Tea-tribes of Assam

Immigration into Assam

Tea garden workers immigrated into Assam in several phases from mid-nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century from the tribal heartland of central-eastern India.

The rising anti-British movements across the tribal and backward caste dominated Chottanagpur region(present day southern Jharkhand and northern Odisha) and scarcity of cheap labourers to work in the expanding tea industry of Assam led the British authorities to forcibly recruit Tribals and backward caste Hindus as indentured labourers to work in Assam's tea gardens. Thousands of those people recruited as labourers died of diseases during the journey to Assam, and hundreds were killed by the British authorities who tried to flee as punishment of breaching the contracts.

In 1841 first attempt was made by the Assam Company to recruit labourers. In this attempt 652 people were forcibly recruited but due to outbreak of cholera most of them died. Those who survived fled. In 1859 Workmen's Breach of Contract Act was passed. It rescued the tea planters from scarcity of labour by recruitment from outside Assam through contracts. 'Arakattis' or broker were appointed to recruit labour from outside. In 1870 'Sardari' System was introduced to recruit labours.

Conditions of recruitment of labour from Bengal and Bihar were inhuman. 'Arakattis' were resorted to several fraudulences practices and physical force. From 15 December 1859 to 21 November 1861, the Assam Company brought first batch of 2,272 recruits from outside. Out of 2,272 recruits 250 died on the way to Assam. From 2 April 1861 to 25 February 1862, 2,569 people were recruited and sent to Assam in two batches, through the Brahmaputra river route. During the journey 135 died and 103 absconded. Between 1 May 1863 and 1 May 1866, 84,915 labourers were recruited, but 30,000 died by June 1866. From 1877 to 1929, 419,841 recruits entered Assam as indentured labourers. It included 162,188 males, 119,582 females and 138,071 children. From 1938 to 1947, 158,706 recruits came to Assam. They were brought to Assam through three riverine routes, two through Brahmaputra and one through Surma. Debarken Depots were used to carry the bonded labours. Some of the Debarken Depots in the Brahmaputra were Tezpur, Silghat, Kokilamukh, Dibrugarh, etc. Debarken Depots in Surma (Barak) were Silchar, Katigorah (Vidhan Sabha constituency) Sylhet, Karimganj etc. Labours were brought in the ships, in a condition that was far worse than the animals. Steamers were overcrowded with recruits and it was highly unhygienic. This led to spread of Cholera among the labours and had taken heavy toll on the lives of labours in the journey.

Under the colonial rule of British

Newly immigrated tea garden workers at work in colonial Assam (1907)

After the journey their life in the tea gardens was also pathetic. Planters used to make barracks known as Coolie line for the labourer and these were overcrowded. "Coolie" was a term used by Tea garden authorities to denote Labourers (now considered derogatory by the community). In these barracks each tea garden labourer got hardly twenty five square feet of area for their personal use. Many of the tea gardens insisted on a morning master of the labours. They were not allowed to remain absent in their duty for a single day even when they were unwell. The Labourers did not enjoy any personal freedom at all. Even they were not allowed to meet labourer of another tea garden. Prior permission from the manager of the tea gardens was necessary for marriage of the labourers. In addition to emigrants labours, tea planters also forced labourers to increase the birth rate, so that each garden could garner enough labour force. Abortion was strictly prohibited.

The wages paid to labourers were also very poor. By paying very low wages the tea planters forced the whole of family members to work in the tea garden. From 1865-1881 men labourers were paid ₹5 per month and women ₹4 per month only. The situation remained same up to 1900. It was by an Act of 1901 wages increased to ₹5.5 for men, ₹4.5 for women and children remained same. Whereas, in the early 1880s an unskilled railway construction labourer earned ₹12 to 16 per month (3 times more than tea garden labour).

The tea garden labourers had to suffer from legal bondage. Their lives were governed by the Workmen's Breach of Contract Act (Act 3 of 1859). Under this act a labour was liable to prosecution, and even imprisonment for breach of contract. Inertia, refusal to work and desertion was equally punishable offence and for that they may be flogged physical torture and imprisoned under the various provision of this act. Flogging was common practice in the tea gardens. The then Chief Commissioner of Assam Fuller stated about the condition of labours, "...They were deprived of all their freedom and their derogatory conditions and atrocities remind one of the slave running in Africa and the global slave trade."

In addition to this the tea garden manager heaped severe atrocities on them for mere personal pleasure. A tea garden manager in Darrang district caught a boy, in his attempt of burglary, and he was beaten to death. His dead body was subsequently found with marks which showed that he had been most cruelly beaten. In Cachar district a boy was flogged to death only because he did not salute the European manager. The worst among such incident was the shoot-out and which killed a tea garden labourer by the European planter of the Kharial Tea Estate of Cachar in 1921 due to refusal of the said labour to provide his daughter as a concubine to the Planter for a night. Facing the atrocities many tea garden labourers often become insane. Lots of lunatic were kept in the jail set up at Tezpur, in 1876, for insane people.

Health conditions during colonial times

Thousands of labours died annually due to non-availability of Medical care as the medical system was very poor in the tea gardens of Assam. The gardens did not appoint any doctors. Though Colonial Government tried to bound the tea gardens to appoint, European Medical officers and send Health report to the Government regularly but tea gardens refused to accept it. Most of the gardens didn't have hospitals to treat the ill health labourers. Most of the gardens appointed some trained physicians called LMP (Learned Medical Practitioner) doctor only after 1889, when Berry White Medical School was set up at Barbari, Dibrugarh.

State of Education during colonial rule

Regarding schooling in the tea gardens areas a report was published by a European DPI in 1917-18 that as many as 2 lakhs children of school going age were there lie in the tea gardens of Assam but not even 2% were turned up for primary education. The numbers of the schools and students enrolment were in papers and files only. It is quite clear from the fact that in 1950 there were 5,00,416 numbers of children who could attend the lower Primary schools but there were only 29,361 children attended the primary schools. It was just meagre 6%. During the period 1946-50, there was only four college students from tea gardens. Number of students attended high schools, included M. E. schools, during this period was, Jorhat - 29, Dibrugarh - 15, Golaghat - 22, Titabor - 04, Nagaon - 10, Lakhimpur - 12, Tezpur - 41 and Mangaldai - 05.

The tea planters never encouraged education to garden labourers as it would prevent them from physical labor or may protest against exploitation. Even after the independence, the amount spend for tea garden education in the first five-year plan was just 0.26 million (2.6 lakhs) .i.e. not even ten paisa per tea garden labourer.

The medium of instruction had also created problems in the tea gardens. Different tribes and castes had their own language and literature in the school owing largely to their original places. In tea gardens, three languages were primarily spoken by the labours, viz. Santhali, Kurukh, Mundari. But commonly "Sadri" was used and outside the tea gardens they used to speak in Assamese language as a medium of communication. Therefore, Narayan Ghatowar, a prominent intellectual of the community advocated that Assamese be imparted in the schools only by "Sadri" knowing Teachers.

Participation in Indian Independence Movement

Though the community remained oppressed primary as a Plantation labourers, they still had the anti-colonial anti-British attitude alive in their mindset.

Noted Historian Amalendu Guha remarks, "Illiterate, ignorant, unorganised and isolated from their homes as they were, the plantation workers were weak and powerless against the planters". But still several times they tried to protest against the atrocities of the planters and Estate managers. For example, protest of 1884 in Bowalia T.E., Strike of Helem T.E. in 1921, etc. But most of them were ruthlessly suppressed. The tea garden labourers never got any form of help or encouragement from Upper Caste Hindu dominated Indian National Congress leaders of Assam. Congress leaders of Assam never tried to extend the course of the Indian Freedom Movement to the tea gardens instead in many cases they helped the planters to suppress the unrest or upsurge labourers of the tea gardens. A splendid example of this kind was the incident of the Kacharigaon T.E at 1921 in Sonitpur . At that time Non-Cooperation movement was going on against the British but the Congress leaders of Assam supported the British to quell the labour unrest, against the planter's atrocities. The Congress leaders through a telegram agreed to cooperate and in return British D.C. of Tezpur, Lainee arranged a tea party for the Congressmen for their help.

Another example of Congressmen apathy towards the community can be cited here. Arjun Ghatowar, "an ex-labourer" of Dibru-Darrang T.E. actively participated in Freedom Movement and used to visit Congress office at Dhekiajuli regularly. But Congressmen never encouraged him to organize the movement in the tea garden areas. Chanoo Kharia, who was the first matriculate from the community condemned the local caste Assamese speaking Hindus to treat the mostly Tea-tribe community as untouchable in a meeting in 1934.

Though they were neglected, numbers of persons from the community actively participated in the Indian Independence movement. Some of the names of the participants are, Gajaram Kurmi, Pratap Gond, Shamburam Gond, Mohanchal Gond, Jagamohan Gond, Bidesh Kamar Lohar, Ansa Bhuyan, Radhu Munda, Gobin Tanti, Ramsai Turi, Bishnu Suku Majhi, Bongai Bauri, etc. Some of the freedom fighters who became martyrs are Doyal Das Panika, Mongol Kurku, Tehlu Saora and Bankuru Saora. Malati Mem alias "Mangri" Oraon became the first ever woman martyr of Assam. The names of these tea garden labourers never got any importance in the histography, but as Guha quoted "it must be admitted that these Adivasis joined in the Indian Independence movement not because of the Assamese middle class, the Congress or the Assamese non-state organizations, but in spite of them."

Jhumur

Jhumur dance troupe

Jhumur is a form of dance performed by girls and boys together, or, sometimes by the girls alone, with precision of footwork while clasping tightly each other's waist. This dance form has its origin in the central Indian tribal dance forms prevalent in Jharkhand, Odisha, Jaipur and West Bengal brought by the community along with them into Assam.

Dhols, Mandars, and Kartals are the traditional musical instruments used during the dance for music. Usually, the traditional dress of red-bordered white saris are adorned by female dancers along with jewellery and ornaments before performing the dance. Male dancers wear dhotis and kurtas with white turbans on their head.

Demand of Scheduled Tribe status and other issues

The people of the community have been fighting for decades to receive Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, which is being denied to them in Assam although in other states of India their counterparts fully enjoy that status.

The community is composed of many large tribes who are original inhabitants of India like Munda, Santhal, Kurukh (Oraon), Gonds, Bhumij and dozen others who are being denied Scheduled Tribe status.

Assam is the only state in India where these aborigines have been denied ST status. This has given rise to identity politics among these people and different political parties are banking on this issue to get votes for decades during elections.

Now some of tribes of this community has started to demand ST status separately in order to fulfill the Constitutional criteria designating "Scheduled Tribe".

According to S.D. Pando, one of the three members of a panel set up by the Assam government to write an ethnographic report on the community, Among the 96 ethnic groups who are listed as 'Tea tribe' in Assam, 36 are recognised as ST, 27 as Scheduled caste and the rest are OBCs in other parts of India.

Numerous agitations and movements has been organised and are ongoing demanding ST status and most infamous of them was the Beltola incident of Guwahati happened on 24 November 2007 where public rape and killings in the daylight occurred which had rocked India particularly Assam.

Several peaceful protests and movements are now ongoing in demand of ST status and as a result, central government (NDA) elected in 2014 General Election has formed a task force to accord "Scheduled Tribe" status to at least 26 tribes of this community.

Increase in wage issue

Issue of wage is another issue gripping the majority members of this community. They are demanding increase in daily wages of tea garden workers of the state from existing daily wage of ₹94 ($1.5) to ₹350 ($5).

As cited, ₹94 as daily wage for tea garden workers did not fulfil the provisions of the Minimum Wage Act, 1948, as it is below the Assam government's prescribed minimum wage (₹169). Wages in tea gardens of Barak Valley is even more meagre (₹78 per day). And also according to the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, and Minimum Wage Act, 1948, costs associated with housing, medical and electricity could not be included as part of minimum wages.

Southern states of India has been successful in increasing daily wages of tea garden workers while maintaining the Industry profitable. The daily wage is ₹310 ($5) in Kerala.

It is estimated that 10 lakhs (1 million) labourers including casual workers working in over 850 tea gardens are deprived of their right of minimum wages in Assam.

Though recently in 2015 the wages of tea garden workers have improved considerably to ₹137 but it is still well below the ₹350 as demanded by the workers. The wages of tea garden labourers are revised every few years through agreements between the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA) and the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS). Tea Garden labourers of the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam get ₹137 as daily wage, but including statutory and non statutory benefits and other benefits, their daily wage is around ₹214 per day. They also get housing facilities from the tea garden managements and avail free medical benefits.

Struggles and Conflicts

Persecution of the community is mainly political and ethnic in nature. They are increasingly becoming the victims of volatile social and political situation in Assam. The violence upon the community has risen following the rise of ethnic nationalism and related militancy across the state and violent arising out of border disputes of Assam with other states. There were two ethnic clashes between Bodo and Adivasi during 1990s. Hundreds of people from both community were victim of those ethnic clashes. Thousands of people were made homeless by the clashes. According to Bodo leaders statement , It was a political conspiracy made by elite class to weaken Tribal Bodo movement. Now, Both community are living in harmony without any discrimination because both are backward community. For the development of future generation , They live in harmony with inter marriage and other social relations. But Arm conflict between NDFB - Army and NDFB - Adivasi Cobra Force^[3] make the community vulnerable to frequent violent attacks.

• In November 2007, five individuals lost their lives and at least 250 injured when a rally in demand of Scheduled Tribe status turned violent between the participants and locals in Guwahati, State capital of Assam. A teenage Tribal girl and a woman was molested in the daylight during the violence.^[4]
• Many living in the border areas of Sonitpur, and Lakhimpur districts has lost their lives during violence arising out of Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border dispute from 1992 to 2014 due to attacks by armed miscreants from the Arunachal Pradesh side.^[5]
• In October–November 2010, thousands of Tribals, including women and children, were forcefully evicted by Forest Department of Assam without prior notice from Lungsung forest area under Haltugaon Forest division in Kokrajhar district of Assam due to illegal encroachment of forest lands . The Forest department burnt down hundred of houses in 59 villages in Lungsung forest area during the eviction drive and perpetrated various atrocities on the villagers. About 1200 to 1400 families comprising over 7000 persons were rendered homeless.^[6]
• In August 2014, at least 10 Tribal villagers lost their lives and several injured near Uriamghat and Morangi in the district of Golaghat due to alleged attacks by armed Naga miscreants supported by NSCN militants. At least 10,000 people were displaced mostly Tribals following the attacks in Morangi, Golaghat district. Border dispute between Assam and Nagaland is cited as one of the reason for the attack.
• On 21 December 2014, Two NDFB(S) cadre were killed in an encounter. In retaliation , On 23 December 2014, 65 Tribal villagers lost their lives in the simultaneous attacks by NDFB(S) militants armed with AK 47/56 series weapons in the three districts of Sonitpur, Kokrajhar and Chirang in one of the worst massacre in the history of Northeast India. Among the dead were 18 children and 21 women. In retaliation, the Tea Tribe killed three Bodo people in a village near Behali in Sonitpur district and set fire on houses of Bodo People in phuloguri village. Further during the clash , Tea Tribe killed 14 Bodo People. The total death toll reached 85. Both communities burned houses and damaged properties at different parts of the state. The violence also spread to Udalguri district. Nearly 0.3 million people from both Tea-tribe and Bodo tribe got internally displaced due to retaliatory violence after the attacks. It led to widespread public protests across different parts of Assam in which again three tribal protesters lost their lives in police firing in Dhekiajuli. Widespread condemnation happened across the nation against the massacre. As a result, Indian Army launched "Operation All Out" to hunt down the NDFB(S) militants.^[7]