Agra Stone Inlay Work & Assam Black Tea
Context:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a curated selection of traditional Indian gifts to Russian President Vladimir Putin
This includes Agra Stone Inlay Work and Assam Black Tea among the others, reflecting India's craftsmanship and heritage.
Agra Stone Inlay Work:
It is also known as Parchin Kari or Pachchikari.
It is a heritage marble inlay art form from Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
It reflects the 17th-century Mughal legacy of pietra dura most famously seen in the Taj Mahal.
The craft involves precise carving of Makrana marble panels and embedding semi-precious stones (like lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, and agate) into sockets using chisels and drills.
The stones are fixed with wax or araldite and polished to a seamless finish.
It is celebrated for its intricate floral, geometric, and calligraphic designs.
Assam Black Tea:
Assam tea is a black tea grown in the lowlands of the Brahmaputra Valley in Northeast India and bordering Bangladesh and Burma (Myanmar).
This part of India experiences high precipitation; during the monsoon period as much as 10 to 12 inches (250-300 mm) of rain per day.
The daytime temperature rises to about 103F (40°C), creating greenhouse-like conditions of extreme humidity and heat.
This tropical climate contributes to Assam’s unique malty taste, a feature for which this tea is well known.
Assam tea is manufactured specifi cally from the plant Camellia sinensis var. assamica.
It is known for its rich, deep-amber colour and famous bold, malty flavour.
The region produces a significant portion of India's tea, with both large estate gardens and a growing sector of Small Tea Growers (STGs) contributing to production.