The present paper attempts to examine ethnobotanical and livelihood importance of Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) leaves in three different regions of India viz. Bajag area of Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh inhabited by a PVTG named the Baiga, Panchsheel Nagar Beedi Colony in the state of Chhattisgarh inhabited by different caste groups and Turkana Takia Mohalla of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh having population composition of Muslims and Hindu Scheduled Castes. The paper is the outcome of rigorous anthropological fieldwork and based on primary data. It also explains the ethnomedicinal importance of tendu plant and its dynamic role in the beedi rolling industry as well as in the livelihood of the studied populations.