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 .
