Research Radio Ep 6: Why Do Colonial Forms of Exploitation Continue in Indian Tea Plantations?

In this episode, we speak to Virginius Xaxa about tea plantations and how workers unionised for humane working conditions.

Waking up and brewing a cup of tea, according to your preference of ginger, cardamom, amongst other spices, or stopping by your regular chai stall are a few of the ways Indians drink tea every day. Across regions, religions, caste, class and gender, Indians love to drink tea. India is the second-largest producer of tea in the world, and most of it is consumed domestically.

Researcher Virginus Xaxa shares with us how tea was introduced under the colonial state, how workers were recruited, how they have consistently struggled for humane working conditions, and much more.

The insights he will share are based on an article he published in the EPW on 16 November 2019 titled “Need for Restructuring the Tea Plantation System in India.”

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Audio courtesy: Free Music Archive/Night Owl by Broke For Free [CC BY 3.0]

Image courtesy: Gulal Salil

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