Sri Lanka, July 25 -- To the layman ear, the tea auctioneers' words are almost completely unintelligible. Words pour out at a mindboggling speed as the gravel cracks to make sales.

While the rap is going on, the auctioneer has to have the unwavering attention of the bidders and write down the sale for each lot of tea in the catalogue that's up for sale.

While doing so, it becomes a tedious task for the auctioneer to catch a breath, let alone take a pause to get a sip of water while the incredibly fast-paced auction is ongoing. Their unwavering concentration has to be on the auction alone, leaving no room for mistakes in the million dollar transactions.

Role of auctioneers

Auctioneers are one of the key links in the chain of Sri Lanka'...