>Or is it an error on part of
Assam Tribune.
Ram:
You ignored my above comment. We
don't know yet. Who knows somebody might get fired or punished because of this
slip in AT.
Let us find out. You may tru s by
sending a Letter to the Editor with 'Assam' spelling.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 11:08
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: Tea
Tourism
Barua,
This goes back to what you wrote on this
That
assessment does not help anybody.
Even if your assessment is true,
does it mean the paper allows people to write any spelling according to one's
bent?
Does it mean if I
write Asomo, (a better Sanskritized
spelling) will it publish?
and now,
Great News!!
Or is it an error on part of
Assam Tribune.
An article published in Assam
Tribune today where the spelling 'Assam' has not been changed to
'Asom'.
So, looks like my assessment had
some merit after all:)
Bhuban da is correct. It looks
like paper does allow the users some leeway in the spelling.
--Ram
On 9/19/06, Barua25
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Great News!!
Or is it an error on part of
Assam Tribune.
An article published in Assam
Tribune today where the spelling 'Assam' has not been changed to
'Asom'.
May be somebody would find
out if it is an error or if it is their new policy?
Rajen
Barua
-----------------------------------
A
hot steaming cup of  tea at your bedside and then the silken rays of the rising sun –
that is how your day begins and the world moves. Every drop of this golden
brew is exciting and the excitement is as long lasting as the bushes
themselves. One hundred years. No, for even a longer period than that these
bushes – these perennial mines – have gone on yielding golden pickos, golden
excitements across deserts and seas, plains and hills. Such ever-fresh more
than one hundred years old tea bushes are scattered throughout Assam – the
State which has been giving to the world the warm and unique treat of the
matchless Assam Tea.
Beautiful landscape, diverse flora, and
chirping of local birds in the tea estates have rather been the fulfilling
combination. A tinge of colonial charm colours the lives of those who
oversee the gardens. Many bungalows are beautiful reminders of the best of
the Raj period. These large homes, built on stilts to withstand nocturnal
visits from wild animals are usually surrounded by deep, shady verandahs.
The huge room speaks of a bygone era.
A century-old plantation lay
out with acres of rolling tea bushes that virtually appear like a lush green
carpet. The sunny slopes and the misty valley, a beautiful heritage bungalow
with its well-appointed rooms, that has played host to generations of tea
planters since the days of the British Raj. Stay there for a night or two
and experience the luxury of being pampered — colonial style. Relax in the
garden over a proper traditional high tea and while away your time amidst
the collection of books on tea and other topics.
For the jaded
traveller treading the conventional tourist route, a brief sojourn in an
Assam tea-plantation looms as a novel experience. A tea-plantation in Assam
offers to a casual visitor a subtle ambience – a mental and sensory quietude
– rarely to be experienced elsewhere.
Realizing the tremendous
tourism potential that these tea gardens offered, many tea companies are now
coming up with an exciting tourism product. That is Tea Tourism. Many a
planters are now engaged in tea tourism particularly in North Bengal and
Assam. Makaibari and Glenburn tea estates in the North Bengal are the
pioneer in this sector.
As Indian tea manufacturers try to fend
off competition from China, Kenya and struggle in an indifferent world
market, entrepreneurs in North Bengal and Assam are capitalizing on the
available infrastructure to tap the novelty-hungry tourist, both the
high-end and backpacker variety. The revenue generated from these plantation
holidays was a relief given the steep fall in the price of tea that the
plantations were growing. The concept of Tea Tourism or Plantation Holidays
has only gone from strength to strength. Amitabh Kant, Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Tourism explains: "In some areas where plantation crops are hit
by fluctuating prices, home stays are an important source of income.
Manager's bungalows are now being converted into highly-rated accommodation
facilities."
Though lately, tea planters in Assam are also now
coming up with converting their age-old tea heritage bungalows to a tourist
bungalow. Nature-loving tourists interested in the history of colonial India
would relish their stay at these gardens that offer the charms of the
British legacy.
Hemendra Prasad Barooah, a former chairman of the
Indian Tea Association was the pioneer in tea tourism in Assam. His tourism
venture 'Heritage North East Pvt Ltd' promotes two burra bungalows –
at Gatoonga and Sangsua tea estates near Jorhat in Upper Assam. Built some
110 years ago, each is the most attractive part of the tea estate it belongs
to. The bungalows are with the British colonial exterior, soak in the
sprawling interiors of carpeted, wooden floors, high ceilings, large
verandahs and a panoramic view of acres of greenery. You can pluck the tea
leaves of your choice and even watch tea being manufactured. Heritage North
East mostly targets Europeans, especially those who have old links with
Assam, people whose parents or grandparents worked in the tea plantations in
the 19th century. Recently WelcomHeritage Group tied up with these two
properties.
Manoj Jalan of Purvi Discovery calls its tea tours
'Tracking Down Virgin Tea'. Dibrugarh-based Jalan transformed his family tea
estates into tourist resorts way back in 2001. They provide tourists two of
its well-appointed mid-19th century old chang bungalows constructed
on stilts, just twenty minutes away from Dibrugarh airport. Tourists here
can experience luxurious heritage of Raj period hospitality that the British
manager and his memsahib enjoyed. These chang bungalows are
associated with a unique and graceful lifestyle. These properties are also
known for their quaint, British colonial architecture, wooden floors, high
ceilings, verandahs with sloping roofs and a panoramic view of acres of
carpet-like tea bushes. The chang bungalows, where in most cases the
tea estate manager still lives, have been carefully restored to their former
glory with modern amenities added on for better comfort. They have got good
responses both from domestic as well as overseas tourists. Apart from their
heritage tea bungalow, they have many exciting and adventurous tour packages
offered to the tourists such as cruises on the river Brahmaputra; visit the
oil town Digboi, horse ride through tea gardens, etc.
Another
sprawling tea heritage property has come up on the northern bank of the
Brahmaputra – at Balipara, 20 minutes drive from Tezpur. Tea giant McLeod
Russel of the BM Khaitan Group has developed this project at the Adabari tea
estate in the Balipara division of Assam. This property is a historic one
characterized by its Victorian architecture and has spacious rooms across
four individual bungalows. The accommodation is located on 22 acres of
tropical land surrounded by tea gardens and the land has been bestowed with
a wide variety of trees, plants, flowers and birds. The tea estate was
established by the British Assam Tea Company way back in 1875 and the
bungalows would have been constructed around the same time.
Ranjit
Barthakur's 'River Journeys & Bungalows of India Private Limited' has
tied up with McLeod Russel to convert it into a heritage property. This
unique property has been renamed as 'Wild Mahseer, A British Assam Heritage
Property'. "What we have started is creating tourist visitations for
appreciation of nature. The purpose of the whole exercise is to provide a
lifestyle product in the midst of nature," echoed Barthakur. Currently,
accommodation for 24 people has been created now at four individual
bungalows. Barthakur's ambitions include creating 1000 heritage rooms in
Assam and the region in next ten years. River Journeys & Bungalows is
negotiating with other tea companies including Goodricke and Tata Tea and
properties have been identified in several tea-growing areas of Assam and
North Bengal. Khaitan Group has already identified five more properties for
similar projects.
The business is lucrative and is attracting more
new players. Another tea giant and oldest tea company, Assam Company is also
on its way to utilize their chang bungalows at Greenwood, Salonah and
Maijan tea gardens for this purpose. These gardens are strategically located
near the river Brahmaputra to allow visitors the luxuries of angling, river
rafting and boat cruises. According to Abhay Choudhary, CFO of the Assam
Company Limited the project will be launched before this winter.
Trekking, river rafting, bird watching accompanied by picnic
lunches and bonfires are some of the options offered by most of these
plantations. Proximity to other well-known tourist spots like Kaziranga,
Nameri, Dibru-Saikhowa, Digboi has also added value to these properties.
The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation is also working
out a plan to convert the state-owned Hila tea estate into the new and
lucrative area of tea tourism. The Central Government will also contribute
Rs 8 crore for the project. The West Bengal Government will take up
infrastructure and the Centre's money will be spent on building cottages
aimed at attracting high-end tourists. Apart from cottages, a tea
interpretation centre and rehabilitation of workers have also been planned.
Similarly, Assam Tourism can also tie up with Assam Tea
Corporation to convert some of their old bungalows into tourists' bungalow.
Senior officials of the State Tourism Department said that the tea industry
would get a boost if tea gardens became a new destination for travellers. It
is high time Assam Tourism took initiative to attract the exclusive group of
tourists. "Tea tourism can be the economy-driver of the future in Assam,"
echoed a leading tour operator here.
Ranu
Baruwa
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