Beedi

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For the Hindi song, see Omkara (2006 film).
A pack of beedies. The beedi outside of the pack has a string tied around one end.

A beedi (pron.: /ˈbiːdiː/; from Hindi: बीड़ी; also spelled bidi[1] or biri[2]) is a thin, Indian[3] cigarette filled with tobacco flake and wrapped in a tendu[4] or possibly even Bauhinia racemosa[5] leaf tied with a string at one end. The name is derived from the Marwari word beeda—a leaf wrapped in betel nuts, herbs, and condiments.[6]

Tendu Patta (Leaf) Collection

A traditional method of tobacco use throughout South Asia and parts of the Middle East,[7] today beedies are popular[2] and inexpensive[8] in India. There, beedi consumption outpaces that of conventional cigarettes[2] although these tobacco-filled leaves deliver more nicotine,[9] carbon monoxide,[10] and tar[10] and carry a greater risk of oral cancers.[3] Beedies accounted for 48% of Indian tobacco consumption in 2008.[2] As with many other types of smoking, beedis increase the risk of certain kinds of cancers, heart disease, and lung disease.[10]

Contents

History of the beedi [edit]

A pack of Mangalore Ganesh beedies

Indian tobacco cultivation began in the late 17th century,[11] and beedies were first created when tobacco workers took left-over tobacco and rolled it in leaves.[11]

The commercial Indian beedi industry saw rapid growth during the 1930s[12] probably driven by an expansion of tobacco cultivation at the time[13] but also helped by Gandhi's support of Indian industry and Indian products.[14] Perhaps due to this, educated classes in India grew to prefer beedies to cigarettes[11] although this is no longer the case.[15] Muslim leaders, calling cigarettes foreign products, have also endorsed beedies at times.[16]

By the middle of the 20th century beedi manufacture had grown into a highly competitive industry.[11] This stage of commercial production—at the height of the beedi's popularity[citation needed]—saw the creation of many new beedi brands[11] as well as beedi factories employing upwards of one hundred, primarily male, beedi rollers.[12]

Factory-based beedi production declined as a result of increased regulation during the 1940s, '50s, and '60s,[13] and beedi-making became a cottage industry with a home-based women workforce predominantly employed only in the beedi rolling.[13] In contrast, males continue to be employed in all aspects of beedi production.[13]

Use [edit]

Unlike cigarettes, beedies must be puffed frequently to keep them lit, and doing so requires effort.[4]

Poor man's cigarette [edit]

A woman smoking a Beedi in India is not an uncommon sight.

Beedi smoking tends to be associated with a lower social standing,[15] and these tobacco-filled leaves are inexpensive, when compared to regular cigarettes.[8] Those with a high social standing who do smoke beedies often do so out of the public eye.[15]

Beedies in the United States [edit]

In the United States, beedies are treated like conventional cigarettes. They are taxed at the same rates,[7] are required to have a tax stamp, and must carry the Surgeon General's warning.[7] A study done in San Francisco showed that about 4 in 10 packs of beedies did not contain the required warning label and 7 in 10 did not carry the tax stamp, however.[7] 2006 statistics on beedi usage shows that 2.9% of high school students in the United States take part in beedi smoking compared to 1.4% of adults 18–24 years old.[17]

Flavored beedies [edit]

Some beedies are flavoured.[4] Both the US and Canada have banned flavoured cigarettes.[18]

Manufacture [edit]

Over 3 million Indians are employed in the manufacture of beedies,[19] a cottage industry that is typically done by women in their homes.[20]

Workers roll an average of 500–1000 beedies per day, handling 225–450 grams of tobacco flake.[21] Studies have shown that cotinine levels in the bodily fluids of beedi workers are elevated even among those who do not use tobacco.[21]

Tendu leaves [edit]

Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaves make excellent wrappers, and the success of the beedi is due, in part, to this leaf.[11] The leaves are in abundance shortly after the tobacco crop is cured and so are ready to be used in beedi manufacture.[11] Collected in the summer and made into bundles, the leaves are dried in the sun for 3 to 6 days before being used as wrappers.[4]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Dhar, Sujoy (18 Nov 2009). "Indian girls fight back against child marriage". KOLKATA, India: Reuters. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d Sunley, Emil M. (January 2008). India: The Tax Treatment of Bidis. Bloomberg Philanthropies. ISBN 978-2-914365-35-2. 
  3. ^ a b Rahman, Mahbubur; Mahbubur Rahman, Junichi Sakamoto, Tsuguya Fukui (10 September 2003). "Bidi smoking and oral cancer: A meta-analysis". International Journal of Cancer (Wiley-Liss, Inc.) 106 (4): 600–604. doi:10.1002/ijc.11265. 
  4. ^ a b c d Gupta, Prakash C. (1992). Control of tobacco-related cancers and other diseases: proceedings of an international symposium, January 15–19, 1990, TIFR, Bombay. Prakash C. Gupta. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-19-562961-3. 
  5. ^ "Bidi Leaf Tree". Flowers of India. 
  6. ^ Bhargava's Standard Illustrated Dictionary of the Hindi Language. Bhushan Press. 1976. p. 312. 
  7. ^ a b c d "Bidi cigarettes : An emerging threat to adolescent health". Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine (Chicago, IL: American Medical Association) 154 (12): 1187–1189. 2000. ISSN 1072-4710. 
  8. ^ a b The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Taxation in India. March 2010. ISBN 978-2-914365-70-3. 
  9. ^ Delnevo, CD; Pevzner, ES; Hrywna, M; Lewis, MJ (2004). "Bidi Cigarette use among Young Adults in 15 States". Preventive Medicine 39 (1): 207–211. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.01.025. PMID 15208004. 
  10. ^ a b c "Bidis and Kreteks". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Lal, Pranay (25 May 2009). "Bidi – A short history". Current Science (Bangalore, India: Current Science Association) 96 (10): 1335–1337. Retrieved 05 May June 2013. 
  12. ^ a b Democracy at work in an Indian industrial cooperative: the story of Kerala Dinesh Beedi. Cornell International Report. Volume 34. Cornell University Press. 1998. pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-0-8014-8415-5. 
  13. ^ a b c d "Making ends meet: Bidi workers in India today; A study of four states". Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office. 2003. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
  14. ^ Census of India, Central Provinces and Berar XII. 1931. 
  15. ^ a b c Kamboj, M. (2008). "Bidi Tobacco". British Dental Journal 205 (12): 639. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2008.1088. 
  16. ^ Imām, Hassan (1999). Indian national movement. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. p. 200. ISBN 978-81-261-0199-3. 
  17. ^ "2006 National Youth Tobacco Survey and Key Prevalence Indicators". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009. 
  18. ^ For US banning flavoured tobacco, see Heavey, Susan (22 Sep, 2009). "U.S. FDA, in first tobacco action, bans flavors". Reuters. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
  19. ^ Govekar, RB; Bhisey, RA (1992). "Elevated urinary thioether excretion among bidi rollers exposed occupationally to processed tobacco". International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 64 (2): 101–104. doi:10.1007/BF00381476. PMID 1399018. 
  20. ^ "Restoring the Balance: Women and forest resources". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, Forestry Department. 1987. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
  21. ^ a b Mahimkar, MB; Bhisey, RA (1995). "Occupational exposure to bidi tobacco increases chromosomal aberrations in tobacco processors". Mutation Research 334 (2): 139–144. PMID 7885365. 

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