You can sing, khaike paan.. again. Muchhad is back

South Mumbai's most famous and wealthiest Muchhad Paanwala re-opens shop a month after nephew's attack

You can sing, khaike paan.. again. Muchhad is back

South Mumbai's most famous and wealthiest Muchhad Paanwala re-opens shop a month after nephew's attack

After a month of depriving patrons of their favourite paan, Muchhad Paanwala, Kemp's Corner's famous paan and cigarette stall, finally offered them something to chew on by re-opening on Friday. Only last month, the owner of the stall, Jaishankar Tiwari got into a fight with his nephew, Jitendra, following which the two were arrested.

The shop of Jaishankar Tiwari aka 'Muchhad Paanwala' (right, sitting)
flanks that of his cousin's, Kanhaiyalal Tiwari. pic/ satyajit desai

On July 28 at 2 am, residents of the South Mumbai neighbourhood were awakened by a ruckus at Muchhad Paanwala's shop. A long-standing family rivalry turned ugly, as Tiwari got into an argument with nephew Jitendra, who looks after the adjoining Tiwari Paan Shop, owned by Tiwari's cousin andu00a0 Jitendra's father, Kanhaiyalal.

Abuses soon turned to blows when they started hitting each other with iron rods. Residents complained and policemen arrived and arrested the two.u00a0u00a0

u00a0While the exact reasons behind the fight remain unconfirmed, rumours put this down to property issues and unhealthy competition.

Patrons, however, are delighted to know that the famous paan shop is open.u00a0 "I'm a regular at Muchhad Paanwala. It's unfortunate that the fight happened, but I am glad I can come here again. I do so every night," said Aniket Mule, who has made a habit to drive down to the shop over the last 10 years.

While Muchhad Paanwala was packed with customers when it opened its shutters on Friday, Tiwari Paan Shop remained shut.

"We cannot comment on when Tiwari Paan Shop will open. Let the situation calm down for a while. Our business will continue the way it used to," said Tiwari, refusing to talk about how the fight might have affected business.

Muchhad Paanwala was set up 30 years ago. Soon, Tiwari became famous for his trademark handlebar moustache.