The scent of the city: Ittar is Delhi

Zam Zam Perfumers, Nizamuddin                                                        HT Photo 

“For people could close their eyes to greatness, to horrors, to beauty, and their ears to melodies or deceiving words. But they could not escape scent … He who ruled scent, ruled the hearts of men,” wrote Patrick Süskind in the 1985 novel, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Meet the ittarwallahs of Delhi. As the city stocks up on Chanel, Dior, Ralph Lauren and the like, the whiff of the timeless ittar lingers on.

Gulabsingh Johrimal in Dariba Kalan is like a magical apothecary: neatly labelled bottles like those of an ancient hakim, and colourful glass bottles that seem to belong in a Mughal begum's bedroom. The antique wooden shelves are lined with a dusty collection of Belgian cut crystal decanters—bearing testimony to the history of the shop. Established in 1816, this is perhaps the oldest and finest perfumery in the walled city.

“Traditionally, only a pure fragrance mixed with sandalwood oil was called ittar. But, now every Indian perfume without alcohol is passed off as ittar,” says Mukul Gundhi, one of the brothers managing the shop, adding that “The concept of blends is a Western one.”

“Pour some ittar on one palm, rub your hands together, and brush them against your clothes to transfer the fragrance—it lasts longer on clothes than the skin.”

They make both synthetic and pure ittars—ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 10,000 for 10ml. Even within pure ittars, the price varies depending on quality and the concentration of the fragrance. Their most popular, gulab ittar, costs Rs 600 for 10ml and smells of a sweetened desi gulab. The Ruh-Gulab (spirit of the rose), their highest priced, is for a whopping Rs 10,000 for 10 ml. It is made without any sandalowood oil, just the extract of roses. The first notes don’t seem like roses at all, but, strongly remind you of something expensive and exotic. In a few minutes, however, it’s a rose garden in full bloom.

Ittars are to be changed according to the season. While the emerald green Khus (Vetivert) and Gill (the smell of wet earth) cool the body in the summer, Hina (a mixture of herbs and spices) is a favourite in the winter.

They should be chosen on the basis of the temperature of a place and the temperament of the user, “mausam aur mizaaz,” says Mohd Salman, the owner of Zam Zam Perfumers in Nizamuddin. 

Colourful glass bottles dot Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin—there are many, many ittar shops. Vendors on the street, outside the Ghalib Academy sell synthetic scents too. Right opposite Karim’s restaurant, is Zam Zam—a rather well-known ittar shop since 1990. A mattress covered with fresh white sheets and bolsters is laid on the floor, allowing customers to sit comfortably while choosing the concoctions of their choice: the blends made by Salman, a self-taught perfumer.

“Some 1500 years ago, an emperor travelled to far flung areas with extreme climatic conditions. To control his body temperature, he started using ittar. Unfortunately, now people pick the ittar on the basis of its fragrance,” he says.

Zam-Zam caters to a varied clientele. They blend several fragrances to make new ittars. Fawakeh, a mere Rs 25 for 2.5ml, is a sweet, warm blend of fruity notes. The shop's many foreign customers prefer lighter scents, and Salman captures Western-esque scents in tiny glass bottles for them. 

But, he says, people should take some precautions while wearing scents. “Djinns are attracted to fragrances. Women shouldn’t use them outside their homes.”

The Mathurs have been in the ittar business since 1932. SK Mathur, one of the four siblings, manages the store in Paharganj. He grew up amidst fragrances and tales of the erstwhile days, when ittars were patronised by connoisseurs. His late grandfather, who started the family business used to regale him with anecdotes from the colonial days. The shop, adjacent to the the Badi Masjid, was part of the daily routine of those who visited the mosque. “They would mix some attar with a little hair oil, and rub it in their hair, every day before going in for namaz.”

Mathur recalls how his grandfather made ittar. “He would spread til (sesame seeds) on a blanket, cover it with a layer of rose petals, add another layer of til and another of petals, till there were about 4-5 layers… then separate the two. Til absorbs the frangrance of the flowers.” The essence was then extracted with in a Kohlu, a wooden grinder of sorts.

“Ittars are too expensive, Indians can’t afford them anymore, plus people are enamoured by Western perfumes,” says Mathur. In the sixties, many “hippie-type” foreigners started visiting India, specifically Paharganj. They were very fascinated by the charming glass bottles and the scented liquid inside. So, the Mathurs started exporting under the subsidiary R Expo. Sales are flourishing, but it’s mostly export.

Perhaps, one of the most frequented ittar shop in Delhi is Arihant Fragrance, in Janpath. With an increase in the standard of living, ittars have become a necessity, say the shop owners. A tola (11 gms) of rose, mogra (arabian jasmine) or rajnigandha (tuberose) is prices at Rs 300, while Khus and Hina are priced at Rs 800.

Mehboob Perfumery Works in Matiya Mahal, Jama Masjid claims to be one of the oldest in the city. Painted pink, its mirrored shelves are covered with ittar-filled decanters. Syed Tahir is a seventh generation perfumer. “We had a shop in Dariba, but after the 1947 communal riots, we moved to Matiya mahal,” he says. Tahir, a young perfumer, says that ittars are no longer worn the way they are supposed to be. “Traditionally, a piece of cotton, with a few drops of ittar, is to be tucked in the ridge of the earlobe,” he says.

Gundhi explains why, “Every time you wanted to smell it, you’d push your finger onto the cotton in your ear, and sniff the then scented finger.”

You see, back then, Gundhi adds, “perfume was worn for the self, not for others.”




Ittar
n.
1. Traditionally, a perfume made by mixing a pure fragrance with oil
2. An Indian perfume made with flowers, spices, or herbs. 
Origin 
Derived from the Persian word atr, which means fragrance



Get heady

Gulabsingh Johrimal, 320, Dariba Kalan

Ph: 23271345, 23281345
Zam Zam Perfumers, 4/1, Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin

Ph: 20087483, 24357368

R. Expo, 1115, Main bazaar, Paharganj

Ph: 23588456

Mehboob Perfumery Works, Shop No 969 Jama Masjid

Ph: 9818836742


Arihant Fragrances, 
17, MM,  Janpath
Ph: 3353949