Mens Haircuts

Therein lies the rub: Desi Viagra in a bottle

09.09.11

Young and old, married or single, men mostly from the lower socio-economic strata across the city flock to Dehlvi’s stall to buy ‘medicinal oil’, he claims acts as a ‘desi Viagra’.

On a footpath by the busy and noisy road by Empress Market, Dehlvi along with his brother and partner sell the oil prepared with a family recipe. The special oil, they call Tilla-e-Shish Nag (oil of snakes) is sold with a guarantee to aid men having trouble with their performance and is also pitched as a treatment for hair loss or a remedy for body aches and pains, especially joint pains and backaches.

The preparation for the multi-purpose oil is done in the open market by Dehlvi’s partner Mehrab Shah who is surrounded by posters of semi-nude women to attract customers.

Dehlvi’s brother, who is also in charge of marketing their product, manages to gather a large crowd as he opens for business each morning. Soon after he begins advertising on a microphone, the stall is surrounded. Their small wooden table, covered with a red plastic mat, displays the oil’s ingredients open for inspection by potential customers. Ingredients include snake fat, Pan ki jar, Rattan Jaur, Sabut Jayfal, Hurmal, Dar Cheeni, Kuchla, Long and dried ginger. The oil’s preparation is a skill passed down in his family from generation to generation over the last 200 years, Dehlvi proudly says.

Source: The Express Tribune