A paan for Rs 5,000

It was 11 pm and old Aurangabad city had gone to bed except for an alley in Osmanpura which was suffering from midnight cravings People in cars and bikes were thronging the alley similar to making their way towards a shrine The shrine in this case was a 48yearold paan centre which was drawing people post their dinner Tara Paan Centre offers 51 varieties of paan and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Aurangabad Its price ranges from Rs 7 to Rs 5000 while offering a paan for every age group taste bud and even a few diseasesAs we reached the paan centre a boy in his twenties came running towards our car window and asked Kya laoon When we asked about the whereabouts of the owner he directed us towards Mohammed Sarfuddin Siddiqui In a white kurtapyjama and matching beard the 71yearold said hello to some of his regulars and asked us Kya khaoge saab This is how we greet every customer other enquiries can come laterMohammed Sarfuddin Siddiqui founded Tara Paan Centre in Aurangabad in 1970 PicsPradeep DhivarThe cherry on top of an assignment such as this is that your interview begins with a masala paan with a cherry on top Later Siddiqui tells us his story You wont believe now but I have completed matriculation that too in the 1960s My parents wanted me to do some clerical job in Mumbai but I had big ideas about life I was fascinated with Bollywood I was staying at my uncles place in Bhendi Bazaar My job search ended at a hotel near Crawford Market I worked there as a waiter yes a matricpassed boy was working as a waiter but I enjoyed working Perhaps the habit of serving people was imbibed thereEn route to starsOne day while serving tea to a customer Siddiqui discovered that the customer had connections with stars such as Dev Anand Dilip Kumar Saira Banu and so on Next day he took me to Roshan Studio where Kader Khan was rehearsing a scene with some junior artistes He Khan asked me to enact something I did a scene from MughaleAzam like a oneact play Khan was pleased with the audition and offered Siddiqui the role of a junior artiste But maybe I was not goodlooking or talented enough I never received an opportunity above a junior artiste I had left my hotel job and was not excelling in the film industry My mother Najma Begum asked me to return to Aurangabad After wasting three to four years I was back to square oneBut Begum had other ideas she in fact had a business plan in mind She gave me the idea of starting a paan centre I told her I am a matricpass guy You want me to serve people paan She said Sabse bada hai rog kya kahenge log The biggest disease is thinking what people will say In 1970 Begum sold her jewellery collected Rs 9000 and rented a 5x5 ft space in Osmanpura opposite to where the new centre dazzles today She not only gave her life savings but also taught me different recipes of paanAt the time there were 700 paan centres in Aurangabad and a commiserate number of paan enthusiasts We started with the regular four to five varieties Initially we used to buy betel leaves from the local wholesaler but then we started buying from Hyderabad and Himachal Pradesh Paan is not like any other food its a customised item The paanwala has to prepare it based on the interest of the customerFrom the basic version betel leaf slaked lime paste or chuna katha paste areca nut and tobacco Siddiqui started adding varieties meetha paan with mukhwas chocolate paan with chocolate paste Banarasi paan with extra chuna and Calcutta Kalkatta paan Several customers gave their suggestions to Siddiqui which he readily incorporated In fact according to Arif Khan a loyal customer for the last 25 years thats the reason behind the success of Tara Paan CentreThe uniqueness of Mohammed saab is that he grasps the interest and inclination of the customer and remembers it So the next time you visit he can tell you which paan you want I think thats why hes popular after 48 years he saysGoing one step further herbs were added to the paan creating edible medicines Faiyyaz Siddiqi another customer of 20 years says In the earlier days no one liked to have medicines given by hakims and vaidyas so they used to add it in paan Even Mohammed saab has a paan for diseases ranging from constipation to choked nosePain relieved from paanThe paan industry was shaken in the 1990s with the arrival of cigarettes gutkha and flavoured paan supari in the market Chewing paan began to be considered a bad habit says Siddiqui Even films showed villains chewing paan which sent the wrong message Spitting paan in public had also become a nuisance while cigarettes became a status symbol and adversely affected the paan business Now every paanwala has accepted it we wont survive if we dont sell cigarettesTo make paan trendy again Tara Paan Centre began to innovate in earnest Honey tuttifrutti and cheese were added herbs that claimed to act like aphrodisiacs were introduced In Mumbai this paan is called palangtod paan I call it a Couple paan and sell it for Rs 3000 Many people add cannabis or some other material which makes you excited I add herbs that dont have any side effects And yes I have tested it myselfThe most expensive paan at the centre in the centre is Kohinoor Masala Rs 5000 which has in its expensive folds honey rosewater mushq musk zaffran saffron agar liquid fragrance and a few secret herbs In fact if someone has it even their sweat becomes fragrant Despite the changes in the world Siddiqui is convinced nothing will change peoples appetite for paan In the last 48 years after every decade I thought This is it Nobody will eat paan anymore But it has survived In this span of time paan sellers in Aurangabad have increased from 700 to approximately 4700 My staff has reached to 23 Every day I sell more than 10000 paan As we make our way past the snaking queue at his shop we know hes right The world will always have room for a fragrant aftertasteCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on 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