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In Ella, in the Badulla district of Sri Lanka, tea plantations stretch across dozens of square kilometres. Tea is one of the country's most important exports. Its cultivation was introduced by the British, who ruled the island between 1782 and 1948. Ceylon tea is rightly famous worldwide. The fresh shoots are harvested in the morning before the intense heat of the day sets in. Nevertheless, the work is hard and is mainly done by Tamil women. Most Tamils in Sri Lanka come from southern India; their ancestors were brought to the island by the British to establish the tea plantations. - 1990

The Tamil women from Ella return to the village after the tea harvest, their hats (back baskets) worn with headbands filled to the brim. During the harvest, the women place the long pole horizontally on the tea bush as a measuring stick: the young shoots and leaves that protrude above it are picked. - 1990