Tea Plantation Communities in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is one of the largest exporters of tea in the world. In 1824 tea was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British. By the 1880’s tea plantation workers were brought to Sri Lanka from India to fulfill the growing demands of this labour-intensive industry. The plantation companies have been historically responsible for providing basic amenities for the workforce: housing, water, education and healthcare. Many generations later, these communities still live in the same dwellings, called “line-homes,” that the British had built for their forebears. “You can live here as long as you want, even your children,” tells a current resident. Although the Sri Lankan law finally granted plantation workers full citizenship rights in 2003, issues of land ownership, access to educational opportunities, and wage disparity remain visible constraints in these communities.
This photo series, however, is not an inquiry about these concerns at large—it is a portrait of the people, land, and faith that have been the lifeblood of a global industry.
Break of day at a tea plantation in Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Tea factory, Dickoya, Sri Lanka. Most of these factories are over a century old, some built by the British, and still in continuous operation today
Tea plantation housing project, Hatton, Sri Lanka
Elizabeth Suppaiya holding a photograph of her children
Elizabeth Suppaiya poses for a portrait. Elizabeth works as the caretaker of the Anglican Chirst Church Warleigh in Dickoya, Sri Lanka
A Hindu shrine built alongside the road, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
M. Thanapalan, tea plantation supervisor, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
R. Mugam, a tea plantation worker, poses for a portrait with her child
A funeral service, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Family, friends and relatives at a traditional Hindu funeral service in Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Tombstone, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Two females at a Hindu temple during service, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
A family of worshipers at a Hindu temple, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Tea leaves are picked by hand. Most of the tea pluckers are woman
A lorry which is used for transporting tea, Hatton, Sri Lanka
Tea plantation and a housing project seen in the distance, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Hindu shrine in a tea plantation housing project, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
A “Tuk tuk” taxi parked outside a plantation home. Owning and operating a taxi service is a more desirable means of employment over continuing the generational tradition of working in the tea industry
Daycare center, Dickoya, Sri Lanka. Daycare services are provided free of charge by the tea plantation company for its employees
A game of soccer at a tea plantation housing project, Hatton, Sri Lanka
Children at school on a Sunday taking a practice quiz in preparation for an upcoming examination. Wanarajah lower division Tamil school, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
A graveyard amidst the tea plantations, Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Historical photograph of a Sri Lankan plantation community