It is said that the Khasis were earliest immigrant tribes who came from Myanmar, and settled down in the plains of east Assam. Earlier the Khasis had their own kingdom, until the Britishers exercised control over them.
Khasis follow the unique culture. The property of the Khasis is passed on from the mother to the youngest daughter. Music plays an important part in the life of Khasis.
The Khasi people, like many other Asian people, chew betel nut daily. It is called kwai in Meghalaya and the Khasis chew it in a fairly pure form. I imagine that it was something like smoking long before Meghalaya had cigarettes. One Khasi woman smiled at me with her red lips and teeth and called it Khasi lipstick. Indeed in some of the Asian cultures it’s been seen as a sign of beauty.
I was told that the leaf and the lime were needed to break down the hardness of the nut. Some Khasis swallowed the kwai after chomping away on it, while others would spit out the juices. I just watched everyone chewing it.
The areca nut is suppsed to have mild narcotic properties that can sharpen clarity. How this works when one is drinking is more a mystery I think. Coupled with the pepper leaf and the lime, it heated me up. The Khasis sitting around thought it pretty funny to watch me chewing this. I did get into the hang of trying it, working past the bitterness and tasting the flavors of peppery woodiness. I probably chewed kwai for a day or two.
When I went back to Mumbai, I bought some paan. I am now used to the pure taste and didn’t like the sugary sweetness of Mumbai paan. It’s just as well too as there are many diseases and cancers of the mouth associated with long-term use, not to mention the hardness alone can damage teeth.
So I gave up my betel nut adventures and passed on the betel juice that gives alluring red lips to its users.
