Brands
Tata Tea Agni Leaf brews Chhath with Tikuli art
MUMBAI: Bihar and Jharkhand’s leading tea brand, Tata Tea Agni Leaf, has unveiled limited-edition festive packs inspired by Tikuli art, the 800-year-old hand-painted tradition of Bihar. Each pack narrates the four days of Chhath Puja: Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya, and Usha Arghya, through intricate artwork, blending Tikuli motifs with elements of Mithila painting.
The packs were crafted under the guidance of Padma Shri awardee Ashok Kumar Biswas, a pioneer in reviving Tikuli art. Each design tells a visual story of devotion, perseverance, and ritual, transforming everyday chai into a celebration of Bihar’s cultural legacy.
Accompanying the festive packs is a soulful TVC, capturing families performing Chhath rituals with joy and reverence. The film interweaves the Tikuli-inspired designs, traditional customs, and evocative music, creating a nostalgic and emotionally resonant celebration of the festival.
Tata Consumer Products president – packaged beverages Puneet Das said, “Chhath Puja is a festival that binds communities and families. Our limited-edition packs celebrate Bihar’s rich artistic heritage while paying homage to the devotion of every ritual from Nahay Khay to Usha Arghya. The new TVC brings alive the festival’s emotional depth, reinforcing our connection with consumers.”
Ashok Kumar Biswas added, “Collaborating with Tata Tea Agni Leaf allowed us to showcase Tikuli art to a wider audience. The campaign honours Bihar’s artistic legacy and revives a traditional craft in a contemporary context.”
Through this campaign, Tata Tea Agni Leaf continues to blend art, culture, and storytelling, making each cup of tea a tribute to regional pride and festive devotion.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
