The Project
Excerpts from Fragrant Harvest
Journal 3:Visit to Kannauj and Bangalore
Part 3: Traditional Perfumeries of Kannauj
Our first destination in Kannauj was the Fragrance and Flavor Development
Center a recently developed institution dedicated in part to studying and
developing better aromatic plant crops appropriate to the region; teaching
entrepreneurs and scientists how to use various types of equipment for distillation
and extraction of essential oils, concretes, and absolutes; providing test
facilities related to quality, stability and evaluation of fragrances both
natural and synthetic; offering courses in fragrance creation, application,
and evaluation; etc. The facility contains a Compounding Laboratory, Application
Laboratory and Sensory Evaluation Laboratory that have been designed on
international standards. Another Laboratory was under construction while
I was there that was to house a steam distillation unit, a solvent extraction
unit, and molecular distillation unit. Experts from Europe have provided
help in setting these units up and they are managed by qualified scientists
trained by leading perfumers in India, U.K. and Poland. In short all the
equipment and professional teaching required for training a new generation
of perfumers is being established in this center so that fragrant products
of various types can be developed that will be of international standards
of consistency and purity.
 Our
first visit to the FFDC was brief as we needed to get established in a nearby
hotel where we would be staying during our visit to Kannauj. After having
a bite to eat we proceeded to the Pragati Aroma Distillery run by Mr. Pampi
Jain and family. To reach that place we had to pass through the heart of
the ancient city of Kannauj. It is a place of very narrow lanes, closely
packed buildings, dense traffic of bullock carts, tongas, bicycles, people
and an occasional automobile, van or truck. The buildings were of various
types; mostly old and in a state of outer disrepair, a few well kept older
ones and yet fewer still new and prosperous in appearance. Some very elegant
but crumbling gateways were to be seen in various parts of the city that
had been constructed by prosperous perfume houses of the past. This old
city had a very classic Indian feel. It was a place existing for the sake
of its inhabitants and not for any tourist trade and as such had its own
way of life dictated by their needs and desires.
From all outer appearances the city is in a state of decline yet hidden
within its precincts are close to 650 perfume houses producing attars of
various qualities for the domestic and to a much smaller degree, international
market. Resent estimates show that approximately 92% of their output is
being consumed by the chewing tobacco, pan masala and breath fresher industry,
5% is being shipped to the Middle East and used as perfume, 2% is being
purchased by aromatherapists, and 1% is being consumed locally. The estimated
value of their output is $40,000,000.00 U.S. In addition to the attar manufacturers
there are about a dozen distillers of sandalwood oil who annually produce
30 metric tons of the material, a large amount which is consumed by the
attar industry.
When we stepped through the gates of Pragati Aroma Distillery, we entered
into a world that few know exist. The world of perfumers and perfumery houses
world wide is known for their secrecy and the world of the traditional Indian
perfumer is no exception. It is rare that one can gain access to these places
because each family and firm guards the secrets of their formulas closely
and even though their is limited scope for variation all the special processes
and techniques unique to any one operation are closely guarded. So I felt
very fortunate to be able to actually see at least the mechanics of these
distilleries. In truth, even if I desired to copy what they were doing it
would not be possible for as will be seen this is an extremely labor intensive
industry that can only exist in places like India.
It was into this rich and fascinating world that I entered when I visited
Pragati Aroma Distillery. There in the smoke-filled room lined with distilling
units and a rich and varied aroma I began to feel the pulse of this ancient
industry. I eagerly took pictures of all that I saw hoping that I could
capture the atmosphere of the place. Coming outside I entered a courtyard
filled with vetiver root that was awaiting distillation in another section
of the factory. Its rich earthy fragrance is one of my true favorites.
From there we proceeded to the huge boiler that was obtained from a railroad
engine. This unit was used to heat the water to produce the steam required
for the distillation of sandalwood oil located in another section of the
factory. I visited the room in which these larger stills were kept that
could hold up to 1000 lbs. of sandalwood powder. Several units were in evidence
there. The time required to do one batch of sandalwood oil is 7-9 days and
the copper containers into which the oil flows are sealed by the owner so
no theft can occur of even tiny amounts as the oil is very expensive and
precious. Another room was opened in which the larger pieces of sandalwood
were stored before being pulverized prior to distillation.
 All
around was a buzz of activity. Many people were employed here, to fire the
stills, to change the water in the water baths, to pour and filter oil into
their proper containers, to weigh materials for making combinations of herbs
used in Hina, to repair copper vessels, and so many other things. A factory
of this size is basically a self-contained unit with almost every job being
done in-house. It was most exhilarating to be in an atmosphere ancient,
industrious, and ingenious in both its simplicity and complexity. At one
point our host graciously served us delicious home-made sweets and tea as
work continued around us.
Following our snack we visited the operation concerned with making "mitti"(earth)
attar. This attar is produced by hydro distilling cracked pots made specially
from the soil found in the dried up wells and ponds in the Kannauj area.
It has the odor which is likened to what the earth smells like upon the
first falling of the monsoon rains. From there we were taken to a storehouse
where huge mounds of Tagetes minuta, a small flowered type of marigold were
being weighed and prepared for distillation. This lovely little flower possesses
a unique sweet fruity odor coupled with a soft herbaceous note. In one of
the inner rooms I was able to photograph the weighing of the flowers on
old fashioned Indian scales.
Having completed my photographic work there, Mr. Jain kindly offered
the services of his van to take us to lunch at a local open air restaurant,
Bhajarang Bhojanwalla, located along the main highway. Again the charm of
India was revealed in an unexpected way. The owner of the establishment
had clearly detailed his attitude on a large inscription to be seen on its
walls,"Customers are my honorable guests.The hotel is my temple. The
acts I do here are offering good services and good food. If it satisfies
them (customers), then that is my biggest achievement." Sitting there
in such good company I felt truly fortunate and blessed.
Links:
A
whiff of the past/Article about the traditional uses of attars amongst
Moslem population in India
Kannauj
attar makers battle foreign synthetics/Article about problems faced
by Kannauj perfumers
Return to Home
Updated: 5/26/2006
Copyright (C) 1998 by Christopher McMahon.
All rights reserved.
Queries to: somanath@aol.com |
