Busy As A Bee

We'd gone sightseeing to a nearby hill-station called Darjeeling, perhaps you've heard of it or better still been there yourself.

There is this place where the "toy train" stops for a while and you can get a few good pictures. We didn't travel by train but we hoped we would be able to see it at the loop. The train, we were told, had left just a couple of minutes before we'd arrived there which was unfortunate.

Anyway what caught my eye was this lady there picking something off the sides of the wall (if you can call it that). She seemed like she'd been there for quite a while and so I wondered if she'd been working when the train passed behind here, which would have been dangerous, in my opinion. Then again, these people on the hills are sure-footed.

The Details

Ever heard the saying "The Devil Is In The Details". It's quite a common saying/quote and a good one at that too.

On my birthday we went to Darjeeling with a visitor and went to this Tibetan Refugee Center. They used to have all kinds of awesome handicrafts but this time they seemed to have closed down quite a few workshops.

There was only one lady painting and she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even look up at us when we entered to watch her.

The work that she was doing was so detailed that I'm sure I would mess up on the first stroke itself. She had to paint in colour over a previously painted (by her, I think) pattern. We just stood there admiring her work. It was amazing!

I was really disappointed with the SX50 HS this time. It's low light performance is absolutely horrible. The noise is terrible! Even in a RAW file the noise is a BIG problem even if it was shot at ISO 80. Bring up the shadows and you have noise that you can't get rid of even if you crank the noise reduction all the way up!

Other than that I like it but I'm still waiting to get a DSLR that doesn't have a massive problem with noise or low-light situations.

Six Days You Shall Labour

Today's post is like a "Part 2" in that it is like a continuation of yesterday's post.

I got today's title from Exodus 20:9 which says, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work."
I found this to be apt for these tea garden workers because they work really really hard six days a week. They get only one day a week off which is usually Saturday.

I do fell sorry for them because they are not really paid well. As I mentioned yesterday some are paid a little over a dollar per day and others depending on how much they can pluck. Even if they are able to pluck a lot the rate per kilogram is still low.

I've had a few interactions with these people and they are really cheerful and even though they have large families they try and send each on of their children to school. Unfortunately some drop out of school and work as child labourers.

Remember who I said yesterday that I didn't want to anger their supervisor? Well turns out he is a really talkative man. He saw me taking pictures and started walking towards me. His eyes never left me. He stopped me as I was leaving and asked me why I was taking pictures. When I said it was a hobby he didn't say much else but then went on to ask me about 50 questions about various schools in the city. He took away more than 15 minutes of my time. Thankfully I made the best of the awkward silence that soon followed and took off on my bicycle :D

Anyway here is another picture of a lady plucking tea leaves. Notice the large heavy sac-type bag on her back. This is where she collects the plucked leaves.

I'm sure you are totally bored by now so I'll leave it at that.
Have a great day folks and enjoy the last day of the month.

In All Labour There Is Profit

If you've been following this blog you'll know that I occasionally go on bicycle rides and take pictures. I usually take pictures of birds, animals, plants...nature in general because I choose to go at a time when most people are away at work or are having lunch at home or are taking a siesta.

There is a tea garden on my usual route and usually there is no one there working so I was surprised when I saw these women (and some men) plucking tea leaves. Yes, this is indeed the first step before the leaves are processed and this isn't as easy as it looks.

Usually it is the women who pluck leaves and the men work inside the factory or as manual labourers elsewhere. The only man you will usually see at a tea garden is the supervisor or a photographer like me. Plucking tea leaves is an art in itself. You can't pluck any leaf on the tree (yes, they are called tea "trees"). I'm pretty sure they pluck only the tender leaves. I know this because I once did a project for school on the process of making tea.

These women (and the occasional male member) really go through a tough time. They have to work really hard in the sweltering heat and even when it rains. They wear about four thick layers of clothes from the waist down (including a plastic sheet) to protect themselves for the various dangerous creatures that lurk in these plantations. I can't even begin to imagine how hot they must feel. They do all this for really really low wages - most are paid a little more than a dollar per day! Some are paid according to the amount they pluck. The leaves are weighed and then the pay decided at the end of the day.

One fact of note is that they work with complete focus. There is very little interaction except during breaks or when they see a weirdo like me pulling out a camera. They noticed me from afar. I stood at a distance taking pictures and when they noticed me they came together and started pointing at me and talking and smiling. I didn't want to get too close because the supervisor was nearby and I didn't want to irritate him.

Today's title is a quote from the Bible. It is taken from Proverbs 14:23 which says "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury."

Have a great day :)