Guwahati: Assam-based tea company Aromica Tea has created a new blend in celebration of the 30-year friendship between India and Georgia, in honour of famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.
The tea, a combination of CTC and orthodox leaves, was unveiled at the Georgian Embassy in New Delhi in the presence of Georgian Ambassador Archil Dzuliashvili and Aromica Tea’s director Ranjit Baruah on Tuesday.
As a tribute to the deep cultural ties between the two nations, the “Friendship Blend” serves as a nod to the enduring relationship between India and Georgia, marked by the life and works of Rustaveli, a literary figure from the 12th century.
In 2022, Georgia and India proudly celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
With the support of Indian friends, the Georgian ambassador Archil Dzuliashvili announced that the translation of Rustaveli’s renowned poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” has been retrieved and translated into the Assamese language.
This translation was made by the prominent Indian poet Golok Chandra Datta in 1972 but was never published, that is, until now.
“Thanks to our joint efforts, we were able to retrieve the translation of the Georgian poem, ‘The Knight in the Tiger Skin’ into the Assamese language, made by the well-known Indian poet Golok Chandra Datta in 1972,” Georgian Ambassador to India Archil Dzuliashvili told EastMojo.
Mr Datta was commissioned by Indian publisher Bhaben Datta Barua to translate the poem. Barua travelled to Georgia in 1969, became familiar with the poem, and decided to publish a translation of it into Assamese.
“The Indian prince being a central character in the poem highlights the significant impact medieval India had on the Georgian author. The wisdom expressed in the poetry serves as a connecting link between diverse cultures,” he stated.
“Aromica Tea, a company based in Assam, has initiated a tribute to our enduring friendship by creating an Assam tea blend. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Ranjit Baruah, the Director of Aromica Tea,” he expressed.
“Cooperation in the tea industry has the potential to strengthen ties between India and Georgia, as tea production plays a significant role in the cultural and traditional heritage of both nations. It accurately represents the values and attitudes of our people. I am confident that India will establish a full-fledged diplomatic mission in Georgia,” he stated.
Baruah informed EastMojo that the Georgian Ambassador to India, Archil Dzuliashvili, was impressed with the launch of Bir Lachit Tea, which is a special Assam tea dedicated to the legendary figure of Assam – Bir Lachit Borphukan.
“Earlier in the month of March, he was very appreciative of our launch of Zelenskyy Tea-Really strong-An Assam Tea Blend. He had come down to Guwahati to meet us and purchased a few packets of Zelenskyy Tea.
He said it was post the launch of Bir Lachit tea when he approached us to create an Assam Tea blend dedicated to the legendary figure of Georgia -Shota Rustaveli.
“This was to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between India and Georgia,” he said.
He said the idea is to foster friendship between the two countries through the exchange of art, culture, literature and business. “What better way than promoting India Tea and more so Assam Tea dedicated to a Georgian legend,” he said. Baruah said the initiative gives us an opportunity to explore new geographic areas for business and markets for Assam Teas and also the special teas produced by our Small Tea Growers. ” This enhances their market too as we give procurement support to these Small Tea Growers” he added.
The Ambassador said there is a very good potential for the establishment of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in the tea sector. “We are already working to facilitate and encourage the establishment of direct cooperation between the tea-producing companies of two countries (both). Because of our recent efforts, we have also received from our Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development a list of the Georgian companies, which are interested in cooperating, developing business ties and partnership with the Indian partners” he said.
He said the cooperation will be launched soon and will bear tangible results bringing important economic benefits to both sides.
He said with the consideration of a perfect friendly relationship established with the
representatives of the State Government and private sector of Assam, it can be proudly noted that there is a very solid foundation for further promoting Assamese tea in Georgia.
“We are welcoming tea producers from Assam to introduce their products to the Georgia customers” he added. Tea production in Georgia: Tea production has a long and rich history, and it is one of Georgia’s greatest agricultural industries. Lao Jin Jao, an experienced tea farmer, arrived from China in 1893 and established tea cultivation in western Georgia for the first time, shocked the entire world in 1900 when his tea from Georgia’s Black Sea coast won a gold medal at the Paris World Exposition. “It was a remarkable accomplishment for my country that had only experimentally planted its first tea bushes in 1845. Georgian tea slowly gained popularity and was soon sold in shops across Europe,” the Ambassador said.
Georgia was once again popular for its tea after it was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1921, and became one of the top five tea-producing nations worldwide. The Georgian tea industry saw difficult times and an almost 99 per cent decline from its peak of 152,000 tonnes in 1985 after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Tea factories were closed down and devastated. In recent years, the Georgian Government started a massive program to revive the Georgia tea industry, hectares of abandoned plantations were cleared under the government scheme to assist in the resurrection of Georgia’s once prominent industry.
The Ambassador said the country is optimistic about the recovery of the Georgia tea industry. “Producing organic tea is comparatively simple in Georgia. The premium organic tea from Georgia is now mostly available in Europe and the US. We are sure that with the government backing, the Georgia brand will be just as successful in regaining its previous grandeur as Georgia’s wines,” he said adding that the Georgian tea industry is now resurrecting and expanding.
He said there are vast opportunities for promoting and importing Indian tea to the Georgian market.
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“I would say there might also be some historical memory in our region about the high-quality Indian tea that could help to raise the popularity of Indian tea in Georgia and make it even more attractive for regional consumers. Georgia can also be a very important logistical corridor and transport hub for facilitating “the” exports of Indian tea to other countries (including Central Asia) through the Georgian ports,” he said.
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