The traditional, ornate, metallic shishasThe new, sleek hookahs. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Fix it, light it, lie back and drag on it. Once the repose of the royalty, the hookah is emerging as today?s style statement, and shifting from durbars to drawing rooms.

After night clubs made dragging a hookah cool, the craze has caught on with the party people. As a result, many are choosing to come home to the hookah.

With Calcuttans becoming hookah-happy, a revival of sorts has been sparked ? from a 121-year-old shop on Rabindra Sarani to a two-year-old counter at Forum.

?Shisha (Arabic for hookah) is a niche product and a current craze. Till four years ago, very few people would have thought of being spotted with a hookah, but after Shisha Bar came up on 22, Camac Street, people now even want to possess one,? says DJ Girish of Shisha.

The more traditional the hookah looks, the stronger the style statement it makes. That?s what is reflected in the sales slope at New Moradabadi Shop, on Rabindra Sarani, established in 1884.

?The profile of the customer has undergone a big change. For the past year or so, on an average, we have been selling more than eight hookahs every day. Our clients are the youth, who pick up the habit at various hookah bars of the city. Then, they come here and purchase the hookahs,? says Atif Kamil.

The shishas available at this hookah haunt, opposite Royal Indian Hotel, are in brass and wear the traditional look. The heavier the hookah, the finer the engravings, the hotter they are.

?These hookahs cost above 5,000. There are also hookahs that cost as low as Rs 250. But we do not deal in the delicate variety. Our hookahs are brought from Moradabad, where these are handmade,? adds Kamil.

At Kriti in Forum, the shisha-for-show crowd goes for the trendy look. ?The hookahs we sell are very sleek and modern. They come in various sizes and colours. They have a glass base and a metallic chillum. They are imported from Dubai and cost anything between Rs 300 and Rs 5,000,? says Dhananjay Phumbhra of Kriti.

Adding to the hookah experience is the variety of flavoured tobacco on offer ? Cola, Double Apple, Coffee and Vanilla are the preferred ones, while Bacardi and Fuel sell well for alcohol aroma.

?Fixing up a hookah is a specialised job. One has to know the right quantity of water to be put in the base, the right amount of charcoal and tobacco in the chillum,? says Harish Lakhmani of USP Entertainment Solutions, who imports hookahs from Dubai and sells eight a day to Calcuttans, besides bulk private party supplies.

Experiments with hookah truths often prompt the party brigade to replace water with rum or vodka in the base.

?Dragging a hookah gives a modern yet ethnic look. Instead of party-hopping, we often settle for an adda at home, with the hookah,? says Krishna Bajoria of Ballygunge, proud owner of a hookah.