Cycling

The area around Srimangal is one of the best in Bangladesh for cycling. Despite the rolling terrain, the roads are reasonably level, so even the ubiquitous one-speed Chinese bike can be used. Certainly the Bangladeshis find the hills no trouble for cycling.

There's an intricate network of roads connecting all the tea estates to the main highways. Only the major routes are tarred or bricked, but even the numerous dirt roads are, by necessity, in good condition so that the tea can be easily transported to market.

Most tea estates have guest lodges for friends, relatives and visitors from Dhaka. If you show up at a tea estate in the afternoon, you'll be such a novelty that if you ask for a room for the night, chances are they may be only too happy to oblige. If not, you can try the next tea estate down the road. There are so many tea estates all over the area that your chances of getting a room for the night are good. Cycling around here could well be your most enjoyable time spent in Bangladesh.

Tea Gardens & Tea Estates

Tea production in Bangladesh dates from 1857, when Malnicherra Tea Estate, just north of Sylhet, was set up by the British. The tea grew well here and by the end of the century there were some 150 tea estates, almost all under British ownership. Approximately the same number exists today, but since independence, only 48% are British-owned. The rest mainly belong to wealthy Bangladeshis and, to a lesser extent, the government's Tea Board. In some cases, British companies, most notably Finlays and Duncan, manage the estates but are not themselves the owners.

When the British began growing tea in Sylhet, they didn't bother training the indigenous people. Rather, they brought over experienced Indian labourers, mainly from tea estates in Bihar, Orissa and Bangla (West Bengal). Today, virtually all of the labourers, or 'coolies', are descendants of these original Hindus, living in colonies established by those first brought here. Small Hindu shrines are a common feature of tea estates with worker colonies.

Each estate provides an elementary school (and a doctor). Since many of the estates are in remote locations, few of the workers' children are able to go beyond the primary grades. However, the tea workers have the only trade union in Bangladesh that effectively bargains with management, so their contracts often include special privileges, such as a festival allowance. New Year's Eve is one of the most festive times, in part because the tea season is over. The Hindu religion does not ban alcohol and many workers get a bit tipsy at festival time. Several private 'clubs' outside Srimangal cater to the owners and managers year round. Faced with these long-standing traditions, the government looks the other way.

Generally even the smallest estates are at least a thousand hectares. Because each requires its own processing plant, a sizeable production is necessary to be profitable. Most estates have excess land from which timber can be sold in bad years to generate a profit.

The trees can last for 80 years, but they are usually replaced after 50. Since the mid-1980s, production has increased significantly with a new dwarf variety of tea plant that allows the trees to be planted much closer together. Bangladeshi tea is a black variety of ordinary quality and is mainly combined with teas that must be blended, such as Kenyan tea. Virtually all of it is sold by auction companies in Chittagong and shipped to Europe to be mixed. It ends up mostly in lower-end markets, typically Eastern Europe, Russia and parts of the Middle East.

If you come to Srimangal or Sylhet, visiting a tea estate is a must. The colourfully dressed female pickers are a picturesque sight, and a tour of the factory can be fascinating. The equipment in some of these factories is very old. Some of it is even the original machinery. However, don't make the mistake of touring on a Friday, the day of rest, or visiting between mid-December and the 1st of March, as everything will be at a standstill. The picking season is during the rainier months from early March to early December and the factories are in full operation.