Is there a link between tobacco and reading habits? The surprising similarities between Kerala and Cuba

A book explores the connection between tobacco and literacy in two different parts of the world - Kerala and Cuba.

Is there a link between tobacco and reading habits? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, as seen in two vastly different parts of the world—Kerala in India, and Cuba. In 1990s Kerala, workers in beedi factories often hired “young students or someone literate enough” to read newspapers aloud while they rolled beedis. Halfway across the globe in Cuba, cigar factories had a similar tradition dating back to 1865. The workers hired “very professional readers” to read books, news, and speeches while they rolled cigars.

What does reading have to do with the workers of the tobacco industry? A new book explores. (Unsplash/priscilladupreez, yohoney)

Reading and beedi workers in Kerala:

Author and journalist Ullekh NP explored this connection between tobacco and literacy in his book Mad About Cuba: A Malayali Revisits the Revolution.

“I had once read about the interesting link between tobacco and reading habits—a story that’s true of Kerala too,” the author wrote.

“I have come across beedi units where they got readers to read aloud novels and other books, ranging from those by politicians of the stature of E.M.S. Namboodiripad and novelists such as French icon Albert Camus and Mexico’s Juan Rulfo (all in Malayalam translation),” he shared. “Many beedi workers later became political leaders in Kerala’s communist parties,” he added.

A similar picture in Cuba:

“In Cuba, too, a similar practice is deeply entrenched among cigar rollers. They have very professional readers who read books for the employees of cigar factories. It is a well-documented aspect of Cuban cigar factories, and a practice that has been in place since 1865,” read a part from the book.

Ullekh NP also explores how the workers were paid in both places. For Kerala, the reader was rewarded with a cup of tea and a packet of beedi. If the person were a beedi worker, others would pick their share of work to meet the day’s target.

A similar practice was also prevalent in Cuban factories where the reader was “promised more cigars to compensate for his missing hours.” Later, others started chipping in to provide a salary for the reader.