The British love a cuppa, the Indians love their nukkad chai and the Chinese are credited for having brewed the beverage for the first time ever. Encapsulating the centuries-old culture of tea is a collection created by NRI businessman Nirmal Sethia. The Chitra Collection, as it is called, is the world’s largest collection of tea artefacts.
GERMANY C.1750
This ornate teapot is made of bloodstone decorated in gold
It was a personal tragedy that sparked the idea. Nirmal’s wife, Chitra, passed away in 2010, leaving him heart-broken. And from there was born what is now a $100-150 million-worth collection. “It is an expression of gratitude to my late wife, who strongly believed that I’m the one who will be able to constructively contribute to the culture and history of tea, which is fast dying at the hands of commercialised...
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