The Hindu Business Line : In the high ranges

The first woman president of a business chamber in Bengal, Nayantara Palchoudhuri brims with the confidence she derives from running her family tea business.

NAYANTARA PALCHOUDHURI: Blending traditional values with new-age business.

The Bengal Renaissance in the 19th century was known, among other things, for championing women's cause but it took another 200 years or so for a woman to become the president of one of Bengal's chambers of commerce.

Nayantara Palchoudhuri, the first woman President of the 119-year-old Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BNCCI).

Nayantara did her Political Science Honours from Jadavpur University before going to London University's School of Oriental and African Studies, and London School of Economics and Political Science. She returned to India in 1989. "My association with BNCCI started then, first as a special invitee to the Executive Committee and then as a regular member," she says.

But then she was no stranger to the institution. As early as 1977, her father was the president of the chamber.

She had also joined the family business around that time. "My family is in tea for four generations and before joining the business I learnt a bit of the trade not only from within the family but also from outside, particularly the Institute of Plantation Management which, I believe, is now located somewhere in south India," she says. The family also has other businesses like machine tools and software but she concentrates on tea.

"We have gardens in Terai and Dooars regions of West Bengal, with a total annual production of about 26-27 lakh kg good-quality CTC tea, and the entire production is sold through the Siliguri auction and we're very focused on the domestic market, though small quantities are exported, again through the auction," she says. "Our tea, ideally suited for a heavy thick cup, is in good demand in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, not so much in West Bengal where there is a distinct preference for light Darjeeling type."

Did the company think of direct selling?

"No," comes the reply. "First we have a goodwill in auction and we get good price there. Also, we're really not cut out for the kind of game one is required to play in direct selling."

The tea gardens in West Bengal, Nayantara feels, deserve special treatment from the Government, not only in terms of sharing social costs like education, healthcare, housing and supply of subsidised food and fuel for the employees but also in other respects. The tea gardens in West Bengal are very different from those in Assam because of the topography, variations in rainfall, labour practices, and crop pattern among other things.

Does she support the present state government's policy of encouraging non-tea activities like development of housing andtourism in tea gardens?

"Frankly, I do not support it. Tea gardens have specific use, which must be maintained and encouraged. For example, the government has come out with packages for rejuvenation and re-plantation and expansion of tea gardens but how can this be possible unless there is enough land available?"

Besides there are other things too which, according to her, deserve attention in north Bengal. First are the rivers that are in spate during the monsoon and wreak havoc on tea gardens and its people. Some protection measures are needed, she says. Siliguri will become an important centre if and when the trade route to China through the Nathu La pass opens up; the town therefore deserves special attention and not the kind of unplanned growth witnessed so far.

Alongside heading one of the country's oldest chambers of commerce and managing the family tea business, Nayantara is an active Rotarian, member of the finance and taxation subcommittee of the Indian Tea Association, and the Tea Research Association. She is Treasurer of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, founder-member of the Indo-British Scholars' Association and heads the local chapter of the London School of Economics Alumni Association.

Politics runs in Nayantara's family. Her grandmother, Ila Palchoudhuri was a Congress Member of Parliament for 17 long years. Her father too was closely associated with the Congress Party. But Nayantara has no plans to enter politics at the moment. "Politics today is very different from what it used to be in those days and I don't think I'm suited for it," she remarks.

She has also chosen to remain single so far. "I'm quite happy with my present status... as you can see, my hands are full."

When pressed further, she says, "It is not that I do not enjoy the company of men; I do enjoy their company immensely, and particularly when they give me special attention. But then I'm also a bit of a traditionalist; I like old costumes, traditional saris from all over the country and traditional jewellery and I'm very choosy about it. (She looked striking in her green south Indian silk sari, matching jewellery and bindi.) These days, age is no bar for getting married and so I'm not ruling it out altogether; perhaps I've to wait till my traditional mind zeroes in on the perfect man."

Picture by A. Roy Chowdhury

More Stories on : People | Tea | Gender | Industry Associations

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