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“We want you to bring out a house

journal,” we were told in mid-2007.

With internet connections being very

poor, Vidya Kaul and I bounced ideas

for the contents back and forth over the

phone from opposite banks of the

Brahmaputra. We were joined by

Sakina Hussain who added her inputs

while Gautam Bhuyan, as Coordinator,

helped us collect material from Kolkata

office and liaised with the printer.

And so, with no prior experience

whatsoever in bringing out a magazine,

three ladies went forth to write for, edit,

compile and design the January 2008

issue of The WMTimes.

Enrique Poncela once said, “When

something can be read without effort,

great effort has gone into its writing.”

The same could be said of Editing!

Vidya wrote and re-wrote her own

articles until she was satisfied but till

the magazine went for print, she still

felt that perhaps a little more ‘spit and

polish’ could’ve been done! She

meticulously read and re-read every

page at every stage of editing and

agonized over any little mistake which

may have gone undetected by her eagle

eye, even though it went unnoticed by

everyone else but us. She wanted each

issue of the magazine to be perfect

because it was, after all, ‘our baby’.

The January 2014 issue was the last that

Vidya worked on, as her husband,

Pavan, retired from the services of the

Company in March. In this, my first

Editorial, I would like to acknowledge

the excellent work done by Vidya in

consistently maintaining the standards

set with the January 2008 issue.

I bid ‘adieu’ to Gautam Bhuyan with

gratitude for all his support over the

last seven years and welcome onboard

our new Assistant Editor, Rupa Saikia,

and Coordinator, Sunny Uthup.

The January 2014 issue was a special one,

to acknowledge and celebrate Mr B.M.

Khaitan’s 50 years’ tenure as Chairman

of the Company.May he continue at the

helm for many more years.

In this issue, we bring back those ‘old,

familiar faces’...and places – our usual

features.

We are midway through the Season

already…may the rest of it be bountiful.

Best wishes,

Features

Laurels

Treasury

Namdang T.E. ~ Sarita Dasgupta

Back Cover

Flame Backs at

Paneery T.E.

Photograph: Mr Anand Wats, Paneery T.E

Cameo

Vidya Kaul: a profile ~ Rupa Saikia

The Memsahab's Guide to

Gracious Living

A ‘Tea’ Breakfast ~ Namita Ahmed

Treasury

Paneery T.E ~ Rupa Saikia

Rainbow

A Tribute to Christopher Allen

~ Sadie Lund & Adrian Allen

Reminiscence

Pavan Kaul, Ghanshyam Singh,

Prabhakar Choudhury & Ranvijai Singh

Melange

HealthWatch

Community Healthcare ~ Dr Bhaben Talukdar

African Beat - MRUL

Managers’ Meeting & Enchanting Lake

Bunyonyi ~ Becky Bridget Birungi

Phu Ben Communique

Van Linh Factory ~ Sakina Hussain

planters@play

Margherita Club ~ Namita Singh

Kamjari

Planters - A Very Special Breed

~ Anku Baruah

Gardening

Growing Summer Vegetables

~ Bipasha Duarah

Shabaash

African Beat - Rwanda

A Walk in the Wild ~ H.S.Grewal

Postscript

~ Rupa Saikia

Beneficence

Janamangal Adarsh Andha Bidyalaya,

Moran ~ Sarita Dasgupta

Kudos

Outlook

ICD Amingaon ~ Sanjay Bajpai

Issue – 14

JULY 2014

Mr B.M. Khaitan

Honours

Editorial /Features

Cover:

Panoramic view of

Namdang T.E. & Margherita Club

Photograph: Karan, son of Mr Sivaji Dutt, Margherita T.E.

ICC Lifetime Achievement Award

HONOURS

July 2014 03

CITATION

His achievements make us proud. He is the Visionary

Industrialist with legendary contributions to the Indian

Industry. He has set an example for innumerable aspiring

entrepreneurs of this country. A passionate Leader par excellence, he has

broken barriers and challenged challenges. And won.

Brij Mohan Khaitan

Tea Industry Patriarch of India. He has great contributions in the Tea

Industry with which he has been associated for over four decades. One of the

most respected Industry Leaders of Kolkata and the entire nation, whose life

and times continue to inspire many.

He is the Chairman of Williamson Magor group, which also comprises

Eveready Industries India Ltd. & Mcleod Russel Ltd. Today, McLeod

Russel is the world’s largest tea plantation company which directly employs

over 1 lakh people, a large number of whom are women. Eveready Industries

India Limited is one of India’s most reputed FMCG companies, which has a

portfolio comprising dry cell batteries, flashlights, and packet tea.

He is a self-made man who literally came up from nothing. In 1963, he got

his first break. That was tea and from that day onwards, he has grown his

group to the size where it is today. He virtually turned Williamson Magor

around single-handedly and soon established a reputation for total integrity

and reliability. His foresight, passion and love towards his work have created

wealth for the nation.

He has been a Sports enthusiast and a keen Golfer. He has played

a significant role in the Education sector.

In recognition of his unique contribution to our Nation, and his deep

commitment towards putting India firmly on the global economic map The

Indian Chamber of Commerce

Is honoured & happy to confer the

ICC Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 on

Brij Mohan Khaitan

Our heartiest congratulations! We know you will continue to serve Indian

Industry like a true dynamic Leader

And our best wishes will always be with you.

KOLKATA, DECEMBER 17, 2013

Mr B. M. Khaitan was conferred the state’s highest civilian

honour, the Banga Bibhushan, on 20 May 2014, for his

outstanding contribution to Industry. “We try to dedicate this

day to individuals for their contribution to the world of Culture,

Arts, Music, Sports and Industry. We will continue this award

to showcase Bengal’s talents to the world,” said Chief Minister,

Smti Mamata Banerjee, at the ceremony.

Banga Bibhushan

Mr Khaitan being Felicitated by His Excellency the Governor of West Bengal