Hookah Hook

Hookah Hook

Dr. S.S. Rana

Fully aware of the scientific findings regarding the ill effects of use of tobacco products on the health of the people the Central Health Minister, Dr. Ramo Dasa has been leading a relentless campaign against the use of the substance. His almost obsessive concern on the issue has left no holds barred for him. He did not hesitate to first issue personal appeals to celebrities to desist from smoking publicly and then went ahead in getting a suitable legislation prohibiting the representation of smoking on screen enacted. His belief that the screen hero being a role model for the young minds could greatly influence them to take to smoking. The cigarette smoking popular cinema icon Shahrukh Khan did favourably respond to the appeal issued to men of his profession. This perhaps was a fond belief as the Apex Court recently ruled while rejecting the provision of such a flimsy (filmy?) nature.Though the court took its stand on the principle of freedom of artistic representation the ban looked unnecessary as such. We are aware that the cinema audience has matured a good deal as has the cinema itself over the years. Our young men (or women) are no more enamoured of the hero or the villain releasing chains of rings of smoke while smoking a cigarette.
But the indefatigable minister having both the moralists and the health providers on his side, the powerful tobacco lobby not withstanding, has indeed moved resolutely in slapping a ban on smoking in public places (defined quite comprehensively) through law. It is every body’s hope that the measure will go a long way in hooking a good number of people, especially the young people off the fag and give the desired relief to unwilling passive smokers thronging public places like buses and railways (discipline in air is already in place) and even parks. But an omnibus fiat of law like the one we have in place now, either continues to remain oblivious or willingly over looks a large section of our population, mainly rural, given to institutionalized smoking. How this ban, like many other similar ones, is going to work in rural areas, not only for the reason of mere logistics of enforcement but also (and mainly) for the reason of more deeper and cultural issues involved in the matter.
An observer of the rural ways would bear it out that people in villages generally have a differentiated attitude towards individual smoking and community smoking. The underlying reason for this differentiation could be the cigarette ( or bidi) being perceived as an intruding individualistic smoking medium in an established traditional Hookah culture of the village communities integrated into the totality of their social code.
We may here like to muse over how Hookah hooks people into a camaraderie of its own kind well linked with the kinship relations in its working. Though with the onset of modernity, leading to dismantling of the joint family system and the ever-increasing hectic life style, the hookah culture has lost some of its past glow (or glory in several connotations!), yet it continues to serve as the focal point for social networking and seeking shared relaxation. Hookah continues to be one of the parameters of the expression of social beliefs and practices well ingrained in the life of rural communities since ages. It has served as a measure of some sort of time keeping, generally indicating small breaks in the course of working or waiting. It was to underscore this place of importance accorded to hookah in the sedentary life style of the village folk till fifty years ago that on the occasion of fairs, a special day was set apart for holding Hookah Fair. Potters from far and wide participated in this unique fair offering their earthen hookahs of various designs and sizes for sale at reasonable rates. The village folk fully utilized this opportunity and made purchases of stocks enough to last till the time of the next fair. Those interested in acquiring metal Hookahs (pharsi < Persian) of a more fancy design, however, had to visit the market in the town or the city.
Hookah was no mere contraption for smoking tobacco. It represented a culture and served as a symbol of communal bonding and close fraternity enveloping the gotra and caste aspects in its operation. It was shared among the members of the community of equals and offered as a means of hospitality to a visitor. Before joining a smoking party a stranger would invariably ascertain the communal/caste identity of the group. Denial of the privilege of sharing a hookah was among the major measures of social sanctions imposed against a person as punishment for violating a social code. On occasions Hookah also served as a swear object as did the all important cattle like cow or bullock (in contrast of the buffalo). The material, size and design of the hukka indicated the standing of the owner in his community. The higher the gathering in a smoking parlour the higher the popularity it indicated in respect of the owner. At such places the hookah could be noticed flaunting a Rakhi on Rakshabandhan day, signifying its instrumentality in promoting bond of brotherhood. Some owners would not forget to mount their hookah on a free wheeled disc attached to a sturdy plate for easy rotations. Proper up keep of the hookah was no less important. The aroma would wane out unless the hookah was intermittently overhauled by replacing the stale water with fresh one and the waste deposits removed from the interiors of its various tubes with the help of a pull through (gaj). A fine and smooth gurgling sound when put into operation was indicative of the desired level of performance of the contraption.
The brahmanas practiced exclusivity in not sharing their hookahs with people of other castes. However, the Jats and other middle level castes shared their hookahs among themselves, leaving the members of the dalit castes out side their circle. Out in the crop fields the farmers carried their personal mini hookahs called huktis. A midi hookah used by a smaller group or an individual was called kalai (perhaps for its pot being made of nickel plated metal). Narial would be the name of a still smaller hukti if the pot was made of coconut shell (and by extension of meaning any small (hukti of such shape) Farmers working in close proximity in the fields relaxed the caste restrictions in sharing the hukti. However, the relaxation in case of the members of the harijan community was limited only to the sharing of the earthen top fire-pot (chillum). Tobacco under a round lid (thekari) was placed atop an earthen ball trapped on the hole in the middle of the fire pot fixed on the smaller stump of the hookah. Continued supply of tobacco and fire tinder, were the main ingredients for keeping the smoking sessions go on and on. Tobacco supply was hardly a problem as most of the participants kept their own stock of locally grown home made tobacco in small pouches (kothalis) safely tucked in the pleats of their waist band (adband< ardhabandha) of their dhoti and generally every one present would volunteer to offer at least a measure (pat) to escape the sobriquet of a patpad. In the comity of smokers one could find connoisseurs of different grades of tobacco Viz. weak, strong and medium, majority preferring the last named. Fire tinder could be obtained from the reserved stock kept ready simmering in an ash covered fire pit called poor (hearth) in one corner of a parlour. The tinder was replenished by an additional supply of pieces of cow dung cakes buried in the ash pit arranged in a queue, one touching another ahead. In case of emergency the fire places of the households in the same street were sought after but not before discreet enquiry made from the concerned housewife was answered in the affirmative. When all other sources of fire tinder were exhausted the rich stock invariably intact under the simmering earthen milk pots (kadhawanis) of households would be accessed. Some times an enterprising young man would not forget to help himself by laying hand on the pot for a lump of creamy crust as a bonus. But such forays were limited to very friendly households. As a general norm cross street attempts to get fire tinder were not countenanced. It was, however, pass if a youngster ventured out on such a mission. Showing deference to the privacy of the women folk of the street was the main consideration behind such self-imposed restrictions.
The first few pulls at the recharged hookah, following the customary inaugural one by the senior most among those present were to be made by a junior member of the smoking party (determined on the basis of hierarchy of age and gotra) till the tobacco got ignited (sulgana), especially if the instrument had been lying idle for quite some time. He also had the responsibility to manipulate the instrument holding it from the calf region (gatta pakarna) and offer it to the other members gathered turn-by-turn starting with the senior most among those present. If per chance the protocol (again determined on the basis of seniority of degree in clan relationship and age) of the persons concerned turned out to be at par, each one would push the mouthpiece (nay) of the hukka forward to the next man in the manner of passing a buck. Similar was the norm when the group engaged in smoking comprised only a father-in-law and a son-in-law. Here the seniority in age of the father- in-law came into clash with the kin wise higher degree of a son-in-law as a bride taker, hence the middle path.


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