ida Mohammad is marked by deep and dirty maroon stains on his teeth, lips and tongue. His daily indulgence in chewing betel leaves, known as paan and betel nuts referred to as chhalia or supari in Urdu, defines not only his looks, but also sustains his livelihood, as he doubles as a vendor of these addictive substances. A father of six, Fida Mohammad, a Pushto-speaking man who hailing from Peshawar, opted for a path divergent from his father’s occupation as a loader for a company. Instead, he opted to sell paa’, gutka and cigarettes.

Fida Mohammad’s paan stall stands on the footpath of a busy road frequented by heavy trailers and tankers shuttling day and night. He faces a broken-down, shabby street in a neglected and impoverished area. For the past fifteen years, he has defiantly operated his paan stall here, seemingly impervious to the violations of laws related to construction on the footpaths.

His establishment, a wooden cabinet with glass shutters at the front, serves as both a half wall and a showcase for an array of cigarette packs, enticing his customers with visible choices. Atop the cabinet, acting as a makeshift counter, sit plastic jars crowned with red lids, containing packets of betel nuts, saunf (fennel seeds) and the perilous gutka – a concoction of betel nuts, areca nuts, slaked lime, catechu and tobacco in granulated form. This harmful mixture is also a common addition to paan, typically chewed and spitted out.

Fida Mohammad opens the shutters of his stall at 6:30 in the morning. Aware of his clientele’s addiction to paan, gutka and cigarettes, he ensures their early morning cravings are satiated. By 10:00 am, one of his sons takes over the reins of the stall, allowing Fida Mohammad to leave on a mission to replenish his supplies from a distributor. Occasionally, he manages to secure the coveted Bangla paan, - Bangladeshi betel leaves - celebrated for its superior quality, but more commonly, he acquires the Sri Lanka paan. The assortment of offerings at Fida Mohammad’s stall is as diverse as the clientele it caters to. From the popular unfiltered Capstan cigarettes, reputed for their high tar and nicotine content, to brands like Morven Gold, Gold Flake, and Diplomat, the choices abound. The palette extends to paan masala, supari and saunf, featuring brands such as Ratan, Golden, Tara, 7 Star and Hum Tum. Ali Baba, Kastoori, and Aflatoon are names of some of the tobacco leaves sold in small tins.

Fida Mohammad pulls down the shutters at 11:00 pm, concluding another day in his aromatic realm. Accompanied by his sons, who lend their assistance after school, he journeys homeward. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, his sons, ranging from ages 8 to 16, all chew betel nuts, and occasionally indulge in paan and gutka. For their father, their budding habits seem inevitable, an intrinsic facet of their shared existence amidst the intoxicating allure of the paan-laden nights.

The writer is an author, illustrator and educator. She may be contacted at husain.rumana@gmail.com