years, the Tea Board of India has set a fresh annual export target of 15 mkg by the next couple of years. For this, the Board has been canvassing for inking a preferential trade agree...

(Photo: Twitter/ANI) Madhya Pradesh woman, who is the daughter of a tea-seller, is all set to become a fighter pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF). Aanchal Gangwal has become the only candidate to clear administrative test in Madhya Pradesh this year. Talking about what inspired her to pursue this dream, Aanchal told news agency ANI, "When I was in Class 12, I was inspired with Armed Forces' rescue operations during Uttarakhand flood. So I decided to join the defense." (Photo: Twitter/ANI) MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has also congratulated Aanchal for her "perseverance and determination". "It takes a lot of perseverance & determination to tread a new path. MP's daughter Aanchal Gangwal from Neemuch has proved this with her achievement. She is one among the 6 lakh applicants who vied for 22 posts of flying branch of @IAF_MCC & made it successfully. Congratulations!" he wrote in a Twitter post. ...

Guwahati:  A study on domestic consumption of tea in the country, undertaken by the Tea Board of India, has revealed that awareness about Assam tea is the highest across the country followed by Darjeeling tea. The board commissioned the study to understand consumption trends and purchase behaviors of consumers in the Indian tea market. It said the findings of the study are expected to bring out current and evolving trends which can be used as inputs for the formulation of a domestic promotion strategy. The board had engaged Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, a private firm, to conduct the study and made public an executive summary of it on Thursday. On awareness, perceptions and emerging trends, the study said Assam tea and Darjeeling tea are the most recognized teas going by place of origin. "Awareness about the origin of tea is correlated with a proximity of a state with a tea-producing region. As a result, awareness about Darjeeling tea is high in the eastern...

KANGRA, India (ViaNews) – The moment the word tea flashes before a tea lover, automatically two tea names begin to haunt him- Darjeeling tea and Assam tea. Tea produced in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh is not so well known but in the recent time, Kangra tea is vying with other teas produced in different parts of India. By all means, it is the Kangra valley tea that possesses the grand quality, a tea lover aspires for while relaxing in the cozy home corners either in India or abroad. Kangra tea was lost in oblivion for some decades though it has an old rich legacy. The Kangra District Gazette highlighted in the year 1883 that tea produced in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh probably surpassed the quality of any tea produced in any part of India. From different sources, it is known that in the year 1890 tree plantation reached the apex at Kangra valley. Tea cultivation started in Kangra Valley under the supervision of William Jameson who was the then superintendent ...

 In the cricket-obsessed country of India, who would expect to find a shrine to footballer Lionel Messi? Shib Sankar Patra, a tea-seller in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, is a devout supporter of the Argentine football team. He has painted his entire three-story house in the colors of the country's flag. Posters of Messi paper the walls of his home. In 2009 Patra painted his home blue and white ahead of Messi's visit to India. Patra's passion for football matches the history of his hometown, which hosts one of Asia's oldest football clubs, Mohun Bagan. His love for Argentina goes back to 1986 when football superstar Maradona captained the team. About two decades later, Patra was so enchanted by Messi's skills that he decided to paint his home blue and white ahead of the superstar's 2009 visit to India. Ever since then, Patra has been painting his home in the same colors before the World Cup season begins. Inside his home, posters of ...

Indian tea industry has recorded the highest ever production as well as exports in FY18. The total tea production was 1325.05 million kgs, an increase of 74.56 million kgs as compared to 2016-17. In percentage terms, the increase is around 6%.  Similarly, the total quantity of tea exported during the financial year 2017-18 stood at 256.57 million kgs, while the foreign exchange realized from exports of Indian tea was $ 785.92 million.  The quantity of tea exports increased by 12.7  to 28.94 million kgs during 2017-18 as compared to the corresponding period last year, while the revenue earned from exports saw a rise of $ 95.19 million (13.78%).   In rupee terms, the total value of the exports was pegged at Rs. 5064.88 crores during 2017-18. The value realisation increased by Rs. 432.38 crores (9.33%).  The growth in exports was majorly driven by the following countries: Egypt (increased by 7.49 million kgs), Iran (increased by 6.95 million kgs), Pakistan...

K. Rajeev’s life story is a bit out of the ordinary. In 1997, he joined the Madras Medical College (MMC) with a noble goal in sight. He wanted to return to his native town of Palakkad in neighboring Kerala as a doctor and serve rural communities in the region. His plans, however, did not come to fruition. Though he had received admission to MMC on merit, he could not cope with the demands of the course and dropped out of it. Life is indeed stranger than fiction. For, Rajeev, 37-years-old now, has set up a business opposite the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, which is cheek by jowl with the MMC campus. A resident of Broadway, he runs Diya Snacks on Mint Street in Park Town. Since September, he is serving a large number patients visiting this Government General Hospital, by offering them free gruel every day. He has been doing this service for a few years now but has now scaled it up. “I gave up the thought of returning to my home town as the city gave me a live...