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........

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