Where fingers move fast but wages do not, Bengal’s bidi belt votes on May 7

For 22-year-old Heera Khatun, bidi rolling is like a religion.

The income from the small, thin piece of tobacco wrapped in kendu leaves helped finance her studies – that is, until she was married off and dropped out. Despite the meager income, she is now looking forward to building a future with her husband through her bidi rolling skills.

Heera’s father was a small-time tailor who did not have the talent to make anything from scratch. Restoring and repairing were more his forte. But it translated into little revenue.

“The family was always in need; whatever