You stop by a paan shop for a quick chew, maybe some betel nut, a mouth freshener. But at this little stall in Behala, Kolkata, something is different. Behind the counter isn’t just a paanwala. He’s holding a pen, not just paan leaves and beside him lies a neat stack of Bengali books, written by him.

Meet Pintu Pohan, a betel leaf seller by day and an author by soul.

From the swamps of Madanmohantala to a world of words

Born and raised in the then-swampy lanes of Madanmohantala, just two kilometres from Behala Chowrasta, Kolkata, Pintu’s childhood was marked by hunger, hardship, and uncertainty. “I would often sleep not knowing if I’d eat the next day,” he told The Telegraph India.