Deceived Dreams: Shedding Light On The Silent Voices Of Tea Garden Labours'

Abstract

The continuous migration process in Assam and throughout India is not a new phenomenon. Migration has always occurred throughout India, in different regions at different times, even before the arrival of the British. Assam and North East India can be identified as the main centers of migration compared to other parts of India, as these regions are home to various ethnic groups. Of those communities, the tea community of Assam is regarded as an essential component of the state's culture and economy, but their ancestry is linked to an intriguing history of migration. Tea was originally found in the Brahmaputra Valley by British merchant Robert Bruce before the British East India Company annexed Assam. A commercial tea plantation was established in 1833 following the company's annexation of Assam. Thousands of laborers from north India were brought in by British tea planters to plant tea commercially in upper Assam. Thus began the importation of laborers into Assam, whose numbers progressively increased annually. The bulk of laborers in Assam were brought in by European tea planters through the use of middlemen and false promises. Thousands of them perished on their way to Assam and the rest of them were subjected to Planters' atrocities and inhumane treatment. This paper primarily examines the history of Assamese tea labor migration and its impact on the state's economy and society.