3.5 lakh children are bidi workers in Madhya Pradesh
Gudiya is barely three but her tiny fingers are adept at rolling bidis. Sitting beside her grandmother, she picks up a tendu leaf, fills it with tobacco and ties it up, carefully. Gudiya may be the youngest in the group but she is no exception. From Sagar to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, lakhs of children work in the bidi belt. All this is done to help their families survive. What's more is that the problem seems to be passing on from generation to generation. Munni Bai, a bidi roller is a classic case in point. "I have four children. Two sons and two daughters. They all roll bidis. They started when they were 10."
