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Wednesday 4 September 2013

The Scent of my memories

Our olfactory perception is something that we take for granted. However what scientists have discovered is that we have a memory for scents and when we come across a familiar smell it triggers a chain of memory.

I have vivid memory of my childhood. Getting up in the morning used to be so much fun with fresh breeze bringing in the smell of roses from the outside garden.

There used to be certain defining moments that declared the arrival of the early hours of morning. The opening of the newspaper and the faint smell of ink that stimulated my young nostrils as my father & grandfather sat next to me and read it aloud reading out the news to me as if I understood ha ha ha.

Then breakfast used to be a ritual when our orange colored breadbox was taken out from the fridge and opening it was such a delight as it released the aroma of fresh bread .


This would be then put into the toaster that sat snugly on the dining table. Much before  the toast was done the toaster would increase my hunger many folds by releasing the aroma of bread being toasted.

Once toasted I got a big treat of a dollop of butter that was carefully spread over my toast by my mother or grandmother. The mixing of the aroma of the fresh molten butter and toasted bread created an aroma that made my hunger increase many folds.
Thinking about that experience makes my mouth water even today.

The smell of fresh coffee in the mornings used to be so refreshing and made me look forward to the day ahead with renewed enthusiasm.

During the summer months the mango tree in the courtyard would fill the air with a tangy sweet sour aroma of mangoes  .



We kids could hardly wait for the fruits to mature as we impatiently waited for them during our summer vacations. Out favourite pastime used to be eating paranthas cooked in some desi ghee the aroma of which would fill the entire household and worked as the lunch time alarm bell as nobody had to be called and everyone automatically were drawn to the dinner table. 



When the jar of  homemade mango & lemon pickle used to be opened it used to make everyone jostle for their share and for me it was a race to get the biggest share.

The rainy season was the time most awaited by everyone as after so many months of scorching heat, the raindrops falling on the dry ground released such a refreshing earthy smell.

This aroma hitting our nostrils was the declaration of end of the summers. To this aroma got mixed the smell of kerosene that my grandmother used in
her stove on which she cooked such wonderful treats like besan ka pakodas in sarson ka teil and tea.

 

Why it smelt so good in the rainy season is something I would never know but rekindles sweet memories of childhood.
Now that we live in a flat we are exposed to smells of pollution or what the neighbours are cooking  in the kitchen. Thank god we have ambipur that not just masks & suppresses these smells but also kills them keeping our home feeling fresh and clean .