Nirmal sethia

Nirmal Sethia is the founder of premium brand Newby Teas and the owner of the largest collection of rare and valuable tea-related artefacts in the world, including a teapot that once belonged to Admiral Nelson, a silver gilt monkey trinkspiel made in Germany circa 1600, a Fabergé silver and enamel tea caddy  made in Russia, a tea service hand painted by artist Antoine Beranger, Theodore Roosevelt’s tea caddy as well as a few pieces designed by Sethia himself.

He is a life-long philanthropist, whose eponymous foundation was established some 40 years ago to support charitable causes in India, launching formally as a UK-registered charity in 1995.

An intriguing and charismatic man, Sethia is a vastly successful serial entrepreneur and collector, and a great raconteur.

BBeyond’s art editor met with him to talk about tea, philanthropy and life.

How do you select the causes you wish to fund?

If you’ve been fortunate enough to accumulate wealth, you have a responsibility to give and you use your intuition to decide where your generosity would make the most difference.

Success, failure, fame and infamy are all in God’s hand anyway and when God grants you wealth, it is a test of how good a custodian you are of it.

Mr. Sethia described it on Newby Teas' official website as "a tribute to tea's heritage, honouring this ancient, culturally rich, and beautiful beverage.”

ALSO READ: Meet Rishi Sethia, Neelam Kothari’s Ex-Husband And Heir To One Of The UK’s Richest Asian Families

Crafted from 18-carat yellow gold, this teapot is adorned with 1,658 genuine diamonds and 386 authentic rubies from Thailand and Burma.

Named 'The Egoist,' it was created by the N Sethia Foundation, a UK-based charity founded by Nirmal Sethia.

What Is The World's Most Expensive Teapot Made Of?

Teapots are known to have originated in China around 1500 AD. Early teapots were inspired by handled wine pots and water pitchers, evolving from lids that sat in a recess of the vessel to lids resting securely on top, and eventually to modern designs with deep flanges to keep lids in place.

Yet, one teapot has captivated attention like no other, it’s truly unique and the world’s most valuable.

Technology has also been very transformative and has a part to play but beyond technology there is intuition/a heightened sense of perception and finally, the divine will. While talking to Ekta Kapoor in the show, Neelam shared how she faced lifestyle changes, such as giving up certain foods, wearing traditional Indian clothing, and even changing her name, after her marriage to UK-based businessman Rishi Sethia.

It was designed to reflect the radiance of my late wife and is very close to my heart. The taker should have an appreciation – if they are ungrateful, however, it’s their misfortune, not the giver’s.

My foundation is small compared to others. In her memory, I am on a mission to protect a culture that is dying – tea culture has systematically been destroyed, or is on the verge of destruction.

The Chitra Collection is also an attempt to protect a heritage that is 5000 years old – objects that represent the artistic endeavours and passion of their creators, but also tell the story of the individuals who commissioned them.

And while many people collect paintings, for me, it was intuitive to collect and preserve rare tea-related artefacts.

I don’t know the answer, but we all choose our own path and each of us has to find a way of expressing gratitude for their good fortune or of paying homage to someone.

Do you collect anything else?

Yes, a few rare textiles.

I also collect tea experiences and have been known to create a unique container to store a special tea.

While tea has forever been Mr Sethia’s enthusiasm and calling, he was appointed as Chairman of the Sethia Group at just 23 years old and was liable for the brilliant achievement and presence of the Group as the biggest exporter of jute in India.

The N. Sethia group has expanded into many trades, ventures, and sectors, like security printing and banknote ink creation, sugar refining, power generation, tea plantation, and a unique tea packing facility.

In Hinduism we believe that there are six things over which we have no control: birth, death, success and failure, fame and infamy. The handle of the teapot is made using ivory obtained from wiped-out mammoths, adding an interesting touch to this already phenomenal creation.

As indicated by the Guinness website, the intricate craftsmanship took almost 1730 hours to bring “The Egoist” to life.

Even almost 100 years ago, he understood the need for women’s education.

He envisaged that the children of today would become the torchbearers of tomorrow and that unless women were educated, progress would never arrive at the doors of Sujangarh. There is this great difference between wisdom and knowledge. Technology can help you but it has limitations in that it cannot create – we can.

The Divine, your karmas, your actions, will impact your destiny – or your fate.

My gratitude also goes to those people who hurt me, because after every hurtful action, every pain, there was something for me to learn, so that I don’t repeat the mistake. He is the father of Rishi Sethia, ex-husband of Bollywood actress Neelam Kothari. She taught me that the first step to divinity is Gratitude.  To all who knew her she was the ocean of kindness.

He graduated from the prestigious Presidency College Kolkata, one of the foremost institutions of higher education in India. He eventually purchased an Assam tea plantation.

However, in 1965, he began another business by establishing a firm that dealt in jute, as per BBC News. What drove him to make a teapot worth $3 million?

Born in the UK after his family relocated there in 1969, Rishi belongs to the renowned Sethia family, which owns the luxury tea brand Newby.