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After biryani, cricket and general hypersensitivity towards religion what unites the Indian public is the glorious paan. When a rather humble looking betel leaf wrapped up in its essentials is offered up, it usually marks the end of all other preoccupation. I have personally seen heated debates evaporate into laughter and soirees turn to brawls when it comes to matters of the paan. The secret to making this mouth freshener a success lies in how well the holy trinity of choona (mineral slaked lime or calcium hydroxide), kattha (catechu) and supari (areca nuts) in your paan is treated with the flavours of saffron, peppermint, dates and other ingredients fancied by your palette. All this fuss is entertained because a good paan can produce a deep satisfaction in the soul; regardless of the quality of food or people that surround you. But even to a self-proclaimed paan hedonist like me the knowledge that a paan can offer more than just oral pleasure came as surprise-though a very pleasant one.
Meet Kohinoor Paan; named after the largest diamond in the world, this betel creation promises all things big-literally. Sold at the Tara Pan Centre in Aurangabad it is known as the ‘Indian Viagra’, the effect of which lasts for two days straight. But the promise of a lasting performance does not come cheap fellows; this paan will cost you INR 5000. The damages to your wallet are that deep because this special paan comes in a heady mixture of aphrodisiacs and invigorating ingredients. There are even different versions, meant for male and female consumers. According to this report by India Times, the male paan comprises of a Rs 70 lakh per kg musk, agar – a liquid fragrance found only in West Bengal with a price tag of Rs 7 lakh per kg, saffron at Rs 2 lakh per kg, gulab at Rs 80,000 per kg, and some ‘secret ingredients’. For the women, the goods include gulab, safed musali, a root used as an aphrodisiac costing about Rs 6,000 per kg, a lesser quantity of saffron, among other things. Both these paans are made in the famed Kolkata meetha paan patta. On further investigation, we found out that this special paan, which comes in demand only during weddings, is given to the customers in a specially designed box, with a bottle of Itra (perfume) which they can massage on themselves. For best results, the paan should be consumed two hours before you want it to produce its effects. Strangely, unlike other paans, one cannot spit this one out but must consume it as a whole. Yes, it’s quite a ritual!
Mohammed Sarfuddin Siddiqui, owner of the 50-year-old Tara Paan Shop, is the creator of this notorious paan. In an interview with Zee News, he said, “After my marriage, my mother gave me that paan and said you should eat it, and then if you like it, you should sell it,” says Siddiqui who in the past has even exported the Kohinoor paan to countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. Though if you are unmarried and looking to pop this paan, Siddiqui might reduce its power for he is “not in favour of pre-marital or extra-marital relationships”.
Through Amitabh Bachchan’s blockbuster Don (1978), Bollywood might have crowned the Benarasi paan as the betel King (*does the Khaike Paan Benaraswala moves*), but the Kohinoor paan which according to legend, was made for Nawabs, definitely deserves this title!
Feature illustration by Aaroolya Rajesh.
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