Raindrops, Roadside, and Resilience: Meet Behala’s Bookish Paanwala

Image Source: The Better India

Amidst Behala, Kolkata, where monsoon rains wipe out dreams under the waters annually, one individual turned adversity into literature. Meet Pintu Pohan, a paan seller whose small wooden stall is a literary platform.

Key Points in Pintu's Experience

- Raised in Madanmohantala slum, which was inundated by a flood, Pintu's childhood was spent in starvation and displacement.
- A chance discovery of a damaged short story collection during a flood evacuation sparked his love for writing that persisted throughout his life.
- Despite quitting school after Class 10, he re-entered school and later on earned a Master's degree in Bengali in 2015.
- In between serving betel leaves and serving customers, he authored ten books—two more are underway.
- His stories, typically drawn from slum existence and childhood fantasy, were published in magazines like Desh and Anandamela.

Challenges and Triumphs

- He spent a long time sitting at the stall and developed severe spondylitis, but he never gave up writing.
- He juggled family responsibilities, computer certification, and language diplomas and continued writing.
- His works range from children's fiction to social commentary, all infused with hope and resilience.

Why It Matters:

Pintu's tale isn't really about books—it's about redefining the story of slum life. He shows how imagination and grit can go together with lime-stained fingers and flooded streets.

Source: The Better India, The Telegraph India, Pinoy Daily Articles