Will you be surprised if someone tells “marriage, for over one lakh women, depends on the number of beedis they roll per day.” Although its shocking, its true. In the rural villages of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin Districts, more than five lakh women - young, old, school-going girls, small children - are engaged in this hazardous industry. We all know that smoking is injurious to health. Then imagine how dangerous it is for the women who roll beedis with tobacco, who live their life - day and night - with tobacco. When me, along with my team, started working among palmyrah tree toddy tappers among the above said districts, we realized the fact that women, who are not able to access their lands and who are not able to continue their trade in the palmyrah palm fields due to several reasons like debts, poverty, and illiteracy are forced to work in this industry. They are all aware that rolling beedi will cause asthma, tuberculosis and it may even affect the reproductive system; but they have no other go for their survival and livelihood. The pity is girl children at the early age of 5, are trained in this life-killing craft of rolling beedis. They can go to schools only in their dreams. Our law strictly prohibited child labour, but it is only in black & white, and not in practice. When the girls are ready for marriage, bridegroom and their parents will verify whether they can roll minimum 2000 beedis per day. They check the book given by the beedi shop to confirm the number of beedis the girl can roll.
The tobacco smell and the frustrated smile on their face is indelible in their life. The villages witness even deaths of women, but another surprise or shock is, for more than 5-lakh beedi rolling women, there is only one hospital located in Mukkoodal, that too, has been opened after a long struggle. We want to bring out the dark side of women, who live with smoke, to the light. Hence, me, along with my project coordinator, Samson, and few students, traveled to remote villages, interacted, discussed and interviewed them. I am in the process of producing a 20-minute documentary on the life and struggle of these women with the help of Samson. In the first phase, we made a small newsreel for viewers who can come up with their own valuable ideas:
