Banaras, a humble place packing in everything from religion to arts to cuisine. None can deny the immense feeling of spirituality this city offers or can forget the maestros like Late Ustad Bismillah Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar that have graced this city. Life is uncomplicated and pleasurable over here. Adding its own identity and color to this vibrant city is the paan. Such is the magic of the paan coming from the land of Banaras that it was used to create a song “khaike paan Banaraswala” that went on to become a phenomenon.
The paan is one thing the people of Banaras take delight in making, offering and receiving. In Banaras, the mere eating of a paan symbolizes everything from a daily ritual to a friendly gesture to indulging in life’s simple pleasures. In Banaras, you will find large number of paan shops spanning every lane in the city. A true Banarasi babu fond of paan can even spot for you which lane or even shop that turns out a specific paan by inhaling the aromas from a prepared paan.
The paanwalas too have mastered this art of paan making well enough. Making paans to suit the palates of their countless customers is what they take pride in. The recipe of paan consists of a betel leaf packed with a range of ingredients such as cardamoms, supari, chuna, katha, gulkand and tobacco (optional). It is said that a perfect Banarasi paan does not even require the effort of chewing it as it easily dissolves into the mouth.
Such is the love for paan in the city of Banaras that you will find an auction market called paan dariba exclusively dedicated to the paan. The market receives betel leaves from all over the country during the early morning hours. The leaves are auctioned in bunches of 200 leaves called dholis. The dholis sell from any thing between Rs. 50-150/ dholi.
The importance of paan in the culture of Banaras just goes to show all pleasurable things in life need not necessarily be expensive or complicated. Something as plain yet marvelous as the paan can be of great significance.
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Source: Uppercrustindia
