India, Aug. 21 -- I am standing at Al-Kareem Attars and Perfumes in Ibrahim Sahib Street, discussing Ruh Gulab with Maria, the woman behind the counter. It is evening but even though she has been working all day, Maria says she doesn't get "nose fatigue." So we converse about what I want: a milder version of the classic Jannat-ul-firdaus or Garden of Paradise attar with floral and woody layers. Actually, I am told that attars are the correct name for the scents and attars are the perfumers who make them. When I searched for the right way to say "maker of attars" it gave me "baai uttri" as a choice, but since I don't speak Arabic, I am not sure.

Scents are a conversation. In Bengaluru, Ally Mathan was and is the original perfumer, but sin...