Melvin's blog

Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

INDIAN BIDIS ATTRACT TOO MANY TEENS

As a native of India, I’m usually excited to
see an Indian product in an American store,
whether it’s a shirt, a rug or a pair of
sandals. I’d even be excited to see a
fruitcake from India -- other than myself. It
makes me proud to know that the world’s
most populous democracy can be
immensely productive, not just reproductive.

But there’s one Indian product I’d rather not
see in America. It’s called a bidi and is
considered somewhat dangerous, which of
course makes it quite popular among
teenagers. Bidis (pronounced bee-dees
and hipper than the Bee Gees) are
hand-rolled, tapered cigarettes that look
like marijuana joints. They have no filters
and, according to the Atlanta-based
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention,
contain higher levels of tar, nicotine and
carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.
That means that if bidis start dominating the
tobacco market, we may see ads that say,
"Give your lungs a break. Smoke a few
Marlboros."


A 1999 CDC survey of 642 Massachusetts
youths found that 40 percent had smoked
bidis. Bidis appeal to teens not only
because they’re less expensive than
regular cigarettes, but also because they
come in a variety of flavors, including mint,
wild cherry, grape and mango. Sorry, no
sour cream and onion.

If I were a smoker, I’d be tempted to try the
mango. I love everything mango: mango
juice, mango ice cream, Mango on
"Saturday Night Live." I wish I could buy
other mango products, such as mango
milk, mango bread and mango pizza. If Al
Gore pledged to make mangoes the
national fruit, I’d campaign for him.

It’s a good thing mango bidis weren’t
around when I was a teen. Some of my
friends tried to entice me with regular
cigarettes, but I resisted, largely because I
was afraid to die. Yes, there was no doubt
in my mind that if I smoked, my mother
would kill me. I’d be the first member of my
family to be spanked to death. I didn’t need
the Surgeon General’s warning -- I had the
Parent General’s warning: "Smoking
cigarettes will result in great pain to several
body parts, including your butt. You will not
be able to sit for years. You may have to
sleep standing up."

I’m grateful that my mother forbade me to
smoke. She saved me not just health
problems, but also the regular expense of
buying cigarettes. I’m better off spending
my money on more rewarding activities,
such as eating mangoes.

Mango-flavored or not, bidis are worth
avoiding, partly because they’re often made
by children, some earning as little as 15
cents a day to roll 1,000 bidis. I’m against
any type of child labor, unless the child
happens to be washing my car.

I can’t stand the thought of children slaving
for a measly wage. They’d probably make
more money standing on a street corner in
India, selling the latest style of bikinis.

Because of the health risks, bidis have
been banned in some parts of America,
including Warren, Mich., and Chicago. Bidi
companies, of course, are reluctant to
acknowledge the risks. According to the
Kansas City Star, one large bidi maker
recently stated on its Web site that bidis
have less tobacco and are "healthier than
cigarettes." Now that’s a great selling
point -- "healthier than cigarettes." Maybe
they should rent billboards for their
message: "Smoke bidis instead of
cigarettes. You’ll enjoy the taste and you’ll
live a few days longer."

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