Guwahati: In the verdant landscapes of Udalguri, nestled along the Himalayan foothills bordering Bhutan in Assam the tea gardens flourish, their leaves destined for tea cups worldwide. Yet behind every leaf lies a narrative often overshadowed—a story of resilience, sacrifice, and generations bound by labor. Among these tales is that of 50-year-old Jhirgi Tanti Loha, a plucker at the Goodricke-owned Orangajuli Tea Estate, who earns a modest daily wage of Rs 250.
For Jhirgi and many like her, life is defined by long hours under the sun and rain, carrying the legacy of labor passed down through generations, often unnoticed by the world of tea connoisseurs. Jhirgi’s life is a testament to resilience. Despite hardships, she has prioritized her children’s education, managing to send her elder son through post-graduation and two younger children to high school. “Pata tula bohut dig-dari” (Plucking leaves is very difficult), she explains, particularly during the monsoon, when slippery paths and cold, damp conditions make each day a struggle.
Opportunities for workers like Jhirgi to leave the garden are rare. When asked if she had ever visited nearby cities such as Guwahati or Tezpur, she fondly recalled a trip to Tezpur years ago when bus fares from Udalguri were Rs 15. Today, the fare has surged to Rs 200, making such journeys a luxury she and many others cannot afford. Her son, Aljen Anthony, now a postgraduate, acknowledges his mother’s sacrifices: “They gave their lives to secure our future.” In every tea gardens of Assam, thousands of families share similar lives, devoted to their work in tea estates but with little claim to the land. These workers live in quarters granted only until retirement, generally at the age of 58, when age and exhaustion take their toll.
Aljen is determined to take his parents on a trip to Guwahati for the first time this Christmas—a small joy amid the daily struggles of tea garden life. Orangajuli Tea Estate, where Jhirgi works, is owned by Goodricke Group Limited, part of the UK-based Camellia PLC, the world’s largest private tea producer. Goodricke operates 12 tea estates across Assam, including 10 in the Brahmaputra Valley and two in the Barak Valley.
Shajid Khan is an independent journalist and law graduate based in Guwahati India with a decade of experience in field reporting. His works have appeared in The New York Times,The Telegraph,FirstPost SabrangIndia,Countercurrents.org among notable national and international publications. He can be reached at [email protected]
