Eriyum Panikadu: A Novel That Reveals the Dark Side of Tea Plantations in India
Eriyum Panikadu (Tamil: எரயம் பனக்கட, English: Red Tea) is a historical novel written by P.H. Daniel, a doctor who worked among the tea plantation workers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the early and mid 20th century. The novel exposes the brutal exploitation, oppression and discrimination faced by the workers, who were mostly Dalits and Adivasis, at the hands of the British colonialists and the Indian tea companies. The novel was first published in English in 1969 and later translated into Tamil by R. Murugavel in 2013.
The novel is based on the author's personal experiences and observations as a doctor and a social activist who fought for the rights and welfare of the tea plantation workers. He was one of the first to form a trade union for the workers and to expose the atrocities committed by the tea estate owners and managers. The novel depicts the harsh living and working conditions of the workers, who were subjected to low wages, long hours, physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition, disease, debt bondage and social stigma. The novel also portrays the resistance and struggle of the workers against their oppressors, as well as their culture, religion and aspirations.
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