Krishnaraj Iyengar
The glitter of swank summer colognes on the shelves of high-end boutiques is as irresistible as their top notes of fresh citrus bergamot and neroli. But little do we know about India’s age-old tradition of seasonal scents is the upcoming trend among fragrance aficionados throughout the world.
While western perfumery’s million dollar turnover accredits the ‘summer’, ‘winter’ and ‘sexy’ tags, India’s ancient traditions discovered the inherent cooling, warming and sensual properties of the natural fragrant materials long back.
Connoisseurs of Hindustani classical music can never forget the summer soirees of the historic tabla monarch Ustad Ahmedjaan Thirakwa (1881-1976) with the magnificent sillage of ‘rooh khus’ permeating from his royal sherwani. The natural perfume was a part of his scent collection gifted to him by the Rampur Nawab.
The traditional process of distillation by the ‘deg-bhapka’ method with massive copper chambers called ‘deg’ is still in vogue in India. It is believed that the art of distilling flowers, woods and other natural materials to extract the oil and make perfume was first discovered during the time of Indus Valley Civilization. Today, a handful of traditional perfumers remain, upholding this unique method.
According to Indian perfumery science, natural fragrant materials with inherently cooling properties are distilled to extract the oil used as summer perfume. While ‘rooh’ or ‘soul’ in Arabic is pure extract oil, ‘attar’ refers to the oil distilled over a sandalwood base. With the quick approaching scorching summer, ‘rooh khus’, ‘attar kewra’ and ‘mitti ka attar’ or ‘perfume of the earth’ emerge as the most sought-after scents to cool you off.
“Kewra’ or ‘pandanus’ is a flower indigenous only to India and found in regions like coastal Odisha. The fragrance of the distillate is light, refreshing, gentle and deeply cooling, especially when applied on the pulse points of the neck. Khus or ‘vetiver’ is another highly cooling material with a deep green accord. It is also used in sharbats, paan and cuisine as a cooling ingredient. These are God’s own fragrances which generations of our family have distilled and sold to a vast clientele, right from the indulgent nawabs of yore to the millennials of today with a passion for traditional fragrances,” says Mukul Gundhi, seventh generation torchbearer of India’s legendary 200-plus years old Gulabsingh Johrimal Perfumery.
Being one of India’s oldest living traditional houses of fragrance, this Old Delhi-based 1816 perfumery is famed for its ‘mitti ka attar’ that recreates the fragrance of moist earth after the first showers of the Indian monsoon following a blistering summer. “It is literally distilled earth! We use fresh earthen pottery over a pure sandalwood base. Attar Gil, as it’s also called, is one of the most unique symbols of Indian fragrance heritage as there is no fragrance like this anywhere in the world,” Gundhi explains.
The term ‘petrichor’ is often used for this scent, referring to the pleasant smell accompanying first rain after a prolonged, hot and dry period. Indeed, in an era of synthetic perfumes, this traditional natural attar evokes the feeling of grey clouds hanging low, verdant fields, gurgling brooks the fragrance of fresh, moist Indian earth after the very first shower of the season.
Although very light in nature with a dry-down of rich, creamy, woody Indian sandalwood, the wearer’s heart is filled with the hope and anticipation of a blessed monsoon to come and recreate the cool, moist and earthy rainy vibe during the very peak of summer.
‘Chrysopogonzizanioides’ or ‘vetiver’ is a bunch grass species, the roots of which are distilled to extract rooh khus. While kewra, with its effervescent aromas, can even cool off others in your company, the mysterious, green and captivating khus creates a cooling effect on the skin as it does on the mind.
“I use pure vetiver essential oil in a rare variety of incense powder called ‘dashaangam’ made of exotic natural essential oils. It not only compliments other oils like agar and sandalwood present in it, but creates a cooling vibe around the space when lit. This is why many prefer it during meditation sessions as vetiver calms the mind,” says renowned perfumer and incense craftsman Guru Acharya of Nandita Fragrances.
In an era when consumers spend millions on synthetic sprays by over-marketed international brands, these endearing ancient fragrances last far longer on the skin or on the clothes due to the absence of alcohol, bathing you with nature’s untainted gift of scent!
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2Fv4KcP
via Today’s News Headlines
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