Drinking tea is like art. It gives you that soothing feeling that you can get comparable to when you stare at a masterpiece. One can appreciate the beauty and the simplicity of it like how Nirmal Sethia thinks about tea.
"Tea is like a beautiful woman," says Nirmal Sethia to BBC News. "You look for the deep characteristics. There's no need to concentrate on the appearance."
It is a wonder how he was able to stay and commit to this field. The businessman has spent 50 years in the tea industry. There's never a moment that he has lost his passion. "Tea is life," he says. "Tea is religion, tea is music."
One advice he gives to tea drinkers: "Whatever tea you drink, he says you shouldn't add anything to it."
"Tea shouldn't have sugar, or milk, or rose water, or anything else added to it," he says. "The subtle flavours should be obvious.
"You don't slurp tea, you sip it. It's not supposed to be drunk quickly, it's to be savored and enjoyed."
He adds: "A good cup of tea is like a journey to the heavens. It's there to delight in."
When he was younger though, he admitted to BBC News that he only wanted to do enjoyable things in life. During his teenage life, he said, "I was a rebel."I used to see all the boys smoking in London and wanted some of that. Smoking, and drinking, and girls looked exciting to me, even at 13."
He then expressed his concern to his father that he no longer wanted to attend school. "I knew that route wasn't for me. I didn't want to do exams, and wanted something more exciting."
One day, he met someone who worked for a tea supplier. This gave Mr. Sethia the chance to become an apprentice tea taster for one of the most well-known tea merchants in London. Having that opportunity made him believe that it was the hand of God that led him to a path that was meant for him.
On that day, in one of the streets in London in the late 1950s, Mr. Sethia's lifelong love affair with tea had begun.
Soon after that, he found himself working for one of the largest tea importers in the Republic of Ireland as a buyer in India. His job was buying tea at different auctions in Kolkata - formerly known as Calcutta.
Seeing how good Nirmal was at his job, his father was so impressed, and encouraged his son to do more.
After winning his father's support, Nirmal had been able to start his own business at a young age. His father was pleased with how his son had taken to working in the tea industry.
Because of this, his dad supported him. Young Nirmal Sethia started his own business - Sethia Tea Estates - from the family's home in Kolkata.
At this time, he really had the tea industry take over his career. Mr. Sethia bought a tea plantation in the north eastern Indian state of Assam.
"I seemed to have a gift for tasting tea. I was able to distinguish and discern teas from different parts of India and beyond, something that impressed the buyers I met."
After making a name in the tea industry, his career steered towards a different business. He built his own company. His uncle was the one who ran the business for the family but the young Sethia thought that he wasn't doing a good job at it.
"I went to my father who loved the idea of me thinking I could do better than his brother. The sparkle in his eye assured me I had to make this business a success, which I did."
He had a new company named N Sethia Group. It expanded into different areas of business and progressed into banking and property.
No matter what happens though, passion will always come running after you. "My nephews wanted to start a tea business in early 2000." This was a new start for him. Newby Teas came into existence.
As it is common in business, there were moments that his company spiraled down. He had thoughts of quitting but his late wife, Chitra Devi Sethia held him in place.
He thought of her while saying: "She said one thing to me. If anyone can make it work you can.
"That's when I knew she was right. With her support I could do anything. She was my rock, always there to stop me from falling."
Mr. Sethia claims that because of his wife's encouragement, he was able to go on. His wife was his strength.
With her in his mind, he turned everything around. His company now has a revenue of around $15m a year (£10m) a year.
