Maniram Dewan: India’s First Tea Planter and a Martyr

India’s famous Assam tea was discovered by an Indian in the service of the colonial British when he was on a field trip. The man, named Maniram, then a junior administrative officer, reported his discovery to the British and, as they say, the rest is history.

Maniram, whose formal name was Maniram Dutta Baruah, was born on 17th April 1806 into a family that had traditionally served Assam’s Ahom kings. His early years were spent in Bengal after his family fled Assam after the Burmese invaded the province in 1817.