Joydeep Phukan

What a Japanese scientist says can be done about the climate’s nitrogen problem japantimes.co.jp/environment… #climate #nitrogen

What a delight to walk through the new Terminal 2 at Guwahati Airport and find Assam tea front and centre ! Speciality tea stores and cafés like Tea Khana, Goodwyn Tea and Repose (serving Ésah's lychee black tea) make a fitting welcome for travellers to the land that grows around half of India's tea. Kudos to HCM Assam @himantabiswa and his team for putting our tea heritage where the world can see it, sip it and take it home. This is how we build pride and brand value for Assam tea, one cup at a time. #AssamTea #Assam #Tea

A tribute to Sonam Das (1980–2025) While sending out Bijoya greetings this week, I got a call from Sonam Das, Secretary of the Tea Association of India, Tezpur Branch. However the voice on the call was his wife's. She told me that Sonam passed away on 2nd October 2025, a year ago, at just 45, with no known prior illness. Sonam came from the illustrious family of Late Gangaram Das of Tezpur. He began his career in the tea plantations with Amalgamated Plantations (APPL) of the Tata Group, and later served with Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) in Munnar, also part of the Tata Group. In 2017 he joined the Tea Association of India as Secretary of its Tezpur Branch. In seven to eight years there, he earned the respect of almost every district head and tea trade union leaders on the North Bank of Assam. He was capable, dependable and always ready to help. The tea industry has lost a brilliant officer who still had so much to contribute. My heartfelt condolences to his family. Rest in peace, Sonam. 🙏 @anandmishraips

শুভ বিজয়া 🙏 Subho Bijoya to all! As Maa Durga leaves for Kailash, here's a treasure from our home: an original chromolithograph from the late 19th or early 20th century, printed at the Kansaripara Art Studio, 26 Kristo Dass Pal Lane, Calcutta. Prints like this brought the Durga Puja image into ordinary Bengali and Assamese homes earlier. Durga stands with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik beneath a painted chalchitra. May the Mother's blessings bring peace and prosperity to all. #SubhoBijoya #ShubhoBijoya #BijoyaDashami #DurgaPuja #Durga #KansariparaArtStudio #Chromolithograph #CalcuttaPrints #BengalHeritage #IndianArt #Kolkata #Assam #Calcutta

This chart from the Quip Drip by Ryan Rego covers 179 ready-to-drink protein formulations in India. It includes shakes, protein water, lassi and even protein coffee (5%), but no tea. As far as I know only Chaayos sells protein tea in India. That's a big gap in a country that runs on chai. Tea already brings trust, familiarity and natural polyphenols. It could easily move into protein iced teas, fortified milk teas and chai premixes. At @TRATocklai our ongoing work on protein and vitamin fortification of tea aims to help close this gap. The protein boom is here, and tea should definitely be part of it. #Tea #IndianTea #Protein #FunctionalBeverages #Tocklai

The Folk Tea Festival in Assam is unique. Set amidst the lush tea gardens of North Bank at Pabhoi overlooking the snow-peak Himalayan Mountain, the festival gives a unique experience to enjoy nature and freshly brewed tea beautifully curated by tea farmer and most eminent journalist of North East @mrinaltalukdar8 #tea #tourism #assam @himantabiswa @PiyushGoyal @RajeshAgrawal94

It was a real pleasure to interact with Hon'ble Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics & IT, Shri @JitinPrasada Sir, at the 195th Annual General Meeting of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata today. I had the opportunity to discuss the key issues facing the tea industry and the work of our organisation, TRA Tocklai, in supporting growers through research and innovation. Grateful for his time and keen interest in the sector. Heartiest congratulations to Shri Anant Saharia as President of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. #TeaIndustry #Tocklai #Assam #CalcuttaChamberOfCommerce

Wonderful post by Anirban Mullick CEO of Unilever Japan on Rash Behari, his immense contribution to freedom struggle and work in Japan. He made Indian curry immensely popular in Japan. @swapan55 @sanjeevsanyal @rc2144 lnkd.in/p/dXWF6QEK

The big El Niño and it’s effects. sciencenews.org/article/reco… #ElNiño #tea #india

In parts of China, farmers now pay teams of workers to hand-pollinate fruit trees, flower by flower, after pesticide overuse wiped out the bees that once did the job for free. How to Live on Earth, presented by Benedict Cumberbatch speaks to exactly this: when we work against nature, we end up paying, literally, to replace what it once gave us for free. The film argues that the solutions to our biggest challenges already exist, not as sacrifices but as partnerships with nature. It is honest about the scale of the problem, yet genuinely hopeful about the way forward. A must watch documentary youtu.be/h3mRsvFmWi0?si=IiZ2… It was fantastic to hear about the innovative concepts of #RalphChami and #DouglasEger on how to make nature and economics more attractive financially to people. #HowToLiveOnEarth #Biodiversity #RegenerativeFuture #ClimateAction

Saw "Bhupen Da Uncut" at Galaxy Theatre Kolkata this evening — sixty-one minutes that went by in a moment. Thank you @bobbeeta_sharma and Chinmoy Phani Sharma for a film that lets Bhupen Da be himself and carefree. This film will be a treasure for posterity. A fitting way to mark his birth centenary. #BhupenDaUncut #BhupenHazarika #BirthCentenary #Kolkata

The Tibet Nepal floods explained in a easy scientific way. #nepalflood #flood

Tea store that looks like Apple store Yesterday I along with my senior colleague Suneel Sikand Chairman, TRA and ITA had the pleasure of visiting the Chai Chun flagship store in Siliguri. It’s a wonderful tea experience centre — a showcase of India’s finest teas and tisanes, from the exquisite OKAYTI Darjeeling to bold Assam teas and bright Nilgiri teas. What struck me most was the presentation. The quality of the varieties, the packaging, the accessories — it stands among the best in the world. Walking through the store feels closer to an Apple Store than a tea shop, and that is precisely the kind of retail experience Indian tea deserves. Congratulations to my friend Rajeev Baid Founder of Chai Chun and Managing Director of Okayti Darjeeling on building this wonderful brand and stores. I wish him continued success. My sincere thanks to Roshan Petrie Marketing Head of OKAYTI Aria Chanda GM Chai Chun and his wonderful team for the warm hospitality. #IndianTea #Darjeeling #Assam #TeaIndustry #chaichun #okayti – at Kolkata, India

India needs to catch up the world Matcha demand as only two countries are in the fray now ; Japan and China youtu.be/QLZ4IeS-uB0?si=UXEB… @PiyushGoyal @himantabiswa @RajeshAgrawal94 @CSAssam_

There’s some data leak or fishy happening with @makemytrip bookings for hotels. I booked some accommodation with pay later option. The hotel also confirmed. Then I keep getting WhatsApp messages asking to pay on links given. They have exact booking dates, names and name of the property. When I contacted the hotel they said they didn’t ask for it. This is quite scary and sophisticated scam. I hope MMT takes note of it. @IndianCERT @PIBHomeAffairs #cybercrime #onlinescam #mmt

Amid the devastating floods in Assam, when rising waters threatened everything, one man chose courage over fear. He risked his own life to save a helpless calf from the floodwaters. In times of disaster, humanity is measured not by words, but by actions like these. Salute to this unsung hero. Let’s also remember the thousands of families and animals still affected across Upper Assam. Every act of kindness matters. #AssamFloods #Humanity #FloodRelief #UpperAssam #Compassion #Assam

How British-era Artists Captured the Citys White Town telegraphindia.com/my-kolkat… #kolkata #calcutta

It’s time to reduce the dominant position of the referees in football & use more tech and AI in the game. Complete wrong decision by the referee on the goal by Spain 🇪🇸 #worldcupfinal #worldcup #football

Spain has full control of the game till now , half time and deserves to win 🥇 #worldcupfinal #worldcup #spain

Congratulations to Thiru C. Murugan, IAS, Deputy Chairperson, Tea Board of India, on the Kolkata release of his Tamil novel ‘தே’. From what I heard at the release function today, the story in the novel is a bold voice from the Karisal country in Tamil Nadu and his questions on the discrimination prevalent in the society. A wonderful evening at the Calcutta South India Club & Bharathi Tamil Sangham, graced by eminent journalist Reshmi Dasgupta @ReshmiDG – at Kolkata, India