The lanes and streets of the city market are filled with the fragrance of ‘Itr’ as the Bhopalites are all set to make this Eid a perfumed affair. With Eid festival approaching near, the markets bustling with huge footfalls and at this time shopping of ‘itr’ gives another kind of pleasure to people.
Itr shops at Nadeem Road and Chowk Market have a variety of 400 kinds of itr. Among the most preferred and famous ones are the Jannat-ul-Firdaus, Juhi, Khus and Gulmohar. Notably, at the time of Eid, the demand for itr increases. Majorly all the itr is imported from Saudi Arab and Dubai at this time.
“It is important for us to satisfy the consumer and in Bhopal Itr is one of the top selling products during Eid,” says Mohammad Noman of Haramain Collection at Ibrahimpura. He added saying that the Bhopalites who are adherent buyers of itrs usually demand a product from Dubai and Saudi Arab as the itr quality of these countries is unmatchable. Another interesting feature of itr is the ‘bottles’ in which it is stored. From miniature bottles of 3 ml to huge ones 15 ml are beautiful in appearance. The miniature bottles though are a bigh catch among kids. Besides, the big bottles attract the young people. The cost of these bottles starts from Rs 50 and goes up to jaw dropping Rs 30,000. On the other hand, the brands like Ajmal, Afnaan, Rasasi, Al Rehab, Surrati, Otoori, Swiss Arabian, lattafa and Nabeel are also popular among the youngsters who love perfume bottles.
Noman said, “For youngsters Jannat-ul-Firdaus is now an old story now. Youngsters nowadays love elegant perfumes and they should be long lasting.” These brands like Ajmal, Swiss Arabian, Ansar are much in demand, he added. The soothing aroma of these itrs is long lasting on the cloth.
Some of the Itr is also bought from Kannauj by the local shopkeepers and is in much demand.