Happy Hari – Pratyahara Sutra vs. Temple Of Incense – Perky Pandit
According to Mike from ORS, Pratyahara Sutra are now sold by Temple Of Incense under the name Perky Pandit, which is why I’m combining these two reviews.
The keyword [discontinued] refers specifically to Happy Hari – Pratyahara Sutra as a vintage brand. Every Happy Hari incense sold today is old stock. This means when a variety is sold out, it’s gone for good.
Pratyahara Sutra
These are the last samples from the Happy Hari sample set I bought from Padma Store in 2022.
The set contains one stick per variety (13 in total) and cost €14.95 at the time. (The price has since risen by €1.)
Pratyahara Sutra is listed as Soft Masala. The stick appears extruded.
A 10g packet of the variety currently costs €4.25. The burning time per stick is given as 60 minutes.
Pratyahara Sutra is a sweet and floral fragrance with fruity aspects. It’s relatively mild.
Today’s a somewhat cooler and rainy day and I find the smell very powdery; previously, on a sunny summer day, the fragrance was rather creamy than powdery for me.
Nevertheless, in both occasions, I found a kind of chalky note, that lends the smell a dose of dryness.
Furthermore, I perceive a light vanilla note that does make the fragrance appear a little creamy again.
Because there’s a certain overlap with Meena Supreme, I’ve compared Pratyahara Sutra with them: There’s a vague kinship between the two fragrances, but in contrast to each other, Meena‘s ‘shoe polish’ note is emphasised, whilst Pratyahara Sutra appears more heady, floral and sweet than by itself.
When I read through older reviews of Pratyahara Sutra, it appears as though the fruitiness was formerly an essential aspect.
It’s hard to say whether it’s only down to my perception, or if the sticks have changed during the years. Anyway, 7 years ago, Mike from ORS described Pratyahara Sutra as a not too complex, vanilla-heavy Nag Champa.
I find Pratyahara Sutra quite delicious and pleasant, but also a little boring.
Temple Of Incense – Perky Pandit
A box with 20 sticks costs £10 in the TOI shop; in Germany, they’re available at Indiaroma for €12. This sample stick came from owner Sascha.
TOI describe Perky Pandit as follows:
“The fragrance of these incense sticks is hard to describe as they’re unlike any other, it is subtly sweet and fresh, with a slightly tangy, citrus-like quality. It carries a light, earthy undertone, hinting at its natural, raw origin. The scent is refreshing yet mellow, with a mild floral hint that adds a gentle complexity.”
Jigat, halmaddi, bamboo and essential oils as well as absolutes are mentioned as ingredients.
I can certainly find myself reflected to some extent in TOI‘s description of Perky Pandit.
However, I’m not sure whether I’d have described the fruity freshness in it as ‘citrusy’, but it is a slightly pungent freshness.
The note is actually quite unusual, but it feels familiar to me from somewhere. It took me a long time to work out from where: I think I know the smell from the Mattipal sticks by Cottage Industries. They also have this peculiar smell, I can’t quite decide whether I like it or not.
In Perky Pandit it’s not that concentrated though, but pleasantly complemented by a soft and sweet masala base.
Interestingly, I don’t find the smell of Mattipal fruity, but rather green and spicy.
I find in both, Perky Pandit and Pratyahara Sutra, a powdery-dry as well as a creamy aspect. However, I find the fragrance of Perky Pandit neither chalky nor does it have a pronounced vanilla note. Only occasionally do I have the impression that I notice a little vanilla peeking through from the background; but perhaps only because I’m looking for similarities.
Here’s Mike’s Review of Perky Pandit.