Durga sits cross-legged on a floor dusted with the colour of cinnamon. In front of her is a bowl of paste, a bundle of bamboo sticks, and a wooden board. Her hands move faster than the eye tracks. Three thousand sticks a day, and every one of them straight.
The paste
Most incense sold in India is a charcoal base dipped in synthetic perfume. It burns hot, smokes black, and smells of a laboratory pretending to be a temple. Durga's paste is different: wood powder, natural gum, and a fragrance blend her family took two decades to settle. Sandalwood, resins, a few oils she will not name.
The roll
A pinch of paste, a stick, a fast roll under the flat of the palm across the board, and the stick is coated in one even layer. The trick is pressure. Too light and it flakes. Too heavy and it burns unevenly. She learned it from her mother and is teaching it to two younger women in the room.
The drying
Racks in the shade, never in direct sun, for two days. Sun dries the outside and leaves the inside damp, and a damp stick will not stay lit. Patience is part of the recipe.
How to tell good agarbatti
The smoke should be pale, not black. The smell should be there before you light it. It should burn for at least forty minutes without going out. And the ash should be soft and grey. Black, oily ash is charcoal talking.
Why we work with her
Because the first offering of your day should be made by someone who cares as much as you do. That is not a slogan. It is a workshop in Ahmedabad with racks in the shade.