36-37 / 64
A
cup of brisk, malty tea with a bright colour
immediately brings Hunwal T.E. to mind. A large
estate with a total grant area of 1295.27 hectares,
it is located in the quality belt of Jorhat on the south bank
of the Brahmaputra River, with the township of Mariani
sharing a common border on the north and western sides
of the garden. The Bhogdoi River flows by the eastern
periphery of the estate, while the southern side affords one
a beautiful view of the
Patkai hills of Nagaland,
as it is situated on the
foothills of this range.
The historic Dhodar Ali,
a 212 km long road,
starting from Kamargaon
in Golaghat to Joypur in
Dibrugarh district, built by the Ahom king, Gadadhar
Singha around 1867, runs alongside the garden on one
side.The king had mobilised a large force of opium addicts
or ‘dhods’ to build this road, and hence the name.
The history of the place has contributed significantly to
the name ‘Hunwal’.
Legend has it that,
in ancient times,
there was a caste of
Assamese people,
who prospected for
gold (Soan) in the
various sandy rivers of Assam, using specialised containers
to extract this precious metal. Based on their occupation,
they came to be known as Sonowal Kacharis. It is said
that they settled on the banks of the Dessoi river, now
known as the Bhogdoi. It is perhaps from these people
that the area earned its name - ‘Sonowal’, with the British
who set up the estate, anglicising it later to ‘Hunwal’.
This 154-year-old property was first planted out in 1861 by
a British gentleman called William Minto. Then but a
fledgling estate, it changed hands several times over in the
subsequent years, till M/s Jardine Henderson, the managing
agents for George Anderson, took over the property. The
ownership was further transferred to McLeod Russel (India)
in the year 1977. In 1988, McLeod Russel merged with the
Williamson Magor Group.
Hunwal T.E. comprises three Divisions: Mariani,
Hattijuri and Nagadhoolie, the total planting area being
901.63 hectares. Each Division has an interesting tale as
to how it acquired its name. Mariani, with 298.69
hectares, was named after the town, as it was closest to it.
Hattijuri with 242.28 hectares, was so christened due to
the regular visit of a pair of elephants at that time (Hatti-
elephant; Juri – pair) while Nagadhoolie, with an area of
360.99 hectares, used to host visitors from the Naga hills,
who would descend here from the hills, to test their skills
in sports (Naga – the Naga people; Dhoolie – play).
The factory has an installed capacity for 2.10 million kg of
made tea, manufacturing some of the finest CTC and
Orthodox teas of Assam. Hunwal is ISO 22000 and
Rainforest Alliance certified. The garden strictly adheres
to the principles of Sustainable Agriculture Network
(SAN) standards, under which Integrated Crop
Management practices are followed. The estate was the
pioneer in the development and use of ITK (Integrated
Technical Knowledge) formulations, a programme based
on ecological principles for the control of pests.The vermi-
compost unit provides organic manure for the plantation
and the nursery, which has a high clonal percentage adding
to the excellent quality of the leaf produced.
Bhogdoi River
~ Rupa Saikia
36 January 2016
January 2016 37
View of the Patkai Hills
Dhodar Ali
Tea Nursery
Hunwal Factory