Have you ever wondered that there is a name for the lovely fragrance that spreads in the atmosphere when the first rain drops fall on the dry earth after long and tiring summer days? What is this fragrance, which rekindles countless memories and emotions, called? If not, then Mahindra Group Chairman and famous industrialist Anand Mahindra has shared a post about this word on social media platform X.
Anand Mahindra told in his post that he recently came to know that this special fragrance rising from the soil after rain is called petrichor. This word increased his curiosity and he tried to know its history and meaning. During research, he came to know that the word ‘Petrichor’ is made up of two ancient Greek words.
What is the meaning of this word?
The first word is ‘Petra’, which means stone or rock. The second word is ‘Ichor’, which in Greek mythology is seen as the divine fluid flowing in the veins of the gods. According to belief, not blood but ichor flowed in the bodies of the gods. ‘Petrichor’, made by combining these two words, is a word which represents the fragrance rising from the earth after rain. While making his point, Mahindra said that the meaning of this word can be broadly understood as ‘blood of stones’. However, he also admitted that even such a poetic explanation would not be able to fully explain the feeling that is associated with the first rain in India.
Monsoon in India is not just a change of weather, but it is an emotional experience. People troubled by the scorching heat eagerly wait for the first shower of rain. When the first drops fall from the sky and the sweet smell of soil mingles in the air, it seems as if the entire atmosphere comes alive. Expressing this sentiment, Anand Mahindra made a humorous but heart-touching suggestion that it would be more appropriate to call this fragrance the thief of the heart instead of petrichor, because this fragrance literally steals people’s hearts. People liked this statement of his on social media and within no time there was a flood of reactions on the post.
Watch the video here
Recently discovered that the fresh smell of the earth after rain has a technical name: Petrichor.
Curious about its origins, I looked up the etymology. Apparently it was coined from:
Petra = stone or rock
Ichor = the fluid that flowed in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology pic.twitter.com/hRFpte5Sf1— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 10, 2026
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