Dr Hemendra Prasad Barooah: Life, works, achievements and great contribution of the Tea Doyen

Hemendra Prasad Barooah has achieved much more in a single life than several generations could have achieved. The Tea Doyen epithet is just befitting when we look at his contribution to Assam economy as a Tea Planter. He  was born in 1926 in Jorhat to a family of Tea garden owners. His father was Shiva Prasad Barooh. One of the pioneers of those who dared to dream big Barooah had acquired an MBA degree from Harvard Business School  in the year 1949.  As per records he has his batch-mates in the likes of  Parker(of Parker pens), Ernie Henderson of Sheraton Group and many others.

The inspiring life of Dr Hemendra Prasad Barooah

He joined his family business after completing studies and enriched their family business by expanding it from two Tea Estates  to ten Tea Estates. He started his company B&A Plantations and Industries Limited which was later known as  Barooah & Associates known more famously as B&A  Ltd. B & A was the first company in Assam to be listed in Kolkata, Bombay(Mumbai) and Guwahati Stock Exchanges.

Hemendra Barooah  was the pioneer in many fields related to Tea manufacturing business one of which was another first of its kind in Assam. This was the first broking firm the Assam Tea Brokers of Assam registered in Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. He had a crucial role in establishing the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. Moreover  he one of the earliest one to set up Packaging Unit  for Tea marketing in India by establishing B&A packaging India Limited.

Thengal Manor Jalukonibari
Hemen Barooah property image

Later in his life Barooah had endeavoured into hospitality business by starting Heritage North East which is a Boutique heritage hotel. This includes four of Hemedra Prasad Baruah's familyily properties including the famous Thengal Manor.(It is learnt that Baruah wished that the ashes of his earthly body would be kept in this ancestral home, i.e Thengal Manor.) Another adventure of Barooah is Kaziranga Golf Resort in Jorhat, a lifestyle hotel providing colonial environment.

Contribution to Assamese culture and media Hemendra Prasad Barooah

Barooah's most notable contribution is Kamal Kumari Barooah Foundation which has been recognizing and conferring award to outstanding contribution in the field of Science and Technology. The award is given in the memory of Hemendra Prasad Barooah's mother Kamal Kumari Barooah. The same foundation also give two other awards in the name of his father Shiva Prasad Barooah a National award for Journalism and in the name of his son Late Amit Borooah Award for Young Artists. Hemen Barooah himself was famous as a great connoisseur of arts and have collected works of original paintings of Rabindranath Tahkur, Abanindranath Thakur, Nandalal Biose, Jamini Roy, Ganesh Pyne, MF Hussain among others.

The great patron of culture and media produced Hindi Feature film EK PAL which is  directed by Kalpana Lazmi for which Dr Bhupen Hazarika composed and directed music.

Director of State Bank of India.
Director of Assam Financial Corporation
Chairman of Indian Tea Association.
Chairman Tea Research Association.
President of Bengal Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Director of Indian Airlines.
Director of Assam Industrial Development Corporation.
Member of Central Advisory Council for Industries under Govt of India.
Awards and recognition to the Tea Doyen
Lifetime Achievement award from North Eastern Tea Association 2007
Tea Doyen title by North Eastern Tea Association 2007.
The Confederation of Indian Industry conferred Visionary Business Leader.
Assam title in 2010.
KC Das Commerce College gives him  National Achiever Award 2010
Tea Research Association feliciated him 2011 and in 2012,
The Assam Cultural Trust 2012.

Journalist Kamala Saikia Memorial Trust Award 2012.
The Government of India conferred him Padmashree in 2013.

He was bestowed the Honorary  Doctorate  by Assam Agricultural University Jorhat in 207.

The globetrotter has lived most of the time outside Assam and mostly in Kolkata. But his works for Assamese cultural field and Tea economy have great impact on Assam and its economy. As a life lived in great measure, the visionary businessman  Hemen Barooah's life and works will always continue to inspire the posterity.

Read about Global Assamese  Indian Writer Sanjoy Hazarika