The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Nagma, Nargis, Heena, Chameli... welcome to fragrance. com

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 08, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Nagma, Nargis, Heena, Chameli... welcome to fragrance. com

J.S. Ifthekhar

The demand for `attar' during Ramzan goes up, as everyone is game for a dash of perfume

IT'S THE LURE, YOU SEE: An elderly man tries out a new `soorma' at Machli Kaman. — PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

Hyderabad: What's in a name? Plenty. A rose might smell as sweet by any other name, but not perfume. Connoisseurs store a lot by the name. Drop the name Jannat-ul-Firdaus, Gulab or Majmua and see how the senses are seduced. No wonder people come looking for a certain brand of perfume and spend hours finding it.

This Ramzan, a large number of perfumes have flooded the market. Though `attar' is an all-time favourite with Muslims, during Ramzan its demand goes up. Everyone is game for a dash of perfume. While garments are a big sell out, one will be surprised to find people crowding even the perfume shops at Patherghatti.

Wide choice

The choice is really wide. The dizzying aroma apart, the names themselves hold a lot of appeal. Kashish, Nagma, Nargis, Heena. And then there is attar Amber, Gulab, Jasmine, Khus, Kewra, Chameli, Shamama. A large number of people go for them for the simple reason that they are non-alcoholic.

The best thing about perfume shopping is that one can relish the fragrance even if one doesn't buy the stuff. Most of the shops in the Charminar still have old-style, jar type bottles with a beautiful crystal as opener. The attar comes in elegantly crafted bottles of 3 ml, 5 ml, 100 ml and above and are priced to suit every pocket. One can buy a tiny bottle for Rs. 30. The popular brands cost between Rs. 100 and Rs. 160 and more. "A large number of people come from districts to buy perfume here," says Hyder of Famous perfume centre at Machli Kaman.

Centres of perfume

Come Ramzan and the mosques become centres of perfume. Shopkeepers bring the whole range here to make a fast buck. Surma or kohl is another favourite with the devout. Aap hamare dil mein rahte hain, ham aapki aankhon mein, screams the ad of the popular Khajoti brand. Neem ka surma, Harmain ka sumra, Hashmi surma are some of the local brands. They can be had for as little as Rs. 6 a tola to Rs. 40 and above.

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