Paan is the advertisement of a whole culture, then what to say about Banarasi paan, many interesting stories are related to it.

When Banarasi paan got GI tag, many colors of paan came together in memories. Many have seen betel nuts being offered to the deities in rituals. Till a few decades ago, paan was also included in many ways of showing rich or romantic personality in films. “Pan khaye saiyan hamar, malmal ke kurte pe chheet lal lal….” May be, many people find this song related to paan old. So he should remember the brilliant actor Saeed Jaffrey. Saeed Saheb has been using paan to create many of his characters. For example, in a chess player, he continuously churns paan. In Raj Kapoor’s magnum opus Ram Teri Ganga Maili, he keeps on consuming betel leaves to enhance the color of his character of Rais “Mausa”. In Chashmebudur, they have become betel shop owners only. Saeed Jafri’s sudden memory has come, there are many such characters in films and many songs too.

Apart from ritualism, richness and romanticism, sociality has also been deeply associated with paan. At least in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, even today it happens on meeting – “Chal Guru se kamle kam paan to hain jaaye.” There are also many people who do not eat paan continuously, but when they go to a particular shop or place, they do eat paan. In many places, it is associated with respect and prestige in such a way that not taking paan when offered is considered disrespectful. It is not that betel is practiced only in the East. The manner in which Madhya Pradesh’s brilliant satirist Gyan Chaturvedi has described it in Baramasa shows that there is a lot of betel society there too.

Paan and Nawabi Shaan
The Mughals taught us many of their things and also adopted our culture. How betel leaves were used during the Nawabi period can be a subject of some research in itself. However, Paan’s bida was able to get admission in the harem during that period with the bed-breaking recipe. In the place of Nawabs, the mention of gold and silver betel leaves is found in many stories. Pandan was associated with respect in such a way that till the seventh-eighth decade of the last century, pandan was kept in every house. If a teenager gets a chance to gnaw betel nut with pliers in pandan houses, then it used to be more fun than watching mobiles in today’s era.

If stopped from paan, will not even give job interview
Pandan brings to mind the famous poet Josh Malihabadi. He had to come to Delhi for the sake of employment when the financial condition of his family, who was once a big jagirdar, deteriorated. Here I had to go for an interview to become the editor of a magazine of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As soon as the interview started, Josh Saheb took out a pandan from his pocket and made a beeda. An officer of the interview board objected to this – “You are not allowed to eat paan in the interview.” Josh Sahab said that if there is a ban on eating paan, then he can immediately give up both the interview and the desire to get a job. He has mentioned this in his autobiography – ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’.

Famous poet Nida Fazli was also very fond of paan. He maintained this hobby even while living in Mumbai. Writer Alok Yatri, who met him a lot, tells that once he had given his silver betel leaf to the paan seller. The writer also got many opportunities to meet Nida Saheb. During that time too, there was a lot of talk about his hobby regarding paan.

Read this also: When Nida Fazli had to mortgage a silver betel leaf in lieu of a betel leaf, read the full story

First film offer to Pran at Paan shop
It is not that any part of the country has remained untouched by it. Even before independence, there were many paan shops in Lahore. Famous film actor Pran got his first film at a famous paan shop in Lahore. Whether Hindu or Muslim, everyone kept eating paan with great enthusiasm. It is necessary to make it clear here that those who did not eat betel leaf remained inferior in some way. Yes, paan used to enhance the color of the amateurs like any identity.

Paan was also considered as medicine.
Actually, betel leaf is a relief for the throat. Yes, for this it is necessary that there is no tobacco and lime in it. Betel leaves are used in many Ayurvedic medicines. Spices are also made from betel root along with medicines. Paan has also become a part of Tarvat Wale Sherbet. Now paan petha and ice cream are also in trend. If you want to make Lucknowi kababs, without betel root, there is no special smell in it. Betel nut also has its own qualities. Doctors keep on telling that the risk of submucous fibrosis increases by drinking betel nut-lime and tobacco paan. But where do the fans believe?

Paan Ki Shaan and Banaras
Even if a person is not walking in front of many fans of paan announcing the arrival of them, the smell of his paan itself announces his arrival. The fragrance of fragrant kimam made of catechu, lime and tobacco, saffron, burnt tobacco in paan became the identity of all such lovers.
By the way, it is also claimed that Banaras is the one who gives Paan many of his companions and accessories. Banarasi paan is special in this context. In other places, betel leaves are brought from other states and cooked in a special way by adding peppermint or some other secret spices. Then it becomes a Banarasi leaf that dissolves as soon as it is kept in the mouth.

Many medicinal properties are also present in betel leaves.

Khair is prepared as an edible katha by adding all the ancestral secret spices. There is also a tradition of preparing lime by soaking it in curd. Then beeda is prepared by adding cloves, cardamom, coconut, saffron, licorice, gulkand, keemam and don’t know what else. Not only this, many beedas are also covered in silver and gold works to make the occasion more memorable.

finger licking
The betel-eaters rarely eat betel leaves in silver and gold verkos, but the betel-eaters in Banaras get a few grains of plain betel nut kept separately on some other leaf after pressing the betel leaf. Lime is applied on one side of this leaf. The giver and the taker feel a little bit of this lime, but a lot for the non-eaters. Betel lovers pick up this lime with their forefinger. Then they talk for a long time while dissolving paan and lick lime once or twice in between. Obviously it is not possible to describe its joy here. It is beyond description even for betel lovers.

Read this also: Manto’s story ‘Artist People’: This will leave many questions, the story will be inside you

Identity of both Panwadi and Shokeen
In the study of marketing, the betel seller has been mentioned with great respect. On seeing any person, people have been very fond of Panwadi, who applies paan of his choice. People have been looking at it by associating it with their reputation. “Tell me my name to the paan seller at the intersection, he will plant the paan.” It used to be the same, Panwadi has been putting things of his choice in the paan very well.

Many characters in films have been described as fond of paan.

Apart from this, Panwadi also knows very well that which rich people eat paan only on loan and when they have money or else they will definitely settle the account once in a month-fifteen days. In Banaras and nearby districts, this method of feeding borrowed betel leaves is still in practice. The rhythm of the betel planter makes him more famous. It is no less interesting to see Panwadi putting paan at Keshav of Banaras or at the shop of an idiot of Allahabad. While applying lime and catechu on the leaf, they themselves keep on dancing almost with a rhythm.

Paan’s “real” shop did not sell other items
Till a time, all the famous paan shops in Banaras and Allahabad were such where cigarette-gutka etc. were not sold at all. Actually, where is the time left for them to sell something else instead of selling paan? This also increases their respect. It is a different matter that in front of Gutke attack, the condition of not selling anything else could not remain adamant. Many other things also got admission in the shop. Famous betel shopkeepers also do not like haste. Keshav’s shop in Lanka (Banaras) kept getting reprimanded for being in a hurry. At this place, he was about to give it to a famous person after applying paan once, when the betel taker said, he will put a sachet of betel pollen in the betel leaf. He almost snatched the paan from that person’s hands. Reprimanding, a Banarasi abused receipt and said – “Paan khaye ke tameez nahi baa, aur chale hayan paan khaye.”

Khaike Paan Banaras Wala
There is another effect of paan in Banaras. Many Banarasi Seths, who keep their point of view aggressively on every occasion, remain calm only from betel leaves. Quiet even to such an extent that one or two hours pass by, the people who meet silently ask permission to leave with folded hands after sitting silently for two hours engrossed in the joy of paan. And the other also bids them farewell with folded hands. Or several times urges one more bida before leaving. Such non-verbal communication can be seen on the chairs of Seths in the afternoon or when there is no time for the customers to come.

The description of this paan is also expressed through a couplet famous by the name of Rahim Das ji.
Well, blood, cough, happiness, enmity, love, alcohol
Rahiman is not suppressed, the whole world knows.

Here, the meaning of Khair should be taken from Katha only, because eating Khair in any other form will neither give that color nor will redness emerge in such a way that all efforts to hide it fail. For this reason, many youths saved themselves from the wrath of their parents by eating betel leaves without cuttings and without rinsing before reaching home.

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Tags: food, Lifestyle