The Swaying Greenery

Assam is famous in the world map for its popular tea culture. Assam tea, which I was talking about in my previous post is known for its aroma, briskness and strong colour. It is produced not only for the Indian sub-continent but is also served in the breakfast tables of countries all over the world. 

It is believed that tea was brought to Assam by the Bodo Tribe for their own use. It is said that during 1823, the British government introduced it for commercial purpose. They learned the method of tea production from China and they hired people from Orissa and Bihar for human resource.

A woman worker plucking tea leaves

More than half of the tea produced in India comes from the land of Assam, which is sold after the auction that takes place in the centre in Guwahati. Assam accommodates more than 850 tea estates and more than 2500 tea gardens which covers thousands of acres of land. Most of the tea estates are found in Jorhat which is 'the Tea Capital of the world'. It is a real pleasure to walk through the alleys of these gardens as the workers carefully pick-out the right 'threesome' (called 'eti-koli-duti-paat' in Assamese) which means 'two leaves and a bud', collecting them in a huge basket that they carry on their back.