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For generations, people in Bangladesh's tea gardens have been known simply as 'tea workers.' However, behind this label lies a quiet crisis: the erosion of distinct languages, cultures, and identities, many now facing extinction. Despite the observance of International Indigenous Peoples' Day for 32 years, many tea garden workers remain unaware of its significance.

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We have forgotten our own ethnicity amid poverty and hardship. What is a day again? All days are the same for us.

Trapped in cycles of poverty and relentless labor, these workers have little time or means to focus on their ethnic identities. Visits to tea gardens in Sreemangal and Chanpur revealed workers toiling under harsh conditions, with many expressing that all days feel the same. "We have forgotten our own ethnicity amid poverty and hardship," said Goura Lohar, a worker at Chanpur tea garden. "What is a day again? All days are the same for us."

The struggle is not merely economic. Kasailla Ghatual, a worker for decades, earns a daily wage of Tk 187, which is insufficient for her family's basic needs. "I cannot eat two proper meals a day with my family," she said. "I dream of having a home of my own, but how is that possible on this income?" She, like many others, only knows of the day through street processions.

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I cannot eat two proper meals a day with my family. I dream of having a home of my own, but how is that possible on this income?

Nipen Paul, general secretary of the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, noted that decades of labor have not led to land ownership or improved living standards. "The tea industry has progressed, but workers' lives have changed very little," he stated. Liton Ganju pointed out that numerous lesser-known indigenous communities reside in the tea gardens, their languages and cultures at risk of disappearing due to a lack of recognition afforded to larger groups like the Manipuri, Khasia, or Garo.

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The tea industry has progressed, but workers' lives have changed very little.

Dilip Ranjan Kurmi, president of the Sylhet Tea Community Students Youth Welfare Council, emphasized that "tea worker" is a professional identity, not an ethnic one. He estimates the tea garden population at around 10 lakh. "Just as tea plants are not allowed to grow beyond a certain height, the lives of tea workers, too, are kept confined. We see the greenery of the gardens, but not the tears of the workers," he lamented. Language activist Samar M Soren added that the crisis extends beyond poverty to encompass language, culture, identity, and human rights, with younger generations rapidly losing native languages in favor of "Bagani Bhasha" or Sadri due to the lack of mother-tongue education.

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Just as tea plants are not allowed to grow beyond a certain height, the lives of tea workers, too, are kept confined. We see the greenery of the gardens, but not the tears of the workers.