Kerala's Dinesh Beedi is the country's largest co-operative society making beedis. Once a venture of pride for the Communist party, the worker's cooperative is today nearing extinction in the face of increasing competition from cigarette giants.
With the co-operative society all set to wind up, thousands of workers in the CPI-M stronghold Kannur are at the receiving end.
“For the workers in Dinesh Beedi it's their main income and that is being affected. So, it becomes difficult for them to survive while for many others it's an additional income,” says Chairman, Kerala Dinesh Beedi Workers Co-operative Society, C V Kunhiraman.
With stiff competition from cigarette giants, there is a need to diversify. An umbrella manufacturing section and a wing for Dinesh foods has been set up with hopes of re-habilitating the workers.
But for these people who are used to handling tobbaco for 25 years, managing umbrellas, spices, juices and jam are alien territory.
“I don't think even a job diversification will help. You cannot rehabilitate 40,000 workers so easily to other jobs. We are all old people and you cannot expect us to start working on a new project and learn it fast. Beedi has been our livelihood,” reasons a worker, Narayanan.
Meanwhile, the state government has stepped in with Rs 4 crore for the diversification process.
Now, as the beedi industry dies a silent death, also dying are old centres of Communist mobilisation.
Over the years Dinesh Beedi as a co-operative society had reflected the organisational capabilities of the CPI-M. Its extinction today is also perhaps an indication of the party's alienation from the working class.
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