Fragrances of Life

People keep memories of their old days. Memories make you cherish those moments which made you happy or sad. I keep the fragrances of those moments in my heart. Surprised!!!! You may ask how moments can have fragrances. I will tell you how. When we live a moment, we are either happy or sad. We have a particular state of mind at any moment. We tend to associate our state of mind with a particular fragrance. When I was 6 years old, I did not want to go to school. I was crying and giving all kind of excuses just to not attend the school. But my mother sent me to the school with a lunch box with gobhi paranthas in it. I was very sad whole day. In lunch time when I opened my lunch box, a smile spread across my face after seeing those paranthas. Since then whenever I think about my first day at new school, that beautiful aroma fills my nose even today. It is twenty years since that day now but that aroma is still fresh.

Other fragrance that I cherish is of morning dew. In winters, mornings in north-india are foggy. Everything is covered under a thick sheet fog and dew. That dew has a very beautiful smell. When I joined the college, I had to leave my home early in the morning.  When I was in first year of my college and winter came it brought the usual foggy mornings with it. When I stepped out of my home on the first foggy morning of the season the visibility was almost zero. All I could see was the silhouette of a guy who was also walking towards the bus stop. I started following him and it soon became a routine for almost two months. The entire route from my home to the bus stop used to be very deserted in those mornings and I used to feel very insecure but the sight of that guy walking in-front of me used to make me feel secure. We did not talk to each other on any of those mornings but still there was some connection. Later on we started talking and today he is my husband. Whenever I remember our first meeting my nose gets filled with the moist smell of the dew and everything becomes so fresh.

Of all the fragrances the closest to my heart is the fragrance of a special jaggery tea that my grandmother used to make. I still remember, I had given the final exam of ninth standard and my parents decided to spend the summer vacation at my grandmother’s place in Dehradun. I was very upset on the missed opportunity of enjoying the summer vacation with my friends. I didn’t speak to my parents during the entire journey. I was so upset that I didn’t even talk to my grandmother when we reached her place. I went to the guest bedroom and slept while crying. I woke-up in the evening and suddenly a very beautiful smell filled the entire room. My grandmother entered with a cup of tea with some homemade snacks. She fed me those sumptuous snacks with her own hands and that jaggery tea of hers so tasteful that I took another cup. Till today I have not find such fine tea.  I can still recall her wrinkled face and gnarled hands. She was caressing me and feeding me and I felt love and care flowing through those wrinkles. Since then I have spend my vacations in many parts of the world but that summer vacation is still one of the best that I had.

So friends, I will suggest you to collect as many fragrances with you as possible. Memories may fade away but the fragrances of those moments will always be fresh in your mind. And whenever you would encounter any such fragrance it would take you to those memorable days of your life. I believe that the life is a collection of fragrances, and one should enjoy them till they last.