Assam is a state in India that borders 2 countries,Bhutan and Bangladesh, and six other states.
Borders means susceptibility to illegal immigration, and so a heavy military presence is evident wherever we travel in Assam.
Assam is famous for its tea, and there are 5 types of tea (assam, darjeeling, nilgiri, earl grey and mystery tea) grown on thousands of gardens with more than 70,000 laborers working on them.
If you've ever had a cup of tea, it's most likely that it has come from a tea garden in Assam.
On the surface, tea gardens seem like tranquil places of serenity and peace. I mean, all the greenery of the tea leaves, trees gently swaying in the wind, leaf pickers calmly going about their business, who would ever think otherwise? In fact, I'm told that tourists and visitors to Assam are encouraged to visit a tea garden where they can sip on a nice cup of tea, enjoy the views and learn about the seemingly innocent process of making tea. Beneath the surface however, a dark truth lies of cohesion, bonded labour and unbelievable sub standards of living. We learn that on a large garden approximately 15,000 - 20,000 laborers who are born into generations of slavery on these lands work just to keep the house they are given in the family. By house, I mean a bamboo shack covered with mud. They live in colonies on the property of the gardens, placed close enough to work efficiently but far enough so no unsuspecting eye can see the truth. Trafficking doesn't happen so much into the tea gardens but out of them is a common occurrence, with 40% of these gardens trafficking hundreds of children out a year.
Children don't go to school, and malnutrition is so rampant, it's evident when we take a walk around the gardens and we come across a group of the residents, the children are half naked, unwashed and their small stomachs are extremely bloated - a sure sign of malnutrition and worms.
We then meet a small boy, who couldn't have been older than 8 who had a wrap securely tied around him. Upon closer inspection I can see that it's a baby, who looks only a few weeks old, extremely small, skinny and dehydrated sleeping in his brothers arms. I ask the boy where his mother is and he tells me she's at work so he must care for his brother. My heart sank and I had to turn away with a tear in my eye. Its an image I will remember for the rest of my life.
For your reference...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam
http://nehu-economics.info/PhD-Synopsis/g-sarma-synopsis.pdf
http://tehelka.com/mayhem-in-the-tea-garden/
Borders means susceptibility to illegal immigration, and so a heavy military presence is evident wherever we travel in Assam.
Assam is famous for its tea, and there are 5 types of tea (assam, darjeeling, nilgiri, earl grey and mystery tea) grown on thousands of gardens with more than 70,000 laborers working on them.
If you've ever had a cup of tea, it's most likely that it has come from a tea garden in Assam.
On the surface, tea gardens seem like tranquil places of serenity and peace. I mean, all the greenery of the tea leaves, trees gently swaying in the wind, leaf pickers calmly going about their business, who would ever think otherwise? In fact, I'm told that tourists and visitors to Assam are encouraged to visit a tea garden where they can sip on a nice cup of tea, enjoy the views and learn about the seemingly innocent process of making tea. Beneath the surface however, a dark truth lies of cohesion, bonded labour and unbelievable sub standards of living. We learn that on a large garden approximately 15,000 - 20,000 laborers who are born into generations of slavery on these lands work just to keep the house they are given in the family. By house, I mean a bamboo shack covered with mud. They live in colonies on the property of the gardens, placed close enough to work efficiently but far enough so no unsuspecting eye can see the truth. Trafficking doesn't happen so much into the tea gardens but out of them is a common occurrence, with 40% of these gardens trafficking hundreds of children out a year.
Children don't go to school, and malnutrition is so rampant, it's evident when we take a walk around the gardens and we come across a group of the residents, the children are half naked, unwashed and their small stomachs are extremely bloated - a sure sign of malnutrition and worms.
We then meet a small boy, who couldn't have been older than 8 who had a wrap securely tied around him. Upon closer inspection I can see that it's a baby, who looks only a few weeks old, extremely small, skinny and dehydrated sleeping in his brothers arms. I ask the boy where his mother is and he tells me she's at work so he must care for his brother. My heart sank and I had to turn away with a tear in my eye. Its an image I will remember for the rest of my life.
For your reference...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam
http://nehu-economics.info/PhD-Synopsis/g-sarma-synopsis.pdf
http://tehelka.com/mayhem-in-the-tea-garden/
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