Connemara Tea Factory, Kumily - Kerala

Connemara Tea Factory, Kumily

The Connemara Tea Factory was closed on Sunday, so I explored the tea plantations- a beautiful area that reminded me so much of my native estate of Minas Gerais in Brazil!

The workers had the day off. I saw the men playing cricket on the field as they waived for me to join them, probably for a chat, but I kept walking. As I passed in front of the houses, where the families live, the children playing outside tried the few sentences they knew in English on me: “What is your name, where are you from, do you have a pen?”...It is common in India for the children to make the first contact with foreigners. An invitation to have tea with the family usually follows, when the adults get into the scene.

I happily accepted the offer this time. It was a small but comfortable house where Prema lives with her husband and two-year old son. While I sipped a very sweet black tea, very similar to the hundreds of cups I drank in the Middle East, we broke the ice with the usual questions: family, age, religion. Then we took pictures.

All the young adults work-the women pick tea leaves and the men work at the factory, taking care of the plantation and construction. Each person makes 130 rupees a day for seven hours work (about 3 dollars.) Each woman picks about 80-100 pounds of tea leaf a day (about 25 pounds of tea after processing.) They have free housing and subsidized health care. Their extensive cable TV cost them 100 rupees a month (it must be subsidized) and the TV itself cost 7000 rupees (about US150), probably their most expensive possession. That is a good price though – it is a really nice TV. I got a sense that they are very happy and don't seem to think they lack anything. On Tuesday I went back to visit the factory and bring the prints I had made for Prema's family.

During my tour of the factory, I learned that only the young tea leaves are used – from seven to fifteen days old. The processing consists of weatherizing (taking about 20% of the moisture out), then crushing, cleaning and finally oxidation, with is done with hot air and water mist blowing into the crushed leaves. After oxidation, the tea is separated into fine, extra fine and thicker. The majority of the tea consumed in India is black and made with milk, sugar and sometimes with spices (masala tea.) But black tea without sugar seems to be healthier, containing vitamins, low caffeine level which is good for blood circulation, even fluoride which is good for the teeth. At least that is what the guide told me.

After my tour of the factory I found Prema picking tea leaves with her colleagues. She was very happy to see the pictures I brought her and asked me to take more pictures of her, her friends and me. It was almost time for her lunch break so I followed her to her home for another cup of black tea while she had lunch with her husband and mother.

I am happy I was able to share a few moments with Prema and some of her friends. I will be sending them more photos by mail. These are probably the only pictures they will have of themselves on the tea plantation!