What do Jasmine, Slumdog Millionaire, and Intellectual Property Rights have in common?

Der Mr Postman .. you do bring such interesting positive letters .. and how on earth do those three asymetrical subjects tie in? .. let's see ..

As I'd brought in some different scented early flowers for my mother - Daphne and Mahonia - and I was letting her have a good smell of them .. one of the nurses came in, who comes from India, and she was saying the most wonderful scent in India is the Jasmine flower .. and Jaitema was explaining to us the overwhelming power of the scent and the industry that's grown up around Jasmine.

We love new knowledge .. and love the scent of Jasmine .. so I came back and Wiki'ed it .. it's turned out to be really interesting .. Jasmine is considered the queen of flowers and is called the "Belle of India" or the "Queen of fragrance" as it is exquisitely scented to soothe and refresh.

Jasmine was traded across the seas from Asia to Europe .. eventually reach England in the latter part of the 17th century - the 1600s: & by the 18th century, jasmine scented gloves had become popular in Britain!!

The jasmine in the Mysore district - a city south west of Bangalore - is named Mallige (elsewhere it is known by different names .. the one I like is 'Moonlight in the Grove'). Jasmine is prevalent extensively in the surrounding areas and to the north in the land of SlumDog Millionaire .. though probably not the slums .. apparently every home in the Mumbai coastal region has 1/2 to 1 acre of land in front of the house for Jasmine growing!

Jasmine is used for garlands at weddings, auspicious occasions and for the temple deities. The women in the south wear jasmine in their hair, while there are various medicinal uses as well as the essential oil production.

Jasmine is one of the key scents in some of the most celebrated perfumes in the world .. Chanel no 5 and Joy .. a single ounce is still known as the 'costliest perfume in the world'.

The state of Karnataka, where Mysore is situated, has been given Geographical Indication (GI) status for the Mallige jasmine - which provides exclusive Intellectual Property Rights to the local community to cultivate the crop for 10 years .. the GI Tag or Patent protects that jasmine industry & excludes others outside the specific geographical region to sell under the same name.

So there's the connection .... and my mother was inspired by the knowledge ...

Ah Mr Postman now I see .. how these all tie in .. have you seen the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire? I have and it is certainly eye opening and I imagine jasmine scents wafting in the air would benefit the streets .. while the GI is so important in protecting the designated origin of specific products, eg Bordeaux wines here in Europe ...