Government of India- 2088 views
BRUCE BROTHERS AND ASSAM TEA
As a beverage, tea is popular across the world. The history of the discovery of Assam tea and the establishment of the tea industry in Assam is a series of incidents and characters which intertwine to narrate a story that is fascinating in nature and spirit. The story dates back to a time when China was the sole source of tea leaves for Great Britain. The increasing demand for tea in the British isles and the over-dependence on China created the need to search for an alternate source. It was amidst such conditions that Robert Bruce was able to discover a plant that struck gold for India.
The man behind Assam Tea
Tea - Its cultivation and preparation
Tea bushes were found abundantly in the jungles of Assam and used to be consumed as a concoction by the local tribes including the Singphos and the Khamtis. Robert Bruce was a Scottish explorer, merchant, and ex-Major in the Bengal Artillery who first came to Assam in 1822. In 1823, he visited Rangpur which was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom. He was in close contact with a local nobleman, Maniram Dutta, popularly known as Maniram Dewan, who introduced him to a local Singpho Chief, Beesa Gam. Upon his arrival, Bruce found that the leaves of the unknown specimen of the plant resembled China’s Camellia Sinensis var Sinensis.
This was a significant moment in the history of tea plantations in Assam as well as India, which subsequently shaped the fate and destiny of both the British colonials, the labourers, and the people of Assam for generations. The irony is that Robert Bruce did not live to see the consequences of his important discovery, as he passed away in 1824 and was buried in a cemetery in Tezpur.
The contributions and role of the Bruce brothers in the discovery and establishment of the tea industry in Assam are central to the narrative of the history of tea cultivation in India, especially in Assam. In 1871, Charles Bruce was awarded a gold medal for his role in the cultivation of tea in Assam by the Royal Society of Arts. He passed away in 1871 and was buried in Tezpur, Assam.
The work that was initiated by Robert Bruce was carried forth by his younger brother Charles Alexander Bruce (C A Bruce). During the Anglo-Burmese War (1824), C A Bruce was in-charge of the British Gunboat division. He met with the same Singpho Chief and planted some saplings in his bungalow in Sadiya. He also sent a few to the Chief Commissioner, Jenkins who was based at Guwahati and some to the Botanical Gardens (Calcutta). After several setbacks and experiments, C A Bruce was able to send a small batch of tea to the Tea Committee in 1836. The samples were approved by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Auckland and experts also ascertained that the tea was of good quality. Subsequently, in 1837 and 1838, forty-six and eight chests of tea respectively were dispatched to London. On 10 January 1839, the first consignment was auctioned off in London. Finally, in 1839, the Assam Tea Company was established, thereby heralding a new chapter in the history of tea in India.
The tombstone of Charles Bruce in Tezpur
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