Circa 1900: On account of the unique and pure forest situation prevailing within the Mysore area and adjoining areas, the princely state of Mysore was one of many largest producers of sandalwood (Santalum album) on the earth. The sandalwood timber which develop at an altitude of two to 3 thousand toes above imply sea degree (MSL) are stated to have the perfect, and most distinctive aroma with the most lasting fragrance. By the nineteenth century, Europe had emerged as an important export vacation spot of sandalwood, and Mysore was the prime exporter of the premium number of this species. However, with the onset of the First World War, these exports had been instantly halted, and the state noticed the sudden accumulation of huge reserves of sandalwood. Necessity being the mom of invention, the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, determined to ascertain a cleaning soap manufacturing unit in 1916 to make the most of the extra inventory of sandalwood. The first step on this route was the institution of a manufacturing unit to distill sandalwood oil from the wooden. This was adopted up with an order to an American firm for provide of equipment and tools for a contemporary cleaning soap manufacturing unit. The equipment arrived in 1918 and manufacturing was began from the yr 1919 onwards. In1944, one other manufacturing unit was established in Shimoga to fulfill the rising market demand for the cleaning soap which obtained a fillip because it was an Indian model, and plenty of Indians made a aware option to choose this swadeshi choice over overseas manufacturers, particularly because it was additionally the ‘greatest within the class’ when it comes to worth for cash. Before we discuss concerning the cleaning soap, let’s discuss concerning the sandalwood, the first ingredient of the product. The sandalwood tree, which attains a most peak of 60-65 toes, is definitely an oleaginous hemiparasite plant. The wooden is heavy, yellow and fine-grained, and in contrast to many different fragrant woods, it will probably retain its fragrance for many years. As such, it is without doubt one of the costliest woods on the earth, and each the wooden and the oil extract are treasured. Sandalwood from Mysore and peninsular India had been a part of the maritime commerce with the Arab, Malay and Chinese retailers from the eleventh to the seventeenth centuries, after which Europe emerged because the principal vacation spot. The area of Mysore is greatest suited to the expansion of this species, particularly within the dry deciduous belt alongside the banks of Kaveri from North to South, the place the loamy soil receives rainfall within the vary of 20-to-25-inch rainfall each year.Unlike most soaps that are primarily based on animal fats, the Mysore Sandal cleaning soap relies on pure pure Sandalwood oil fragrance together with different pure important oils like clove, patchouli, geranium, palmarosa, orange and petitgrain oil which, in response to the Ayurvedic texts, is a pure skincare conditioner. From the primary cleaning soap produced in 1919, the product has retained its woody ‘ochre’ color and its unique form. After the independence of India, and reorganisation of Mysore (later Karnataka) in 1956, the managements of the Government Soap Factory and Government Sandalwood oil Factories at Mysore & Shimoga had been built-in, and the model of “Mysore Sandal Soap” was retained. In 1980, the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents (KSDL) Ltd. was established as a fully-owned state PSU. It utilized for, and obtained the Geographical Indicator tag for Mysore sandal cleaning soap as a product within the geographic house of Mysore and Bengaluru. Challenges Well, like all merchandise within the market, this one too has its share of challenges. The greatest problem is {that a} majority of its customers are within the forty-plus class and concentrated within the southern states. This implies that the model has to achieve out to youthful demographics in addition to to non-traditional geographies. No surprise then that it selected Mahendra Singh Dhoni because the Brand Ambassador to attach with the youth and in addition to with cricket aficionados and sports activities fanatics. The subsequent main, and extra critical problem is the scarcity of the first ingredient – sandalwood. In truth, the KSDL is all the way down to utilizing just one third of its put in capability. The sandalwood reserves in Karnataka are quick depleting, and in an irony of kinds, KSDL is now importing sandalwood from Malaysia to fulfill the home demand. Is it not an irony that state that after arrange factories to make use of up its extreme reserves, and ‘wears the geographical indication tags on its sleeve on account of its historic affiliation with the dear wooden’ is now wanting outdoors its personal geography to fulfill its personal requirement.This may even pose a problem to its GI – for if the sandalwood used for the GI soaps is from outdoors the area, will it nonetheless be a Mysore Sandal cleaning soap? Views expressed are private
http://www.millenniumpost.in/sundaypost/beacon/of-lasting-unique-fragrance-495272
