Nikhil's Aaradhya Premium Incense

 

I came across Nikhil's in late 2021. They produce acceptable everyday perfumed incense and decent masala. Nothing special or heavenly, but good stuff for burning around the house at bargain prices. I tend to come across them in stores and websites aimed at Indians, though they are also available on standard Western incense sites such as  IncenseWarehouse (USA ); and SunDrops (Australia). They were founded in 1986, and are located in a modern building in Bangalore - though it doesn't look as though it has the facility for distribution of large amounts of incense.

Nikhil Products premises in Bangalore

I'm not sure where I got this pack from, though it is likely to have been Popat Stores in the UK, who sell it for 85p for 15 sticks - approx 15 g. The packet is a wide oblong, the sort that Goloka incense use, though slightly longer as the sticks are 9 inches with 7 inches of masala paste rather than the Goloka/Satya standard of 8 inches with 6 inches of paste. The pack is modestly and attractively decorated, mostly white with a subdued yellow and brown, though the incense name is highlighted in glossy gold. There is an image of a bell (not sure why - perhaps an association with religious ceremonies), and a text saying: "Aaradhya (worshiping) is giving God the best that he has given you". Aaradhya is a popular girl's name, with the meaning of worshipped or blessed. 

The paste has been applied by machine on a machine-cut bamboo splint. There is a melnoorva style powder on the paste. The scent on the stick is very volatile - this is likely to be fragrant oils blended with Diethyl phthalate as a binder and amplifier in roughly the same way that halmaddi is used. I'm not a fan of either - I prefer vanilla crystals. The scent, however, is fascinating: rich, moist tobacco, various woods, including agarwood leading to a bakhoor accent, with a melange of joyful florals on top. I'm attracted to the scent while being repulsed by the chemical volatility at the same time, so there is an interesting tension.  

The black smoke released when lighting the stick suggests a chemical ingredient - I see it most often with sticks that use DEP. However, there's a pleasant warmth and a beguiling sensuality about the fragrance on the burn which mostly replicates the fascinating scents on the stick. It's a solid burn, producing a lovely column of swirling grey smoke, and noticeably but softly filling the room with that warm and beguiling scent. I like these Aaradhya sticks. Machine made, chemical infused, and possibly relying on a fair degree of synthetics, this is nevertheless a beautiful and erotic fragrance. 

Date: Feb 2024    Score:  38 

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Nikhil's Products of Bangalore