New Record: A kilo of tea fetches Rs 75,000
Records are meant to be broken. Just days after one kg orthodox tea was sold at a whopping Rs 70,501 at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC), another tea variety fetched Rs 75,000 a kg. Golden butterfly, a special variety of tea, is produced by the Dikon Tea Estate. The tea was bought by Assam Tea Traders, which is one of the oldest tea outlets in the city. The GTAC said in the world of tea, it had created an image of a place where records are frequently broken and history is re-written. “As the buyers don’t compromise on quality, there is always a high demand for the best quality tea,” the GTAC said in a statement.
Erring eateries face the music
A number of restaurants in the city were served seven-day closure notices by the Food Safety Department for not adhering to standard guidelines of hygiene. While some were found operating in filthy conditions, others were caught serving stale meat and fish to customers. One was found using expired spices. An official of the Food Safety Department, who led the raids, said they found food being stored and prepared in unhygienic conditions. He said the inspection was conducted as part of the department’s drive to ensure that the restaurants adhere to the standard guidelines of hygiene. Earlier, the department received several complaints from customers who had raised questions on hygiene.
Gauhati University scholar in trouble
A two-year-old Facebook post has landed a research scholar of the Gauhati University in trouble. The alleged pro-Pakistan and pro-beef comment of Rehna Sultana went unnoticed until a case against her, pertaining to the social media post, was lodged last week. The police said they were probing the case. It was a double blow for Rehna as another case against her was lodged earlier for allegedly collecting money in the name of National Register of Citizens. Dulal Bora, an RTI activist, had filed a complaint against her and three others alleging that they were using the social media to take donations.
Homage to ‘King of Bihu’
The Assam government has set up a park in memory of the “King of Bihu”, Khagen Mahanta, at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in the city. Mahanta, a cultural icon, died in 2014. He was a singer-composer of folk and traditional music and his Bihu and other folk songs are popular to this day. After inaugurating the park, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recalled the evergreen songs created by the “people’s artiste”. He said the songs will keep inspiring the younger generations. Mahanta, along with wife Archana Mahanta and son Angaraag, who is known as Papon, represent one of the most influential families of Assamese music.
Prasanta Mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com