Say Cheers with a Cup of Tea This Women's Day!!!
It is said that women are the embodiment of God. The ability to preserve life and nurture it is very much a manifestation of the powers held by the Almighty. On this Women’s Day, we would like to show our appreciation for the women in our lives. You see women have always influenced us as a society. Be it our mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and friends, we have all witnessed their special powers. The greatest of these powers being the ability to give birth to life. Yes, life. The greatest gift of all and this was given to us by women. So this is our way of thanking them for not only giving life to us but also for making our lives more special and enriched.
Coming to the point of having our lives enriched by women, have you ever thought about one of life’s simplest pleasures called tea? Tea my dear friends, is one beverage that can rejuvenate our dreary spirits like no other. Imagine this, a hot cup of tea prepared by our mothers, daughters or wives and served to us at the end of a long day of work. The thought itself refreshes you doesn’t it? Well, just like many of life’s simple pleasures, tea is a seemingly simple beverage to prepare and yet it has a long story behind its journey from the tea plantations to your cup. Let us look at the Tata Tea Plantation in Munnar for example. One of the processes in the production is the process of plucking the tea leaves from the tea plants. This job is an extremely delicate job and it is one that has been traditionally entrusted to women. The women employees of the estate are experts in this delicate procedure and work efficiently to pluck the leaves. A typical day for one of these women begins at 8 o’ clock after they have completed their household chores. They pluck the tea leaves till 12 o’clock in the afternoon and continue from 1 o’clock until 5 in the evening. All this is done under the watchful eye of the estate supervisor who with his big burly mustache, half trousers and wooden cane is quite a sight to behold amidst the lush green slopes of the tea plantation. The tea leaves take about five days to grow back once they have been plucked and the women are so efficient that they find their way back to the newly budding leaves just in time. After the day is over the women head back home to their settlements which may be small but well maintained and provided by the Tata Tea management. These women together, are also strong as a community. A group or community of such women workers who formed the Penpillai Orumai which recently fought for improved wages and working conditions in the tea estates.
These women workers are a testament to the fine tasting tea that comes from the region of Munnar. It is their hard work that enables us to enjoy that warm cup of tea on a rainy day. Their days and lives revolve around the estate and its lush green slopes. So the next time your wife or mother makes you a hot cup of tea, remember that the cup you hold in your hands is the result of the toil and dedication of many a ‘delicate’ yet ‘firm’ hand.