New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 41

New World Outlook

SUMMER 2017

magine that you are in the most
beautiful island on the planet-
Sri Lanka-a nation that has a
long history and rich cultures, but
one that has been devastated by ethnic war for three decades and is now
recovering as a reconciled nation. Sri
Lanka became an independent nation
state in 1948, following autonomy
for India, its northern neighbor. The
first European power to exercise its
influence on Sri Lanka was Portugal
in 1505. In 1658, the Dutch displaced
the Portuguese from Sri Lanka, and
were in turn displaced by the British
in 1796. In 1815, the British took possession of the whole island and governed until its independence.
Currently, about 22 million people live in Sri Lanka. Reconstruction,
peace, harmony, and coexistence are
the words of the people's rediscovered vocabulary. Sri Lanka is famous
for its scenic natural beauty-flora,
fauna, mountains, reservoirs, temples, beaches-and for its religiosity
and hospitality. It's cultural diversity
and ancient histories have amazed
generations of both admirers and
explorers.
Perhaps Ceylon tea is Sri Lanka's
most famous icon of all; a variety that
has magnetically attracted communities of tea drinkers around the globe,
including fans in the United States.
In fact, the British used the name
"Ceylon" to refer to the country of
Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is also a country of living
world faiths: Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam and Christianity. Theravada
Buddhists are the majority. None
could easily bypass the almost religious fervor with which Sri Lankans
play and watch the sport of cricket, and Sri Lanka's high literacy rate
(92.6 percent) is another point of
pride. Yet in the midst of this, the
moment a sojourner crosses borders
to the margins in Sri Lanka, she can

The Rev. Devadasan Sengan picks tea in the Nuwara Eliya region. He grew up in an estate
community and is now a Methodist minister working for the Estate Communities
Empowerment Mission, established in 2012 by the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka (ECEM).
PHOTO: ESTATE COMMUNITIES EMPOWERMENT MISSION

hear a story of one of the most oppressed, yet resilient, communities
on Earth: the estate community. This
is a missional invitation to hear the
story of the women and men behind
your cup of tea.

Tea Bushes Cry With You

Sellamma is a mother of five children who lives in the estate slums
of Nuwara Eliya. Two of her children
attend a nearby government school
and the other three stay at home.
She begins her day around 4.30 a.m.
preparing Roti, a bread, and Sambal,
a chili sauce, for her children and disabled husband before she leaves to
pick tea leaves on the estate. She
works 12 to 14 hours a day for only
350 rupees, which is less than $2.50
in US dollars. To receive this payment, Sellamma must pick 15 kilograms (approximately 7 pounds) of
tiny tea leaves in a day. A cup of tea
at a café in the city of Atlanta costs
about $3.00 US.
Sellamma's daughter, Selvi, was in
7th grade when she wrote this poem
for her teacher:

All About My Mother

Amma, Amma you are great,
May Lord Shiva give you shakthi
(strength)
I always wonder at and admire
your tears
Do not worry, tea bushes cry with
you
You love them, they hear your cry
and share your tears
Nandri (thank you) tea bushes for
your tears
Sharing with my Amma
Selvi's poetic words disturb us,
but here emerges "a cry from tea
bushes"-a theology and mission
from the margins. This is an invitation to listen, with theological humility, to the voice and struggles, hopes
and dreams of plantation/estate communities in Sri Lanka, the most marginalized communities on this island
nation. They are hard working women
and child laborers at the very bottom
of the estate social pyramid, the margins outside the margins.
The estate community's historic
roots trace back to India. Tea pickers

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open