Guwahati, April 1 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a tea garden in the Dibrugarh district of Assam, a region heading to polls, on Wednesday, where he plucked tea leaves along with female workers.
Modi asserted that tea is the "soul of Assam," and described his visit to the estate, where he plucked the leaves and placed them in a traditional basket, as a "memorable experience."
The PM also interacted with the female workers, who helped him learn how to pluck tea leaves.
He also referred to one of the female workers, dressed in traditional white and red-bordered sarees, as his "guru."
"Tea is the soul of Assam! Tea from here has made its way across the world. This morning in Dibrugarh, I visited a tea garden and interacted with the women working there. It was a very memorable experience," Modi posted on X.
He shared photographs and a video of his visit to the Manohari estate.
The PM was seen walking along with 19 female workers and plucking tea leaves as instructed by the laborers.
"Today, in a tea garden in the morning in Dibrugarh, one gets a glimpse of the culture of the tea garden families. Their contribution to Assam's progress is unparalleled," he said.
In another post on the social media platform, Modi said, "We are very proud of the efforts of each and every tea garden family. Their hard work and perseverance have enhanced Assam's pride."
He also asked the women if their children were studying, and they replied in the affirmative.
Responding to a query from the Prime Minister about whether their children were involved in sports, the female labourers said that several of their children were interested in playing football.
"The women at the tea garden in Dibrugarh sang a song, which pays homage to 'Jagat Janani Maa'. It is amazing how they remain so connected with their culture and roots," the PM said.
In response to a question by Modi on what the women workers usually cook during the Bihu festival, they replied that they usually make 'Til and ghila pithas' (rice cakes with sesame seeds) along with 'hando guri' (roasted rice powder).
Modi also told them that he was a 'chaiwala' and had sold tea.
"It is due to your efforts that tea made in Assam reaches my village in Gujarat," he added.
Spending nearly half an hour with them, Modi also listened to the concerns of the tea workers and discussed key issues such as education, healthcare, and wages.
"After plucking tea leaves, the women talked about their culture and, of course, took a selfie!" he said in another post.
A female worker was heard telling the Prime Minister that she was initially very nervous while interacting with him.
Modi laughed and said that her nervousness would only last for five minutes, but after that, the interaction would become easy.
In response to a question from the PM about the number of workers in the estate, one of them said that around 700 to 800 labourers were working in the garden.
Responding to another query on how many days they worked in a month, one woman replied that they worked for 24 days with six days of leave.
The Prime Minister also witnessed a traditional Jhumur dance performance by the workers.
The tea garden workers in Assam constitute a significant portion of the electorate in several constituencies, particularly in the Upper Assam districts.
During the day, the PM also addressed two poll rallies at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district and Behali in Biswanath.