Hookah Tobacco bug bites Jaipur’s elite:

A new trend of flavoured hookah smoking has picked up in Jaipur as exclusive hookah bars and lounges have sprouted across the city.

Also known as “Sheesha”, the traditional hookah was earlier confined to the rural areas but now its popularity and growing demand has made its presence felt in the elite section of the society.

Lounge bars have come up with exotic flavours of hookahs—mint, apple, jasmine, mango, cola and orange—to attract youngsters, and make the non-smokers feel free.

The evenings at most of the hookah joints, bars, lounges and clubs in the heritage city have become a hit with the trendy elite youngsters who gather for a smoke as it is free from nicotine and does not harm the body.

“This is like a new trend for this town basically but now this is picking up and the response is really good we are getting and the other thing is this is refreshing smoke and so even those who don’t smoke cigarettes and bidis are smoking this because this is not tobacco but just fruit flavoured smoke,” said Manohar, manager at a lounge bar.

A hookah can be smoked at a minimum price of Rs. 110 charged for the pipe and tobacco, and can be shared among a group of six to ten people.

Youngsters, who are enjoying the latest fad, say it helps in spending cozy evenings with friends.

“It’s good because all the friends sit together, enjoy and talk and in the morning we go to office and study and therefore in the evening it is good to sit with friends enjoying and talking,” said Vijay Jain.

Hookah arrived in the country from the Middle East and Arab countries where the trend of flavoured tobacco was explored as smoking of tobacco is prohibited in Islam.

Hookah, also known as “Hubbly-Bubbly”, originated in Turkey around 400 years back, and later it migrated to Middle East and became good time pass for Arab Sheikhs and their wives.

These hookahs were simple, primitive, and rugged in design, usually made from a coconut shell base and tube with a head attached. They were designed to smoke opium, and hashish. The hookah made its way through the Persian Kingdom, which also included Pakistan, Afghanistan, much of Middle Asia and Arab parts of Northern Africa.