Renowned Indian perfumer Abdul Rashid and his eponymous brand have been spreading the choicest fragrances across the world for as many as 65 years.
The Mumbai-based perfume connoisseur, who inherited the trade from his father as a teenager, has a loyal clientele in Qatar too. His brand Abdul Rashid is drawing oud and perfume lovers at Doha Festival City and Souq Waqif where the shops are selling natural oriental perfumes.
“We feature oud, ‘dahn al oud’, (Arabic for fat of the oud), ‘khashb al oud’ (chips of oud), amber, rosewater and musk along with oriental perfumes while serving all spectrums of customers,” Rashid told Gulf Times.
Embracing the art and science of perfumery since 1956, Rashid’s love for scents has evolved over the decades into a captivating assortment of exclusive scents that stand the test of time and entice clients across the world. “It’s the stamp of a master where passion overpowers money,” Rashid said.
The brand Abdul Rashid specialises in fine quality attar and perfumes. “Perfumes, oud oil and oud fragrances are available everywhere. But, we are special for our outstanding quality, naturality and originality,” he said.
Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi have centuries-old rich tradition of pure perfumes. Hundreds of ‘attarwalas’ or perfume sellers have inherited the tradition of producing and selling perfumes. Rashid’s father was an attarwala in Mumbai. He entered the family business while he was 15 and opened shops in Mumbai and Bengaluru while exporting good quality oriental perfumes to the GCC countries.
“In Mumbai, a lot of perfume shops are spread across the streets. We offer the finest and most breathable types of incense, and even though some are very expensive, our products are known for quality and naturality. Customers love us for our distinctiveness irrespective of the price,” he said.
Rashid pointed out that Indian incense remains one of the most expensive despite the presence of many types of oud. “The Indian incense is characterised by the diversity of its fragrance, which makes it an embodiment of the originality of the past, the nobility of the present and the modernity of the future in the Indian subcontinent,” he observed.
Rashid collects oud from the Indian state of Assam and some Southeast Asian countries. They are preserved and refined in the factory using various extraction techniques.
Rashid’s son Nabil says that his father is a oud and perfume connoisseur whom people approach to check the authenticity of the products. “The love for perfumes, his experience in the industry and passion have given him prestigious titles,” Nabil recalled.
Haji Abdul Rashid is often considered a man who is not in the business for profit alone. He considers it a legacy inherited from his father. “I will leave it to my three sons who work with me,” he said, adding that the prophetic tradition that encourages the use of perfume also keeps him attached to the business.
“Islam doesn’t allow extravaganza. You are accountable for what you spend and for becoming luxurious. But, you are not questioned for what you spend for perfumes in the life after.
Prophetic tradition urges us to collect and use perfume,” he explained. “The Arabs are very much attached to their history and heritage wherever they live or travel. Among the legacies of the Arabs is oud. Arabs like the
nobility of the products from the Indian subcontinent,” he added.
