Paropakaram – Kalisha
This is one of the samples that Sascha (owner of Indiaroma.de) sent me from his private collection at the end of 2023. (Purely by chance, almost all can be found in his shop as well.)
At Indiaroma, a pack of 10 of the 23cm long, almost 2g heavy sticks costs €6.89. AFAIK, there’s only one other shop in Germany which sells Paropakaram (Weltenrauch.com), but they don’t list Kalisha. The brand is significantly better represented in Switzerland.
Paropakaram is a brand that was entirely unknown to me before. After a little research, I found out that the trademark owner appears to be an association in Switzerland. According to their homepage, the term “paropakaram” describes the principle or practice of caring for the well-being of others.
They advertise naturalness, fair trade and environmentally friendly packaging made from recycled cardboard and newspaper. They don’t seem to have a certificate. It is not clear where exactly the incense sticks come from, but a video suggests it might be Mysore.
According to the product description, these incense sticks contain: labdanum and citronella, and others.
Kalisha has a very dense, heavy scent. The fragrance combines a whole range of resinous, balsamic, and tart notes, but it’s also sweet and slightly fresh. I detect a tart-resinous note that reminds me of dark dammar, which I notice the most shortly after lighting. Then the scent becomes increasingly balsamic.
Kalisha has a pronounced musk aspect to me and appears floral, at its strongest, when the scent can fully unfold. I think this comes from the labdanum. It also brings the balsamic softness and, at the same time, the heaviness into the scent.
I can’t say that I detect the citronella, but occasionally, I catch an acidic freshness that would relate to it.
I wish I had more sticks to compare Kalisha with a few others, first and foremost with Gita from Sonnentag, whose ingredients list is quite similar.
Kalisha’s scent is quite complex, and I would have liked to spend more time with it. I feel like I’m just beginning to get to know Kalisha.