Amid the bustle and jostle of Shivajinagar, Haji Baba Paan Beeda shop opposite Russell Market may miss your eye. But those familiar with the area will tell you that the quaint little shop is making history of sorts.
The 112-year-old shop, started by Abdul Khaliq in 1903, is being run by Khaliq’s grandson Basheer Khan (50), who inherited the business from his father Haji Baba.
As Basheer removes a huge container of fresh beetle leaves, he goes nostalgic and talks of how the shop has transformed over the years. “My grandfather would narrate stories of how he would prepare paan using just four ingredients. Several people in the military were regulars at the shop,” he says.
Basheer began adding more ingredients, but the style of making paan has remained the same. He dislikes experimenting and makes only Kolkata, Maghai, Benaras and Madras paan.
One of his loyal customers is Mohammed Riyaz (43), who eats at least five paans daily. He says, “Nobody can make paan as good as him. But it is not just the paan… the manner in which he converses and listens to my worries is also what brings me here.”
He ensures there is no compromise on quality. The betel leaves come all the way from Kolkata, West Bengal. “Nobody in the city can cut arecanut the way I do,” Basheer claims.
Though the cost of ingredients has increased, his paans cost only Rs. 10. He sells at least 1,000 paans daily, but is worried about the fate of his shop. His loyal customers too have reason to worry; he has already started selling apparel to supplement his income.
“I am running this shop to keep the family tradition alive. My children are not interested in the business and my siblings have moved on to other professions. I will be the last one making beedas in my family,” he rues.
