Joydeep Phukan

Brilliant episode of 'Just One Thing' available on the BBC iPlayer, highlighting all the great advantages of drinking 4 cups of tea a day with and without milk! In this programme, Luke, a distillery manager swaps high‑energy drinks for tea and discovers the benefits including a new sense of calm. A big thank you to UK’s Tea Advisory Panel experts Dr Emma Derbyshire (CEO) and Dr Timothy Bond for briefing and sharing with the BBC the many health benefits of drinking 4 cups of tea a day and all the health and wellness studies including TAP published research. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod… #DrinkTea#Tea#Tea&Health#Wellbeing

Did you know black tea’s potential anti-inflammatory activity appears to stem from its rich profile of naturally occurring bioactive compounds? doi.org/10.4236/fns.20… More research is needed #Tea #BlackTea

Authors of new study, Dr Emma Derbyshire, Dr Tim Bond and Dr Nisa Aslam having been reviewing the evidence between black tea consumption and it's potential relief of conditions linked to long-term inflammation. doi.org/10.4236/fns.20… More research is needed #Tea #BlackTea

@himantabiswa Sir is the terminal ready to receive all flights

The Gateway to a new Guwahati! The Guwahati Airport's new Integrated Terminal, now serving thousands of passengers each day. Have you travelled through it yet? #AssamInfrastructure

@himantabiswa It’s so nice to see HCM Assam paying his respect to Late Hemen Barooah on his birth centenary. That’s why make HBS stand out from others

Among the visionaries who energised Assam’s tea industry, Hemendra Prasad Barooah stood tall as a pioneering entrepreneur. As we commemorate 200 years of Assam Tea, we remember an industrialist who not only strengthened production but also envisioned tea tourism long before it entered the national discourse. My respectful tributes to him on his birth centenary.

Hemen Barooah. A Century of Vision. A Lifetime of Impact. As we commemorate the birth centenary of Padma Shri Hemendra Prasad Barooah HPB (1926–2013) today 1st April 2026, we remember a man who did not just build businesses—he built institutions, ecosystems, and a legacy that continues to shape Assam and the Indian tea industry. Born in Jorhat into a tea family, HPB dared to think beyond his time. After earning his MBA from Harvard Business School (1949)—among global peers including leaders connected to Parker Pens and the Sheraton Group—he returned to Assam with a vision: to transform and Indianize the tea industry. And transform he did. From expanding his family’s holdings to 10 big estates to founding B&A Ltd, the first Assam-based company listed across Kolkata, Bombay Stock Exchanges—his journey was one of bold, pioneering leadership. But what truly sets him apart is this: He didn’t just grow tea. He built an ecosystem around it. Played a key role in establishing the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre Founded Assam Tea Brokers, one of the first broking firms in the region Set up early tea packaging and marketing infrastructure in Balasore Odisha His vision extended beyond tea— He was the first to venture into hospitality & tea tourism with Heritage North East, preserving their old home icons like Thengal Manor, and developed the Kaziranga Golf Resort, blending heritage with enterprise. A true patron of culture, he founded the Kamal Kumari Barooah Foundation, celebrating excellence in: Science & Technology, Journalism, Arts. It’s quite unfortunate that the recommendation for giving a Padma Shri to him didn’t go from Assam in 2012 but it was Late Pranab Mukherjee who was instrumental in the recommendation. His love for art was profound—reflected in a collection that included masters like Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, M.F. Hussain, and others. He contributed to Indian cinema, producing Ek Pal, with music by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika—a rare blend of business and cultural vision. As we mark 100 years of his life, one question remains for all of us in the tea fraternity : Are we carrying forward that same spirit of leadership, responsibility, and pride in our industry? Because legends don’t just leave behind memories—they leave behind standards systems that outlast you. And Hemendra Prasad Barooah set the bar very high. In today’s rapidly evolving tea landscape, his legacy reminds us to think bigger, act boldly, and remain deeply rooted in our heritage. #HemendraPrasadBarooah #IndianTea #AssamTea #TeaLegacy #Assam

Happy Foundation Day to the @teaboardofindia For over 73 years, your steadfast support has nurtured the Indian tea industry—strengthening its legacy, fostering innovation, and elevating its global presence. Tea Research Association (TRA Tocklai) #tea #assam #india

Remembering Padma Shri Hemen Barooah (1-4-1926 to 31-7-2013) on his Birth Centenary. A visionary entrepreneur,tea planter,philanthropist, and ex TRA Chairman(1984-1989), whose legacy continues to define the heritage of Assam tea.His companies under B&A Group continues his legacy

#WTO #MC14 India stands for multilateralism and inclusivty at WTO Ministerial at Yaounde linkedin.com/posts/rajeshag… @DoC_GoI @PIB_India

@hamidullah_riaz @bdhc_delhi It’s so wonderful. Happy Independence Day

In hrs, this evening, ace 🇧🇩musicians to render 🇧🇩🇮🇳 NATIONAL ANTHEMS - as we get set to celebrate 56th 🇧🇩NATIONAL | INDEPENDENCE DAY in Delhi. A modest mark of friendship & fraternity, between #Bangladesh and #India... to walk in shared interests, to accomplish shared prosperity. ______________ कुछ ही घंटों में, आज शाम, बांग्लादेश के जाने-माने संगीतकार बांग्लादेश और भारत के राष्ट्रगान प्रस्तुत करेंगे—क्योंकि हम दिल्ली में 56वां बांग्लादेश राष्ट्रीय | स्वतंत्रता दिवस मनाने की तैयारी कर रहे हैं। बांग्लादेश और भारत के बीच दोस्ती और भाईचारे का एक विनम्र प्रतीक... साझा हितों की राह पर चलने के लिए, साझा समृद्धि हासिल करने के लिए। #People #Freedom #Bangladesh1971 #1971War #peace #harmony

@trahmanbnp Our prayers and respects to all who perished for the country

March 25, 1971 is observed as Genocide Day. On the occasion of Genocide Day, 1 pay my deepest respect to all the martyrs. In the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh, 25 March 1971 remains one of the most disgraceful and brutal days. On that dark night, the Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most heinous genocides in history against the unarmed people of Bangladesh in the name of 'Operation Searchlight". They indiscriminately opened fire on teachers, intellectuals and innocent civilians at various places, including Dhaka University, Pilkhana and Rajarbāgh Police Lines, killing many people. The genocide of 25 March was a pre-planned massacre. Why this organised killing spree could not be resisted remains a matter of historical research regarding the visible role of the political leadership of that time. However, on the night of 25 March, the 8th East Bengal Regiment in Chattogram formally initiated armed resistance against the genocide by declaring 'We Revolt'. Through this resistance to genocide, the long nine-month armed Liberation War began. To convey the value and significance of independence to the present and future generations, it is essential to know about the genocide of 25 March as well. Let us all strive to honour the sacrifices of the martyrs by establishing in the state and society the spirit of the great Liberation War - equality, human dignity and social justice. Let us work together to build a just, developed, prosperous, self-reliant and democratic Bangladesh. I pray to the Almighty Allah to grant forgiveness and eternal peace to the departed souls of all the martyrs. On the occasion of Genocide Day on 25 March. I wish every success to all the programmes organised to observe the day.

This wise and mature statement should put an end to the revisionism over Bangladesh’s liberation encouraged until not long ago. PM Tarique Rahman’s later father General Ziaur Rahman was among the first East Bengal Regiment officers to rise in revolt on the night 25th March. He was a major then and made the first ‘broadcast’ proclaiming Bangladesh

India pays a premium for the privilege of not learning anything :) Every Indian car Tata, Mahindra, Maruti, all of them has a tiny computer inside called an ECU (Engine Control Unit) This computer decides everything - how much fuel to inject, when to shift gears, how brakes work, how the battery behaves in an EV. Think of it as the car's brain. India makes zero of these brains for passenger cars. All of them come from foreign companies, mainly Bosch (Germany). If you don't control the brain, you don't really control the car. Indian OEMs can't even add a simple valve to their own engine without asking Bosch for permission. They can't change a single line of code. They are selling cars with someone else engineering inside. This isn't really about technology being too hard. It's a business model designed to keep you dependent. Three layers lock you in :) First, every new car programme needs Bosch to do setup work (Rs 10-30 crore). Second, you pay full price for software Bosch already developed for Volkswagen so Bosch gets paid twice for the same work. Third and this is the killer every time you want to change anything in the software, even something tiny, it costs around $500,000. So Indian OEMs simply stop trying to innovate. They accept whatever Bosch gives them. The calibration trap means tuning the car's brain for Indian conditions, how should the engine behave in Ladakh cold vs Chennai heat? Indian OEMs outsource even this to AVL in Austria. AVL reuses work they already did for European cars, charges India full price, and transfers zero knowledge. So Indian engineers never even learn how their own cars work from the inside. What Korea did is Hyundai faced the exact same situation in 1987. They set up Kefico as a joint venture with Bosch, learned everything from the inside, and by 2015 they owned the full technology themselves. The sequence was simple - first learn calibration (tuning) → then write your own software → then build your own hardware. It's a ladder. India never climbed the first rung. Why India didn't do this - It's not a talent problem Indian engineers design ECUs at Bosch offices worldwide. It's a combination of things like Indian OEMs won't fund Indian startups to develop alternatives. They demand that Indian suppliers first prove themselves in Europe before getting a chance at home (while European companies protect their own). Middle managers won't risk their careers backing a Pune startup when they can safely pick Bosch. India spends 0.64% of GDP on R&D vs Korea's 4.9%. Private sector funds only 36% of India's R&D, in Korea it's 79%. SEDEMAC - the one exception - One Indian company (IIT Bombay founders, Pune-based) actually makes ECUs for two-wheelers and generators. They have real IP, real patents, millions of units shipped. But even they couldn't break into passenger cars. Tata Motors is literally in the same city and doesn't use them. EVs are simpler to control than petrol/diesel engines. This should have been India's fresh start. Instead, Mahindra's new EV platform has Bosch (Germany), Valeo (France), BYD (China), Mobileye (Israel), Continental (Germany) - zero Indian ECUs. The dependency just migrated from ICE to EV with different foreign names. swarajyamag.com/technology/the…

Rapid EV growth in developing nations surprises! "In 2025, China reached over 50% of EV sales for the first time, while that share was 38% in Vietnam and 21% in Thailand." See: 1. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… 2. ember-energy.org/app/uploads/20…

@teaboardofindia supporting marathons and walkathons are brilliant initiatives to promote tea in India. Tea is known to improve endurance as per scientific studies, link below and it’s association with tea will encourage GenZ and Alpha to drink more tea. Kudos to Mr C Murugan IAS Dy Chairman Tea Board and his team who is doing a brilliant job in all areas for the tea sector. triathlete.com/nutrition/race… #tea #running #marathon #walkathon #endurance #health #fitness

@RajeshAgrawal94 @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc @PIB_India @DoC_GoI Sir it’s such an excellent achievement amidst so much of global headwinds and uncertainty in geopolitical scenario. Tea exports also did well last year Sir. The entire Commerce Ministry team led by the HCIM and you deserves kudos. 👏👏👏

Indian Merchandise exports reached $402.9B in Apr–Feb 2025–26, up 1.84% from $395.7B last year. Services exports remain strong at $387.9B, rising from $351.9B in the same period. #IndiaExports #ExportGrowth #ForeignTrade @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc @PIB_India @DoC_GoI

Truly remarkable to see the scale of infrastructure transformation in Assam over the past five years — airports, flyovers, bridges, convention centres, industrial projects, and now landmark initiatives like this. As an Assamese, one feels immense pride witnessing this pace of development and the new confidence it brings to the state. @himantabiswa Sir, you and your team have been on an extraordinary run. Wishing you continued momentum and success in the years ahead.

@rinikibsharma @Laxmanacharya54 Many Congratulations Riniki on this prestigious honour for the recognition of your work in business and social work. Wishing you more success.

Honoured to receive the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) at the 5th Convocation of Assam Women’s University, Teok, Jorhat, from the Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Shri @Laxmanacharya54. I am deeply grateful for this recognition. It serves as an encouragement to continue working with greater dedication for society, and especially towards the empowerment and advancement of women.

🚨 Meet IAS officer Vivek Johnson, who transformed his district by building 75 Sports Complexes and 28 Science Parks for village children. >75 rural sports complexes built across 15 talukas. >Each complex cost about ₹25 lakh. >Funds used from MGNREGA & Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The complexes include running tracks, basketball and volleyball courts, lighting, toilets and recreation spaces. Today, around 10,000 rural students regularly use these facilities, and many are now preparing for Khelo India and Fit India competitions. This is how governance should work, using existing schemes to create real opportunities for rural children.