THE KING OF OLIO

Sanjana Ray visits Hojai, a charming town in the heart of Assam, to unravel the mystery of oud-Ajmal Perfumes' most prized commodity.

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ONE DAY, WHEN Abdulla Ajmal was 12 and standing by the window of his grandfather's bedroom overlooking Mumbai's Marine Drive, a neon Sony sign dominating the skyline caught his attention. Pointing towards it, he told his grandfather, "One day, I'll ensure that your name will be displayed there." His grandfather, the late Haji Ajmal Ali and founder of Ajmal Perfumes, simply smiled and embraced him.

More than four decades later, Abdulla—now the CEO of Ajmal Group, one of the most prominent perfume houses in the Middle East—believes he has only achieved 15 per cent of that dream. "I've just begun. The next 10 years are my real window," he tells me as we walk the sweeping grounds of Ajmal House, the family's sprawling ancestral home in Hojai, a small town tucked deep within Assam's hinterland.

At this point, I've been living at this heritage mansion for three days. It houses 45 rooms, an expansive auditorium, a sea-green pond—where I fish the catch of the day—and acres of manicured greens that stretch lazily into the distance. Besides packed site visits, my time here has been spent in long conversations, shared meals and animated debates over culture, history and food. I bond over all things Bengali with the Ajmal family, whose definition of kinship extends far beyond bloodlines. We are joined by a diverse group of guests: French perfumers, content creators from Syria and Romania, Russian filmmakers, all drawn to this town for the sixth edition of Ajmal's Assam Oud Experience.

Launched in 2016, the programme goes into the origins of oud—Ajmal’s most defining commodity. Over four days, I am taken through a visual and olfactory journey into the brand’s roots, spotlighting its farm-to-fragrance philosophy, an approach that gives Ajmal a formidable edge in the fiercely competitive global perfume market.