Chewing the Cud

Worldwide almost 600 million people consume paan as part of traditions and/or everyday life. Many epidemiological studies in India and Pakistan have reported that 3.3 to 37% of people chew paan.
Paan fanatics swear by their regular paanwala (Paan seller). The Paan brings with it muffled conversations and after-dinner walks. The Paan shop is a community congregational centre where the conversations revolve around a large variety of subjects ranging from assignments, classes, jokes, politics (office and political scenario of the country), everyday problems to heartbreaks. In the evenings this place becomes a hangout zone where people from different walks share their sorrows and joys.