Festival of fragrance in Delhi attracts people in droves

The three-day Itra & Sugandhi Festival organised by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation concluded yesterday with a soulful performance of Sufi devotional songs by Nooran Sisters.

The festival held at Capital’s Sunder Nursery from March 17 to 19 was in collaboration with Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh and Sugandh Vyapar Sangathan and attracted people in large numbers.

The event was organised to create awareness among people about the traditional attar and importance of essential oil for health care while highlighting the ancient and rich heritage of India in natural perfumes and oils.

With a view to do this, the festival witnessed live demonstration of making rose water, incense sticks, gulkand or sweet preserve of rose petals, perfumes, panchakarma, the method of body cleansing of unwanted waste by lubricating it with five oils, aromatherapy to show the therapeutic benefits of oils, seminars, lectures and question-and-answer programmes on perfumes and fragrances.

There were many stalls selling different types of perfumes. Kewra, attar, jasmine, saffron, jafrani, marigold, bella, henna, rose and sandalwood were among the main attractions for the people.

Apart from this there were quiz and slogan contests and stalls selling food delicacies.

India has a rich tradition in the making of fragrances. Among them are attar which is mainly produced in Kannauj. Other places that produce attar are Hasain in Uttar Pradesh and Ganjam in Odisha, where rose and kewra attar and oil in particular are also manufactured.

During the festival there was a qawwali performance by Nizami Brothers and also a rendition of ghazals by noted singer Dr. Roshan Bharti.