Among elderly Newars, smoking tamakhu (tobacco) was an essential feature of daily life. The hukkas were made of wood, had three legs and a shiny bronze cup with a clay chilim on top for the tobacco. Smoke was drawn through a bamboo straw or a wooden pipe with carved patterns. Smoking in courtyards, public patis or temple platforms while watching passersby on the street helped the elderly pass the time. An old man is wearing ‘Palanchoke’-style leather shoes, a clean daura suruwal, a patuka and a short waistcoat. He is enjoying a puff of tamakhu.