Nawabi culture

In an earlier era paandans were relevant

Luxurious life styles used to be the hallmark of the Nawabs of Awadh.  Besides other forms, it also got reflected in the way they chewed and offered paans (betel) to their distinguished guests.

Though the grandeur is no more following the abolition of the zamindari system, some of the symbols of their luxury have been preserved by the descendants of the nawabs.

A descendant of Khan Bahadur Nawab Syed Hamid Hussain Khan has a priceless and rare collection of paandans (which contained various items used to prepare the paan) and khaasdans (the pots in which the prepared paans were kept) of the Nawabi era.
Sahabzadi Naseema Raza, the descendant, proudly displays rare and unique collections in her ‘palace’ located in the heart of Lucknow. She has a collection of over 70 types of paandans and khaasdans.

Khan Bahadur, her great grandfather, was the first chairman of the Lucknow Municpality and was an honorary magistrate during the British era.

She has carefully preserved scores of beautifully crafted and aesthetically designed paandans and khaasdans, some weighing up to twenty five kilograms and over 100 years old.

Ms. Raza told Deccan Herald, “Chewing paans and offering them to guests was part of Lucknavi culture and associated with this were the paandans and khaasdans. The Begums use to prepare paans from the Paandans and place them in Khaasdans to be offered by the Nawab Saheb to his guests''.

Her collection comprises paandans of various shapes and sizes made from different metals like silver, copper, brass etc. Some paandans are so large that wheels are attached to them in order to move them around.

She says, “The priceless collection of paandans and khaasdans is about 100 years old. The old silver paandan and khaasdan with exquisite filigree work is not found any where else”, she says.

“It is in the shape of a flower and weighs approximately five kilograms”, Ms. Raza adds proudly. There are eight small boxes inside this paandan for keeping various ingredients of the paan like the betel nut, clove, tobacco and other things.

The paandans are in various shapes. Some are hexagonal in shape while some others are rectangular, oblong, mount shaped etc.

Similarly their sizes also differ. Some are so small that they can be carried in hand while others are so big that it would be difficult for a person to shift them from one place to another. Ms. Raza has a brass paandan weighing 25 kilograms.

The same is true about the khaasdans, which are made in silver and symbolize superb craftsmanship. The paandans and khaasdans gained popularity during the nawabi era as offering and chewing paan was an integral part of Awadh culture.

Ms Raza said, “Even now some Muslim parents gift paandans at the time of the marriage of their daughters”.

She also possesses ugaldans which are used as spittoons necessary after chewing pan. “These are so big that now-a-days they are used as decorative pieces like flower pots”, she says.

“Their preservation is a costly affair. They have to be cleaned regularly or else they will lose their shine”, she says.

On what prompted her to collect these items especially when a majority of the erstwhile nawabs, who were short of money, sold their belongings, Ms. Raza said that it was a part of their cultural identity.

“By preserving these rare articles we in fact preserve our culture and heritage”, she added.