Indian hookah smoking

[E.G.]

So I stopped into a local Tobacco Discount type place that seem to
proliferate like bunnys 'round these parts on the off hand they might
carry massal.  No dice.

But, while I was there, the very pleasant if somewhat agressive
salesman tried his damndest to sell  me a little Indian
hookah.  It was probably 12", with two thin hoses, maybe the
diameter of a thick pencil.  It was cute, even if I did shudder
when I saw the bronze bowl.

I fianlly managed to get across to the guy that I had a pipe, and I was
looking for tobacco.  He pointed me at first toward pipe tobacco,
and then when I said "No, no, I'm looking for the rough cut tobacco
that's soaked in molasess and flavorings," he then pointed me toward
Drum and other cigarette tobaccos.  All the while, he insisted
that this is what his pappy smoked for years from the very same
(style?) of hookah he had shown me.

Now, from what I've heard pipe tobacco in the hookah is just vile.

So, what do you all think?  Here's the possibilities I came up with:

1) He has no idea what the hell he's talking about.
2) He's trying to take advantage of the ignorant honkey looking for an exotic experience.
3) They really do smoke pipe and/or cigarette tobacco in hookahs in India.

E.G.

[MR Bubble]

Now I work with someone who claims to have a machine from Turkey, and he claims to smoke pipe tobacco from it soaked in rum. I think he is a little off. I suggested massel to him and he said he smoked it before, but likes his rummed down mix.
Strange...
MR Bubble

[NERV]

the turkish guy who owns the turkish storw where i got my turkish hookah smokes it same as all of us

[piperdown]

I'm thinking options 1&2

Pipe tobacco is waaaaaaayyyy too harsh.  I did read something
either on this forum or linked from this forum about using unflavored
pipe tobacco, honey, and fruit to create your own ma'assell, but it
took the guy a lot of experimentation to get the recipe right. 
YMMV