THE PARFUM
Interview with Yogesh Kumar
© 2000
We are not talking here about the second part of the best-seller by Patrick Suesskind, but about
an exclusive perfume-maker from India, who puts together a suitable perfume for everyone's own "personal" smell. Yogesh has been working
with scents and aryuvedic perfume therapy for a good 20 years now. All his perfumes are made exclusively from natural essences and
ensure that each user not only receives his own particular fragrance but also regains his inner equilibrium. Whoops, what was that?
Regains his inner equilibrium?
"Well yes", replies Yoges smiling. "In aryuvedic medicine it is said that: 'what you expel in
your sweat is connected to your inner system and thus your bodily odour reveals your personality.'"
Yipes! You can smell the
Self? And we all take such great pains to hide our true nature behind a mask.
"Self-identity and the fear of losing one's own
small self is the first step towards spirituality," says Yogesh.
Good grief, that sounds very esoteric.
"Well, I do come from
India, after all, a country which attaches great importance to spiritual growth. Through introspection we can recognise the Self -
and a beautiful fragrance can help."
No Self, be it ever so well disguised, is safe from Yogesh's nose. An article of used clothing
or a detailed character description are enough to produce a perfume which contains corrective basic essences, adjusted according to
the user, that subtly balance out their inner system. So far no-one has been healed of a dangerous illness or has radically changed
their life after rubbing a drop of the precious fragrance into their skin, but they have perhaps been in a position to come to know
themselves a little better. Is this the perfect perfume then?
"Come on, I cannot create the perfect perfume," Yogesh admits,
grinning. "One's own body odour is already the most perfect and most beautiful fragrance in the world, but combined with my mixes
it is balanced out and receives the final touch."