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The true flavour
By Mahangu Weerasinghe
You drink it at least a few times a day. You buy it regularly - it's one thing that would never run out of stock in your house. Much of our country's stake in the world lies solely on its shoulders. That's right, I'm talking about tea. Since colonial times, tea has been one way that the world has identified with Sri Lanka.

Ceylon tea, without doubt is one of the finest in the world. Its cultivation, which started during the British rule of Sri Lanka, continues even today, producing some of the most sought after varieties of tea worldwide.

A celebration of this cultivation process, organized by Dilmah Tea will take place in the form of an exhibition that will open on March 8 at the Trans Asia Hotel in Colombo. The exhibition, which will feature both paintings and photography, will focus on presenting different aspects of Ceylon tea. The project is part of a continuous campaign by Dilmah to maintain and boost the image of Ceylon tea.

Edwin Batawala, the artist commissioned to capture on canvas the life of the people who bring us the wonderful flavour of pure Ceylon Tea explained how he spent close to a week at a Dilmah tea plantation in Talawakelle. "I spent a week on a tea estate, talking to tea pluckers, their children, their families and just seeing how they lived," he said.

"It's a totally different world up there," explained Mr. Batawala. "I mean, tea is drunk all over the country but we rarely see it from this point of view," he said, explaining that his time in the hills gave him a whole new perspective on tea. "From leaving their kids in crèches early morning, to plucking, to weighing, to the religious activities they do afterwards - I followed the life of the tea plucker from dawn till dusk," said Mr. Batawala.

"We are usually only shown the tea factories and a few tea pluckers and my visit to the tea estate helped me overcome this stereotype and see the truth behind the creation of Ceylon tea," he said. Mr. Batawala said most of his 30 paintings were of oils-on-canvas. "There is only one painting I have done with watercolours," he said

Apart from Mr. Batawala's paintings, the exhibition will also contain the photographic work of Czech photographers Zdenek Thoma and Michal Thoma, a father and son team who have previously done extensive work on the subject of tea.

A book by the duo titled 'The Story of Tea' was published in the Czech Republic in 2002 and won a literary award in the country. The duo's take on tea will be an integral part of this exhibition.

"Tea in the First Sense" will be open to the public on March 11, 12 and 13 at the Tran Asia Hotel Lobby, Colombo. Thereafter, the exhibition is set to travel to several international venues where organizers hope it will receive a high profile audience.

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