We journey to Kannauj, UP along with perfurmer Manan Gandhi to unearth the secret ingredient of the legendary mittiittar – the perfume that captures the aroma of the first rain
"I don’t know when it actually began”. It was an honest admission. To say that traditional ‘Indian’ perfume aka ittar has a long history would be an understatement. Abhay Tandon is a sixth-generation ittar maker. It’s what his ancestors have been doing for centuries at Devi Prasad Sunder Lala Kattari from a huge showroom-plus-warehouse that could pass off as a glorious residential property from the past. He sits behind a long wooden table with every inch of the wall occupied by cabinets with glass doors so that the varieties of bottles can be seen. Not that they need to. Along with the 55-year-old Tandon ji, everyone seems to have worked here for a long time, possibly their forefathers too. They all look at us with interest because we were here to know more about their flagship mitti it tar.
As it literally translates to English, this aroma is what one can smell when the monsoon arrives and the first drops of rain lashes against the dry, parched earth. You cannot mistake it for anything else. Interestingly, this is the only place in India and possibly the world, where you can find this in its pure, original form.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2018 de BBC TopGear India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2018 de BBC TopGear India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR KARI FT. EUROGRIP
What happens when you do track days in the name of pushing the limits of a tyre
ROOKIE BLUES
Acosta Urged for Patience as KTM Chases Ducati
THE VALUE OF TIME
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
DJI Osmo Action 4
Being an automotive journalist, our job entails us to ride motorcycles of all kinds and not to forget, the life behind driving some exotic set of wheels as well.
WAR WORDS WORLDS
Indians might not have played a deciding role in the previous world wars but now, our participation is much more evident
XTREME MACHINE
Maserati's racing history is a patchwork of epic highs and long absences, so can the MCXtrema - a track only version of its latest supercar-bring back the glory days?
WET AND WILD
No doors, no roof, no boot, but at least there's a windscreen... Paul Horrell pulls on his waterproof trousers and takes the Nomad 2 for a spin
STREAM W0RKS
This is an MG. Yes, really. Turns out it's got form in streamliners too...just ask Stirling Moss
A map and a compass.
Dacia got a foothold in the UK with cheapness, now it wants toughness on its CV. Can the new Duster handle Morocco's heat and locate a Dakar team in the desert - no GPS allowed?
A RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT?
Farewell, V10, this is the new Lamborghini Temerario, a 907bhp V8 hybrid. A worthy Huracán successor, or a misstep from the Italian firm?