Page 139 - English Reader - 6

One day of the spring festival of colours (Holi), the merchant arranged
large rolls of paan on a steel plate and made a request, “Hajur, you must

try this today.”

Hem Subba was enflamd: “Don’t you know that I never eat paan? I don’t
want to look like I’ve rubbed blood on my mouth by eating paan. Paan

causes cancer! Please return that plate at once!’

Hem Subba didn’t eat any paan. The merchant got quite worried; was
the town’s culture doomed to erode, then?

He made a second attempt. He invited Hem Subba to his daughter’s
wedding. Hem Subba came. The merchant offered him a few rolls of
paan on a silver plate. He said, “Hajoor, on the occasion of my daughter’s

wedding some special paan.”

This time Hem Subba spoke calmly, “Sahuji paan does not suit my health,

thank you, I will have the cloves and cardamoms.”

Thme came for Hem Subba’s daughter’s wedding. Hem Subba looked
very worried: what was he to do, how was to proceed? Marrying off a

Dolphin English Reader Book 6 139