Brewing dreams: the untold story behind every cup of tea - GetBengal Story
Tea is something more than a drink for us—it is a way of being. From the first sip of the day to the last cup before sleep, tea will be by our side like a friend. In Bengal, cha is all emotion, memory, and poetry; it is abundant in our adda, and in our mornings, and even in our art. There have been Bengali songs, poems, and stories that have created narratives of tea and the tea gardens. From delightfully happy jingles to mournful ballads, tea has found a way to find a home in our hearts. But behind the taste of warmth and comfort there is a bitter reality—a haunting tale of labor, suffering, and possibility.
The tea tree planting process is extensive and rather arduous. It involves starting from a newborn seed, sowing it in a nursery, nurturing baby tea plants for years, and providing care, shade, and lots of attention. Once only 1 to 2 years old, the process of harvesting a delicate tea leaf is substantially underway. The hardest work begins. Mostly women, tea workers hike in steep hills or muddy fields picking tea leaves from early morning to sunset. They carry heavy baskets on their backs and do this all day long in the rain and cold or in the hot sun. Every fistful of tea they collect is soaked with their sweat and patience.
After gathering the leaves, they are sent to factories, and the leaves go through several processes, withering, rolling, fermenting, drying, and sorting. Each process creates a unique flavour and aroma for the tea. The tea is then packed and shipped all over the world, and into homes where people can enjoy a relaxing cup - unaware of the toil behind the effort.
The tea workers live in small houses near the gardens. Their lives are tough, but their hearts are full of spirit. They celebrate their own festivals like Tusu Parab, Magh Bihu, and Karam Puja, where they sing and dance to traditional songs. Yet, their songs also carry pain. Old folk songs like “Chol Mini Assam Jabo” speak about the suffering of tea garden labourers — how women were taken from their villages with dreams of a better life, only to face endless toil and cruelty in the gardens of North Bengal and Assam. Another song, “Chaa Baganer Gaan…” also tells of their hardship and helplessness.
Even today, workers in the tea garden are exploited. They have long hours of work and earn a meager wage, often much less than they earn from their hard work. Many have no access to health care, schools, or sanitation facilities. Eventually, when it gets to be too much, people come together and display their anger in protest. There have been many instances of strikes throughout the tea gardens of North Bengal, particularly in the Dooars and Darjeeling. The workers have demanded fair wages, housing, and health care. Their demonstrations, signs, and marches ranged from an outward expression of anger to hope — hope that one day their children will have a better life.
The tea tree planting process is extensive and rather arduous. It involves starting from a newborn seed, sowing it in a nursery, nurturing baby tea plants for years, and providing care, shade, and lots of attention. Once only 1 to 2 years old, the process of harvesting a delicate tea leaf is substantially underway
There have been the beginnings of change amongst tea companies, but that is slow work. The workers continue to pluck, pack, and smile, preserving the tradition of tea throughout history.
The next time you sip tea, please stop for a moment. Consider the trillions of hands that contributed to you being able to have tea in your cup. Think about the women who, at dawn, walk through the misty hills, their laughter mixing with the sound of rustling leaves, their songs filled with the grief and pride of preceding generations. Behind your cup of tea is always a story: a “journey” filled with struggle and courage, but above all else, dreams of a better life that are never lost. Tea is not just a beverage — it is the pulse of Bengal’s soil infused with sweat, love, and perseverance. Each drop teases out the warmth of possibilities and flavoured with resilience — that is the true flavour of life itself.
