Kenchi Bidi Works

Over here at Guruwar Peth, things move a bit slower than the rest of the city. Kenchi Bidi Works is tucked away on SK Bole Road. It’s an old building, and the walls have seen a lot of years go by. We’ve been rolling these by hand for a long time. It’s mostly just a few of us sitting together and working through the piles of leaves and thread. The smell of tobacco is everywhere in the room, it’s something you just get used to after the first week. We don't use big machines or anything like that. It’s all about how your fingers move. My father taught me how to do it, and he learned from his father before that. We have bags of supplies stacked up in the corners. Sometimes the dust gets a bit much, so we keep the windows open even when it’s cold outside. We supply to the local shops around this part of town. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s steady work for us. The floor is made of old stone and it’s a bit uneven in places. We spend our days mostly in silence or just talking about what’s happening in the neighborhood. It’s a small trade, and not many people do it this way anymore. We just keep our heads down and finish the bundles by the end of the day. The light isn't great in here, but we know the work so well we could do it in the dark. It is hard work, but we are used to it.