Indulgences

1. पान

   Pān

   Paan (betel leaf quid)

   Usage

   Betel leaf folded around slaked lime, catechu and areca nut, chewed after meals and used in ceremonies. ⚠ It comes with tobacco or without (meetha paan, the sweet kind). The tobacco version is carcinogenic — check which you are being handed

2. सुपारी

   Supārī

   Supari (areca nut)

   Usage

   The areca palm seed, chewed on its own or inside paan. ⚠ Linked to oral cancer. Note also that "supari dena" is an idiom for putting out a contract killing — point at the item when using the word

3. गुटखा

   Guṭkhā

   Gutkha (chewing tobacco mix)

   Usage

   Chewing tobacco of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu and slaked lime. 🔴 Products containing tobacco or nicotine are banned from sale in most Indian states and union territories under the 2011 food-safety regulations (24 states and 3 UTs as of 2013; the bans are renewed annually). Do not buy it. The card exists so you can read "gutkha nishedh" (gutkha prohibited) signs and understand the red spitting you will see

4. तंबाकू

   Tambākū

   Tobacco

   Usage

   The tobacco leaf itself — used for chewing tobacco, paan fillings and cigarettes alike. Also written तम्बाकू. Saying "tambaku nahin" (no tobacco) gets you the tobacco-free version of paan or similar items

5. बीड़ी

   Bīṛī

   Beedi (leaf-rolled cigarette)

   Usage

   Tobacco rolled in a tendu leaf and tied with thread. Much cheaper than cigarettes and widely smoked by working-class men

6. सिगरेट

   Sigreṭ

   Cigarette

   Usage

   An English loanword. Sold by the single stick at paan kiosks. ⚠ Smoking in public places is restricted and finable under India's COTPA tobacco act of 2003

7. हुक्का

   Hukkā

   Hookah (water pipe)

   Usage

   A water pipe, found from village gatherings to city cafés. ⚠ Hookah bars are banned in a number of Indian states — check locally before assuming a venue is legal. Also spelled हुक़्क़ा with nuqtas

8. बीयर

   Bīyar

   Beer

   Usage

   An English loanword, also written बियर. 🔴 Sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited in Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram and Nagaland (Gujarat runs a permit scheme for foreign visitors). Elsewhere the legal drinking age and the days liquor shops may open still vary by state

9. ताड़ी

   Tāṛī

   Tadi (palm wine / toddy)

   Usage

   A local drink of naturally fermented palm sap, tapped in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and coastal areas, mainly from April to July. 🔴 Bihar enforces total prohibition, so it is illegal there.

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