A beedi (pronounced /ˈbiːdiː/, from Hindi बीड़ी, also spelled bidi[1]) is a thin, South Asian[2] cigarette made of 0.2-0.3 grams of tobacco flake wrapped in a tendu (or temburini; Diospyros melonoxylon) leaf,[3] and secured with colored thread at both ends.[3][4] Circa 2000, the beedi accounted for over 30% of Indian tobacco consumption and were more popular than cigarettes,[3] although they deliver more nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar,[5] as well as, unlike with cigarettes, carrying an increased risk of oral cancers.[2]
Beedi-rolling is a cottage industry and is typically done by women in their homes.[3][6][4][7] Due to the relatively low cost of beedies compared with regular cigarettes, they have long been popular among the poor[3] in South Asia,[2] and are called the "poor man's cigarette".[3]
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Stages of production
Beedi production encompasses a number of distinct activities. Before the beedi-rolling can commence, the tendu leaves must be prepared by cleaning, cutting and soaking. Then the beedies themselves are rolled and the ends tucked in and secured by thread.[3] The finished beedies are bundled and checked for quality before being roasted in furnaces and packed for sale.[3]
History of the Indian beedi-making industry
Beginning in the 1900s,[7] the Indian beedi industry saw rapid growth during the 1930s,[8] probably driven by the expansion of tobacco cultivation during the same time.[3] Increased demand saw the creation of a number of new beedi manufacturing companies as well as beedi factories employing upwards of one hundred beedi rollers.[8] The beedi-rolling workforce was predominately male,[8] but with the promulgation of the Factories Act, 1948, and Beedi and Cigar Act, 1961 & 1966,[7] etc. factory-based beedi production declined and the mode of work shifted to a putting-out system, with a home-based women workforce,[3][7] which are predominantly employed only in the beedi-rolling.[3] In contrast, males continue to be employed in all aspects of beedi production.[3] Today the production of beedies is "unorganized" and employers take "devious means" to "disguise employer-employee relationships",[3] probably in order to deny benefits that workers, by law, are to be afforded.
External links
Action Plan for Beedi Women Workers The International Labor Office Beedi Sector Programme
References
- ^ Indian girls fight back against child marriage reuters.com, Nov 18, 2009 10:43pm EST
- ^ a b c Bidi smoking and oral cancer: A meta-analysis Mahbubur Rahman, Junichi Sakamoto, Tsuguya Fuku, Abstract
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Making ends meet: Bidi workers in India today: A study of four states International Labour Office, Geneva, 2003
- ^ a b The beedi industry: exploitation of the poor: A deepening crisis fao.org
- ^ Bidis and Krekets Fact Sheet—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2007
- ^ No industry, no Solapur Frontline: India's national magazine, Volume 21 - Issue 22, Oct. 23 - Nov. 05, 2004
- ^ a b c d 12. Labour Problems of Tobacco Workers actindia.org
- ^ a b c Democracy at work in an Indian industrial cooperative Google book search, pages 23-25
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