A 114-year-old dead teak tree planted during the British colonial-era has been auctioned for four million rupees ($49,000), in Kerala, India.
The Nedumkayam Forest Depot auctioned the tree, planted in 1909, after it dried up and fell at Nilambur teak plantation earlier this month.
Teak trees at the park are collected only after they fall on their own, the officials told The National.
Bidder Vrindavan Timbers won the tightly contested bidding process for 3.9 million rupees on February 10.
The 8 cubic metre thick wood was auctioned in three pieces, officials said.
The main piece, which measured more than 3 meters in length, fetched 2.3 million rupees while the remaining two were auctioned for 1.1 million rupees and 525,000 rupees, respectively.
“Our teak is known worldwide for its quality. It is the most expensive in the country and is likely the highest auctioned amount because we have never received such a high price in the past,” forest depot officer Shereef P, told The National.
“The teak timber is of the highest quality. There are mainly three timber logs and cumulatively it has come to 8 metre cubic. The one block which is the biggest piece has got the highest price 550,000 per cubic metre.
“The teak here is already expensive but the auction amount was high because this was planted by the British.”
Teak is the strongest hardwood
Teak is considered as the hardest, strongest and the most durable of the hardwoods. It has been used in the Kaaba in Makkah, in interiors of the Titanic and is used in the interiors of Rolls-Royce.
It is used to make furniture and for home decor.
The Nilambur teak plantation was set up by former British collector HV Conolly in 1846 and hosts one of the oldest teak plantations.
Spread across 2.31 hectares, the reserve has over 200 trees planted during the British colonial-era, a teak museum and houses the world's oldest living teak named Kannimari.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
- Life in the royal residences with Sheikha Osha bint Nahayan
- Sheikha Mahra and Sheikha Sabha recall their time spent in Al Hosn
- A place where problems were solved
- How the fort's rise tracked Abu Dhabi's development
- Meet Frauke Heard-Bey - the fort's historian for 30 years
- In Pictures: Story of a fort
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Tomorrow 2021
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Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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if you go
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Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
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It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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Temperature: -40°C
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Temperature: -50°C
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age |
$250 a month |
$500 a month |
$1,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
|
25 |
$640,829 |
$1,281,657 |
$2,563,315 |
|
35 |
$303,219 |
$606,439 |
$1,212,877 |
|
45 |
$131,596 |
$263,191 |
$526,382 |
|
55 |
$44,351 |
$88,702 |
$177,403 |
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Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
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Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
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