Excrept from The Times of India, 22/04/2012:-

 

India will declare tea as the national drink by April next year, the country's top planner has said.

"The drink would be accorded national drink status by April 17 next year to coincide with the 212th birth anniversary of first Assamese tea planter and Sepoy Mutiny leader Maniram Dewan," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was quoted by local media, as saying Saturday. 

 

"The drink would be accorded national drink status by April 17 next year to coincide with the 212th birth anniversary of first Assamese tea planter and Sepoy Mutiny leader Maniram Dewan," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was quoted by local media, as saying Saturday.  

 

Maniram Dewan was the country''s first indigenous tea planter who also took part in India''s struggle for the freedom movement.

 

 

Finally, Maniram Dewan will be better known. 

What the news item does not say is that Maniram Dewan was hanged.

His real crime was - growing Tea.