She sits cross legged tirelessly making beedi's, the small indian cigarette. Each beedi is handrolled and tied with cotton, and then each 25 or 50 are batched together and also tied with cotton. I ask if she has been doing this job long, she answers no only since became a widow. She needs to look after herself now, there is no such thing as a widow pension here. But still she smiles looks content. I had a good husband she tells me.


Beedi-rolling is a cottage industry in India and is typically done by women in their homes but also in group collectives throughout India. India’s beedi economy provides employment for 40 million men and boys who collect tendu leaves in forests. Another 60 million people, mostly women and children, are busy rolling beedis at home.