What does the smell of rain have to do with a 3,000-year-old city on the banks of the Ganges? In this episode of A Century of Stories India, host Kunal Vijayakar sits down with Pranav Kapoor, 8th-generation perfumer and a trained chef from Kannauj, to explore Petrichor, the science behind scent and memory, and India’s ancient distillation techniques that predate modern perfumery.

From copper stills and raw botanicals to the rise of perfume tourism, this conversation traces how fragrance shapes culture, ritual, identity, and the future of Indian craftsmanship.

Watch the full episode now on A Century of Stories: India’s YouTube Channel and rediscover why Kannauj remains the perfume capital of India.

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