"I have a special association with tea" was how Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an instant connect with the Tamil community members here in the tea-growing Central Province of Sri Lanka. Modi, in his address, lauded the Ceylon Tea, saying it was world famous but what was lesser known was the sweat and labour behind it.

"You and I have something in common. I have a special association with tea," Modi said. "Chai pe Charcha or discussions over tea is mark of deep respect for dignity and integrity of honest labour," he said.

Prime Minister Modi has often recalled his days as a tea-seller while addressing gatherings in India and abroad. "We remember your forefathers. Men and women of strong will and courage, who undertook the journey of their life from India to then Ceylon," the Prime Minister told thousands of Tamils during the public rally in the presence of Lankan President Maithripala Srisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.