Muchhad Paanwala

by Ishita Sinha

It is quite a sight, to cross the sophisticated lanes of Kemps Corner in South Mumbai, and to see a thick moustached man (sometimes two!), sitting comfortably in a little open shop, cross legged and smiling, selling paan (Betel leaf) to a constantly flocking bunch of customers.

The shop is called ‘Muchhad Paanwala’ – which literally translates to “A moustached paan-wala”. It’s a place I had heard about from many people who recommended it strongly for its delicious paan and its entertaining owner.

Usually, I don’t indulge myself in paan, but something about the shop attracted me enough to want to go and try it out. Now, I have always been under the impression that paan is accompanied with ‘supari’(Areca nut) and that it is wise to stay away from it.  But to my surprise, I found myself striking a conversation with the owner, Mr Tiwari, who told me that out of all the paans he sells, only 1% is with supari and the rest is without. “You don’t have to spit it out and make the city dirty! You can just chew it and gobble it up”, he said smilingly, as he handed me a meetha (sweet) paan which, I have to admit, was quite delicious!

Muchhad Paanwala is a cult shop in Mumbai. If you like Paan or even if you want to try it out for the first time, you can't miss it. The shop is as unique is the name is – it started out as a street vendor point with 2 plates of paan, then went on to get a little corner where one could barely sit, and now it’s a decently sized shop for a paan-wala.

Jaishankar Tiwari began his career as paan-wala starting this shop in 1977, when he was barely 17 years old: over thirty years after, he is probably the most well known paan-wala in Mumbai, with many celebrity connoisseurs driving past after midnight (the shop is open until 2 AM) and getting served their favourite after-meal paans in their cars.

The paans on offer are of many varieties with different kinds of ingredients. The owner essentially keeps the old Indian tradition treating his customers as guests; for him, maintaining his good name is more important than making money – maybe that’s why the most expensive paan there is just for Rs. 20.

If you ask him what’s his daily turnover, he refuses to let that out and also advises you to never tell your income to anyone. “One should never talk about it, lest it becomes less”, he says with a worldly grin on his face.

And about the name of the shop, he will tell you how all men in his family follow the tradition of keeping big moustaches and that is what sets them apart from the other paan vendors of the city!

So if you drive by Kemps corner at midnight, all you need to do is pull over your car at the crossing and a boy will come running over to take your paan order. But if you have a minute, step out and walk over to the man with the big moustache. He will tell you a story or two about the origin and the traditions associated with paan eating. Take a bite of the ethnic mouth freshener and I assure you, you will be driving back on that route again soon.

*Curiosity - The (unverified) legend of Muchhad Paanwala says that his success is such that he now owns a Mercedes and was able to send his children to expensive schools.