Skip to main content

EAST INDIA COMPANY AGAIN RISE

If you think the East India Company died a natural death following India's independence, then think again. The company is not only alive and kicking but has also launched a new office in the Qatari capital of Doha in collaboration with local partner Nasser al Ansari of Octagon International. A grand launch event attended by Her Majesty's Deputy Head of Mission Cecille El Beleidi was held on Monday to mark the occasion. The company's entry into Qatar is part of its strategic regional and global expansion plans. It already runs a store in Kuwait since 2013 and is close to completion for franchises in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This is the Company's second store in the Middle East and carries a selection of fine teas and coffees; artisan sweet and biscuits; a chocolate range; and jams and marmalades. The extensive range also includes the Company's hand-crafted bone china and porcelain for tea and coffee. Each piece is painted by a master craftsmen using mineral paints and 18 carat gold. The Company offers products that have been crafted by artisans and specialists from around the world using ingredients that have been sourced for their quality. "I was delighted to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony of the first East India Company store in Qatar. It is fantastic to see the revival of such a great British name and a store that houses a delectable array of fine teas, chocolates, biscuits and gifts," Cecille El Beleidi said. Since its creation in 1600 by The Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I, the influence of The East India Company has been great. It transformed Britain's dining tables through the introduction of exotic ingredients and flavors, but more fundamentally, it changed the world's tastes, its thinking, and its people. Yet it remains a quintessentially British brand with influences from diverse cultures. In August 2010, the re-born and revived East India Company launched its flagship Fine Foods store in the heart of London's Mayfair. Within 3 years it opened two more doors in the UK. India-born Sanjiv Mehta acquired the over 400-year-old company in 2005. "We look forward to sharing our rich stories with customers who we know will appreciate our gourmet foods and unparallelled heritage," said Mehta, Chairman of The East India Company.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

YOGA IN MID AIR

With the stage set for International Yoga Day this Sunday, yoga asanas were performed mid-air at 35,000 feet above the sea-level, arguably the first time ever! The asanas called Upayoga or useful yoga were performed as a trial-run aboard the Delhi-Guwahati and Guwahati-Delhi flights of budget airline SpiceJet with over 180 passengers and crew. The Gurgaon-based carrier has teamed up with Isha Foundation of Sadhguru to conduct mid-air yoga sessions on its select Boeing flights on Sunday, which is being observed as International Yoga Day. Talking about the yogic postures demonstrated, Gita, a teacher with the Isha Foundation said the session was designed to reduce stress for passengers who travel long hours. "These are safe, simple postures which can be done by anyone, and can be practiced anytime and anywhere. They help in relieving stress accumulated in the upper neck and spine region," Gita told PTI. The passengers on board, who had no clue about the onboard yoga demonstr...

WHY RAHUL SO SARCASTIC...?

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi should come up with "substantive arguments" to criticise the government's Make In India programme rather than ridiculing its logo. "Demagoguery may be good in election campaigns, but when you are in Parliament, we expect you to come up with concrete criticisms for which we will give reply. But to throw something like this may amuse some members, but overall it just projects the leader as not having gone into greater details," she told PTI. She was responding to the remarks of Gandhi who ridiculed the lion logo of Make In India as Narendra Modi's "babbar sher". The Congress VP during a debate in Parliament had made fun of Modi's ambitious 'Make in India' programme, saying Prime Minister has "created a babbar sher' (Asiatic Lion)" in which "clock and wheels are seen moving". Sitharaman said it was saddening that the vice preside...

DEADLY HABIT...MOBILE CALL ANSWERING ON DRIVE

Nearly 60 per cent of two-wheeler users "instinctively" answer mobile phones on ride while 14 per cent of pedestrians click selfies crossing the road, finds out a survey. Sixty four per cent pedestrians regularly do this and 18 per cent immediately respond to a call from their superior at work, even while switching sides on the road. That is only one part of the story. One in every three car drivers tends to send out an important text message, stated the survey conducted by consumer goods maker Samsung across 12 cities in India. There is one road accident in every four minutes in India, it added, citing government data. "11 per cent of two-wheeler riders would always answer their phone when on the road, regardless of who was calling, 30 per cent would respond to calls from family while 18 per cent of the riders responded to work-related calls," it added. In addition, 23 per cent of two-wheeler riders admitted to reading and replying to texts or social media u...