State and Society in North-East India: A Study of Immigrant Tea Plantation Labourers

Tea is the green gold of Assam. The biggest producer of tea in India is Assam, whose share ranges between 53 to 60% of India’s total production. Assam alone produces approximately 29% of the world tea production. The tea Industry of North-East India including Assam employs nearly 7.4 lakh labourers and supports 9.47 lakh dependants. Tea industry is a labour-oriented industry which requires a large number of workers right from the nursery to the final dispatch of the produced tea for sale in the market. In the beginning of 19th century the demand of labourers was acute. The rapid development of the tea industry and reluctance of local people to work in the plantations compelled the British planters to import labourers from outside the state of Assam. With the passage of time the tea garden labourer community has developed a culture, which has been influenced by native culture of their new habitat. The present volume analyses the historical background of tea plantation including immigration of labourers. The socio-economic profile of the tea garden and ex-tea garden labourers of Assam highlighting the management of tea industry and its impact on politics, economy and society of the state are the prime focus of the book. This book is a carefully compiled edition on the analytical and comprehensive study of tea industry workers in the country.