Hardships of Udalguri Tea Garden Workers: Sacrifices, Dreams Deferred, and the Quest for a Better Life

A Correspondent

TANGLA: Amid the sprawling tea gardens of Udalguri mostly located in the foothills of Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan where every picked leaf finds its way to tea cups across the world, lies a hidden story—a tale of untold sacrifices, missed dreams, and simple joys deferred. The tea workers and their ancestors turmoiling through the thick and thins since the pre-independence era bear more than baskets of tea leaves; they carry the weight of generations who have laboured tirelessly, yet often remain veiled by the tea connoisseur and tea lovers. Quinquagenarian plucker Jhirgi Tanti Loha beating all odds with a basic remuneration of Rs 250 per day at the Goodricke-owned Orangajuli Tea Estate in Udalguri have sacrificed her dreams and aspirations to convent educate her three children amongst which the elder have post-graduated and the other two being in their high school. “Pata tula bohut dig-dari” (Plucking leaves is very difficult), said Jhirgi Tanti Loha, especially during the rains when slippery paths and cold, damp conditions make the job even tougher. For many like Jhirgi life has unfolded within the garden’s boundaries, without even a day’s break to explore the world beyond. In an conversation with this correspondent, Jhirgi when asked if  she have ever visited nearby cities like Guwahati or Tezpur with  a smile, she recalled visiting Tezpur when bus fares were just Rs15 from Udalguri ; today, the journey would cost Rs. 200—an expense she and countless others can hardly justify. “They have sacrificed their life to ensure our secured future ,” said the elder son of Jhirgi, Aljen Anthony a post graduate.

In Udalguri, there are numerous families like Jhirgi. Despite spending lifetimes in the gardens, working hard from dawn to dusk, many workers are deprived of land rights and live in quarters which they can enjoy till their retirement at the age of 58 when the age and weariness take their toll. “My parents have never been to state capital of Guwahati. I am determined to make their maiden trip to Guwahati, before Christmas which will be a moment of joy amid the daily struggles in tea gardens,” Aljen Anthony the elder son of Jhirgi added.

Pertinently, Orangajuli Tea Estate is a garden owned by tea giant Goodricke Group Limited, an India-based tea producing company headquartered in West Bengal. It is a part of the Camellia PLC UK – the world’s largest private sector tea producer. The company has a total of 12 tea gardens in Assam with 10 in the Brahmaputra Valley and two in the Barak Valley.

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