How paan, chai unite Hyderabadis abroad

Hyderabad: Any Hyderabadi gathering or gossip is incomplete without a sip of steaming hot chai or luscious paan. And, for Hyderabadis who work thousands of miles away, in the Gulf region, it’s the love for chai and paan that makes them come together. Nayeem, popularly known as Tie Nayeem, cashed in on this love by […]

Hyderabad: Any Hyderabadi gathering or gossip is incomplete without a sip of steaming hot chai or luscious paan. And, for Hyderabadis who work thousands of miles away, in the Gulf region, it’s the love for chai and paan that makes them come together. Nayeem, popularly known as Tie Nayeem, cashed in on this love by setting up the first Hyderabadi paan shop-cum-tea stall in Sharafiah area in the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Interestingly, the shop opened in the same year Amitabh Bachchan’s 1978 movie Don released. In the movie, a paan chewing Amitabh describes the paan in the best way possible: Oh khaike paan Banaraswala’.

Unlike other cities in the Gulf region, Jeddah has a significant presence of Hyderabadis from the pre-oil era. Though the ownership changed, Nayeem’s cafeteria, is still frequented by Hyderabadi expatriates whether professor or labourer for their favourite paan and chai. Several other such Hyderabadi cafes came up later, but it was Nayeem’s café which was the first-of-its-kind in the entire city. The paan is generally concealed and sold as it is prohibited in the region. Most Hyderabadis prefer to chew Baba 120 tobacco paan and take home 10-15 sachets for the next day, according to paan vendors.

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Since the opening of Nayeem’s paan shop, Sharafia has become a meeting point for Hyderabadis. Even those coming from far-flung places like Taif, Jizan and Madinah make it a point to visit it on weekends, not only for ‘Deccani chai, paan and Hyderabadi baata’, but also to alleviate homesickness.

“There was not a single Hyderabadi in Sharafiah in 1970s,” recalled Mohammed Abdul Lateef, who lives in the city from 1966. “Whenever, we heard the phrases ‘Nakko’ and ‘Hawo’ in those days, people would bring paan and chai and introduce themselves,” he said. The area is frequented by thousands of Hyderabadis nowadays, he added.

A similar scenario prevails in Hara, Riyadh, Seiko Building in Dammam and Subekha in Khobar where paan and chai make up the core of the Deccani diaspora.

The buildings with chipped paint and exposed brick next to narrow lanes have become synonymous with the average Hyderabadi bachelors. Many prefer to live in dilapidated buildings that lack facilities, as they are not ready to give up chai, paan and baata! Some even decline lucrative job offers in other cities as they can’t live without these three things – chai, paan and gossip. However, in Jeddah, with demolition and renovation campaign by the local municipality, many Hyderabadis are sad to relocate.

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