PESHAWAR: He puts his bare hands into a wok of boiling oil, scoops it up and picks out the fried fish and chicken to the shock and awe of onlookers. They come in their droves to see the miracle-man perform his defying feat and each time, 30 year old Mohammad Gul, obliges them to keep the till ringing at Mohammad Gul Machli Firosh – a small fish-hut in Peshawar. What began for Gul as a snap-reaction to an impatient customer unwilling to wait for his snack till the oil was hot enough to fry it, has over the years been worked into a spectacle made popular by word-of-mouth, catapulting a simple fish-seller into the headlines.
Now a father of four, Gul had just set-up his fish-hut in the Ring Road area of Peshawar about 8 years ago when quite by accident, he developed a reputation for plunging his hands into boiling oil. Mohammad Gul, narrates the story of how he was trying to fry fish for a customer on his wood-burning stove but couldnt meet expectations for speedy service. When the man kept heckling Gul, he says, I was angrier than him and kept telling him the oil wasnt fully heated, but he was still grunting so I dipped my hand into the frying pan and scooped some oil in my palm. It was then that Gul realised to his own surprise that his skin did not react in the same way as others to the scalding oil. The oil didnt peel or burn my skin, Gul recalls. And that in short is the story of how Guls roadside shack under a pedestrian bridge a few hundred yards from Rehman Baba Flyover became a legend- as famous for his stunt as the mouth-watering fried fish and chicken he offers.
Now that his reputation precedes him, the cheerful and bearded Gul finds it hard to turn away wide-eyed customers asking for a live demo. He says, people come from far and wide to see him perform. Gul talks of how a young man came from Karachi with his friend and took a selfie with me when I showed him the trick. Most of his customers, Gul admits are either college and university students or residents of Hayatabad.
But how does he do it? Gul says, I definitely feel the burn, but not like normal people do and the oil doesnt affect my skin. Gul is actually able to scoop up the boiling oil in his palm and hold it up for a bit before releasing it back into the frying pan by way of demonstration. But he says, he cant keep his hands submerged in the pan for too long. I can take out the fish and chicken pieces but cant keep my hand submerged in the oil. I have been putting my right hand in the karhai (frying pan) since that first time eight years ago and so it is used to it. My left hand is still under training. Save for a little discolouration, there are no blisters on Gul’s hands, even though the oil in which he regularly dips them is heated to over 150 C.
As most onlookers are left with their jaws dropping, Gul dispels all notions of possessing any super-powers. Hes no saint he says, acknowledging that People call it magic, but this is not true. They make videos when I perform for them.
Muhammad Rauf, a regular visitor to Guls fish joint says, My friends never believe me when I tell them about Gul. Sometimes they place bets on it, but I win every time.
But its not all easy for Gul, having to dip his hands into boiling oil more than a dozen times a day to please his enthralled customers. His wife for one is certainly not a fan. She and other relatives did not believe Gul till they saw him perform the trick on television. When she first saw it, She was really moved but My wife strongly opposes this act Gul says, although his four-year-old son also wants to learn how to do it.
He also admits that he has been medically advised against carrying on putting his hands in boiling oil. The doctors say my hands nerves will stop responding one day if I dont stop doing this, but I cant refuse my customers, Gul says.
Hailing from Charsadda, Gul lives with his wife and four children in Shaheedabad, Gulbahar. He has been cooking fish for years and started working as a waiter with his brother and brother-in-law at their restaurant in Nasir Bagh before starting Mohammad Gul Machli Firosh 12 years ago.
Initially, Gul says he was afraid to talk to the media, thinking the interviews would alert the government which would impose more taxes on his humble establishment where he sells about 40 kilos of fish a day- working from morning till about 11pm. But the publicity has helped his business so far, and he doesnt seem to mind the fame or fortune for the moment. –EJ
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