Untold woes in the scenic tea gardens
May 19, 2009
A lush tea garden with towering shade trees is always a respite for the eyes and senses. The foliage obviously induces a sense of peace and tranquillity. But underneath the veneer of this beauty and serenity, remain stories of untold agony and muffled cries. The ongoing solo photography exhibition by Philip Gain tries to uncover stories from the communities of tea-pickers working at the gardens in different parts of the country. The exhibition titled, “The Story of Tea Workers,” is on at Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi.
tea garden
The history of these communities in Bangladesh does not go that far back. Over 150 years ago the British companies brought their forefathers to the Sylhet region from different parts of India like Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Initially they were put into the Labour Line (residential area for tea-pickers) that alienated them from their roots as well as from the local people.
Of the 163 tea gardens in Bangladesh, 90 are in the Maulvibazar district. As a result, a great number of tea-pickers live in this district. Most of the tea estates in the country are on government land — a colonial legacy.
In most of the gardens, women are well ahead as the tealeaf-pickers. A female tea-picker works 7/8 hours a day on an average, during a 30/35-year career. They spend most of their work hours standing under the merciless burning sun, and getting soaked in torrential rains. Harsh working conditions have severe consequences on their health, which escalates rapidly once they retire.
After a hard day’s work, tea-pickers assemble at authorised collectors’ where the tealeaves are weighed. A worker earns Tk. 32.50 per day, according to a report in 2008. A tea-picker owns a house in the Labour Line. If a husband and wife work in the same garden they get one house.
In winter, the workers enjoy a comparatively leisurely time, as it is the pruning season. Tea plants have to be pruned to keep at chest level, otherwise they can grow as high as 50 feet.
Each tea-picker, in almost servitude, represents the face of oppressed. Their children’s future is corded to theirs. The child of a tea-picker has no option but to follow the footsteps of his/her parents.
The story of Ratna tea garden in Maulvibazar is particularly heart-rending. The garden was closed in 2004 and left behind by its owners. All workers at the estate suddenly found themselves jobless. Some of them were eventually forced to beg.
Though citizens of Bangladesh, the tea-pickers community continue to remain socially excluded, low paid, overwhelmingly illiterate and deprived.
The exhibition will continue till May 19. As part of the exhibition, a 45-minute documentary on the tea-pickers has been screened at the venue. The documentary has been jointly directed by Ronald Halder and Philip Gain.
Source: The Daily Star
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