This Tabacco-free Paan Shop in Delhi Rejected Indira Gandhi's Offer but Serves the President!

In the bustling lanes of North Avenue in Delhi lies a gem that has stood the test of time. No, we are not talking about a cultural or heritage place but a tiny paan shop. Pandey’s Paan shop is not so tiny anymore with its popularity reaching up to the President of India. Established in 1943 with just 8 paise, this iconic shop has become synonymous with quality, culture, and history. From serving Rashtrapati Bhawan to gracing the tables of foreign dignitaries, Pandey’s Paan is more than just a business. It is a legacy that has captured the hearts of VVIPs, diplomats, and everyday customers alike. 

The late Shri Shiv Narayan Pandey, a clerk at Grindlays Bank, took a bold step to start his paan shop, back in 1943 but it was not a regular paan shop with a regular paan. The shop sells completely tobacco-free paan-free from katha, choona, or supari. 

Due to this uniqueness and quality, the shop's association with the corridors of power began in 1948 when it started supplying its paan to Rashtrapati Bhawan, followed by Hyderabad House. Over the years, it became a staple for politicians, diplomats, and international delegates. A famous anecdote about Shri Shiv Narayan Pandey captures his humility: Indira Gandhi offered him a seat in the Lok Sabha, but he rejected saying, “Hum paan mein choona laga sakte hain, raajneeti mein nahi.” 

It is this culture that is the motivation behind a painting gifted by M.F. Hussain to this shop, which depicts Lord Hanuman from a scene in the Ramayan where he uproots the entire Dronagiri mountain to bring to the battlefield so that an elixir made from the Sanjeevani herb could be administered to a gravely wounded Lakshmana. Instead of the Sanjeevani, M.F. Hussain painted betel leaves (paan) on Dronagiri, as an acknowledgment of the gravity of responsibility taken up by the Pandey’s in charting their own success story.

More than 80 years since its inception, Pandey’s Paan continues to surprise people. What began as a humble venture by Shiv Narayan, grew under the stewardship of his son, Devi Prasad Pandey, and later his grandsons, Hari Om Pandey and Hari Shankar Pandey.

If you are keen to try their paan after knowing their story, you can visit their shop in Delhi at: Shop No-3, North Avenue, Behind- MP Club, New Delhi.