A spoon of tea leaves and the sweat it breeds to fulfill needs.

​In West Bengal, Luksan is the largest tea estate named Luksan tea estate, where hundreds of women work picking tea leaves. An unforgettable journey got me there as a part of the story Out of Eden Walk for National Geographic magazine. The factory manager and his family graciously welcomed our team of three. We were aware of the concerning wages and work hours and were curious to know more from the women themselves. When our host accompanied us into the 938.15 hectares of tea estate, we drove in a jeep. We'd see women picking, sprouting lighter green parts of the tea bush on every rocky, muddy path we went into. They wore a bag that hung around their head where they would gently drop the leaves. If one looked closer, the long sleeves of their shirt would have hues of green from the picking. ''We wake up by 4 am to do household chores and pack our lunch since we need to report at 7 am, and our lunch break is from 12 to 12:45 pm. We earned 2000 INR in 15 days and a bonus in March," said Sangeetha, 24, who works at the tea estate. At one of the first stops we made, a distinct memory of an older lady in their community caught my eye. Hers called out to me, so I walked up to her and smiled. She smiled back with glittery eyes. Trying to speak with her while getting no reply but a smile. After asking one of her co-workers why she wouldn't talk, they replied, "She has a speech disability." I followed up by asking what her name was. They said they did not know and that she lived alone.

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We spent a few days following our group of women among many groups. Each day we would find depth in the story. While reluctantly making more conversations with the rest of the women, who would then go on to reply with giggles and expressions. Anitha,30, said, " They are all shy and won't talk since they know nothing about the world outside. They don't go outside of the Tea estate and regular life." Referring to the monotony of their life. She could write the name of her district in English, which she proudly did in the notebook.

The tea bush have their first flush in March, for which they get a bonus; here, you can see them waiting their turn to weigh the leaves. For the rest of the flushes, they make about 172 INR per day, about 3000 INR a month. Women here work long hours for less pay while keeping a cheerful atmosphere as they pick the leaves. Women with young children make small temporary shelter under trees to which they tie sarees to make cradles. The children are cared for by designated women who cradle the baby to sleep and soothe them when needed.