Eventful City: In Old Delhi, a 210-yr-old perfumery continues to make signature scents

Step into 320, Dariba Kalan Road in Chandni Chowk, and the first thing you notice is the mix of fragrances in the air — rose, sandalwood, jasmine and Oudh. Inside a shop, customers uncork bottles and test attars, before settling on one. This is Gulab Singh Johri Mal, a shop in Old Delhi where the experience of finding a perfume has drawn customers since 1816.

Founded by Lala Gulab Singh and his son Lala Johri Mal towards the end of the Mughal era, the perfumery has remained at the same address for 210 years. Today, the seventh and eighth generations of the family — originally from Jhajjar — continue the tradition.

For 56-year-old Mukul Gundhi, who runs the shop with his brothers, the connection began in childhood. He and his brothers would visit the shop after school while their father, Lala Ram Singh, attended to customers. After completing Class 12, Mukul joined the family business full-time.

This shop is my identity,” he says. The family’s surname, Gundhi, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'gundha', meaning fragrant. Lala Ram Singh, the 6th generation perfumer, had named his first child Atul Gundhi. Outside the store located in a narrow lane, Rajendar (38) holds four fragrance strips.