A packet of Mangalore Ganesh beedies.

A bidi (from Hindi)(pronounced "bee-dee", also known as biri, bidi, beadi, beedie) is a thin, often flavored, Indian cigarette made of tobacco wrapped in a tendu (or temburini) (Diospyros melonoxylon roxb.) leaf and secured with colored thread at one end. They are smaller than regular cigarettes, but more potent. Because they do not have a filter and are wrapped in nonporous leaves, a smoker needs to inhale more often and more deeply to keep them lit. One bidi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette.¹ Tobacco content in bidis is 10-20% and apart from regular cigarettes, bidis don't have added chemicals. Bidi-rolling is a very important cottage industry in India. The process of rolling a bidi is very similar to that of a handmade cigarette. There is much controversy surrounding the bidi, as many groups claim that its fruity flavors (such as strawberry, chocolate, and mango) as well as its cheap price per pack ($1-$3.50 U.S.) attract children to smoking. According to a 1999 survey by San Francisco's Booker T Washington Community Service Center, 58% of high school students in the city had tried them and 31% smoked them at least once a month. 70% of packs purchased contained no warning labels, and about 40% did not contain tax-paid stamps, contributing to their low cost. ImageMetadata File history File links Beedies. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Beedies. ... Hindi (हिन्दी hind), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in North, Central, and West India, is one of the national languages of India. ... A cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. ... Binomial name Diospyros melanoxylon Hassk. ... A cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Domestic system. ... Species 20+ species; see text The strawberry (Fragaria) is a genus of plants in the family Rosaceae, and the fruit of these plants. ... Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ... Species About 35 species, including: Mangifera altissima Mangifera applanata Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera decandra Mangifera foetida Mangifera gedebe Mangifera griffithii Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera laurina Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera mekongensis Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera quadrifida Mangifera siamensis Mangifera similis Mangifera... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Bidis have long been popular among the poor in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and India who can not afford regular cigarettes. In India, 800 billion are smoked every year.

References

Note 1: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, November 3, 1999, pp. 1806-1807. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the United States federal governments principal agency for cancer research and training, and the first institute of the present-day National Institutes of Health. ...