MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

PAN BIDI SHOPS

There are a number of pan-bidi shops in the district dispersed ail over the district, as a number of people are habituated to pan-chewing, smoking and snuffing. People chew pan with or without tobacco. Many chew pun only occasionally i. e., on festive occasions or alter heavy meals.

Most of the pan-bidi shops in the district are decorated with large mirrors and pictures of deities and popular film stars hung on the wails. A pan-bidi shop is called panachi gadi of pan-pattiche dukan. This panachi gadi is generally established on a small raised wooden structure.

As per 1951 Census, 765 persons (737 males and 28 females) were engaged in retail trade dealing in pan, bidis, cigarettes, etc. As per 1961 Census 1,141 persons (1,080 males, 01 females) were engaged in retail trading of tobacco, bidi, cigarettes and other tobacco products. Of this number, 1,035 persons (974 males, 61 females) were in urban areas of the district and the rest in rural areas.

Pan-bidi shops keep for sale all the ingredients necessary for a pan-patti, such as, tobacco, betel-nut, catechu as also cigarettes of different kinds. In addition to the above, these shops also keep for sale some articles of daily use, such as, post-cards, postage stamps, match boxes and a few commonly used patent medicines.

Generally the expenditure of a pan-bidi shop on the accessories varied from Rs. 5 per day to Rs. 30 per day. These accessories were composed of betel-leaves or pans, betel-nuts, bidis, cigarettes, lime (chuna), catechu, tobacco, masala, etc. The accessories were purchased from local dealers. The expenditure on these accessories depended upon the size of the establishment.

A pan-bidi shop does not require large investment. The equipment which mostly consisted of pots to keep chuna, betel-nut and leaves, kath, tobacco and a small cupboard to store these articles, and a nut-cracker. In addition some big establishments were found to be decorated with large mirrors. The tools and equipment of a small establishment cost about Rs. 50.

The fixed and working capital of a small pan-bidi shop was placed at Rs. 200 and Rs. 400, respectively.

Most of the shops were one man establishments. The earnings of these establishments depended on their size. The net earnings of a small shop ranged between Rs. 90 and Rs 150 per month.

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