Original tea-makers of India come live through a virtual exhibition on International Tea Day 

Banglanatak.com, supported by the U.S. Department of State, showcases the practice of indigenous tea-making communities of northeastern India

On the occasion of the International Tea Day on Saturday, banglanatak.com, a social enterprise working for culture based approaches and headquartered in Kolkata, has come up with an online exhibition on original tea-makers of Indiaon the platform of Google Arts & Culture.

The virtual exhibition showcases original tea-makers of the country, Singpho and Tangsa communitiesof northeastern India, specifically from the eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

The exhibition also throws light on the traditional tea-making process of these indigenous communities and focuseson the age-old rich cultural traditions and knowledge of ethnic communities as well as their sustainable practices in the tea culture of India.

“Indigenous tea was traditionally brewed inside bamboo tubes, and consumed by the indigenous communities of northeast India, namely Singphos and Tangsas … The Tangsas continue to practice this indigenous bamboo tea-making till date .The Singphos have been historically recognised as the first tea brewers of India, who also introduced the native plant to the British,” a press statement on the digital exhibition said.

This research, content generation and curation of the exhibition is the outcome of socio-cultural study of selected ethnic communities of Arunachal Pradesh that has been supported by the U.S. Department of State. What makes the online exhibition unique is that it traces the history of tea in India before the British.“

The native tea used to grow wild in their hilly forest regions and they drank tea as a medicinal drink. Today, they have organised household level tea gardens from where they pluck the leaves and process to make tea,” the press statement added.