Memories created from fragrance...

In today's world you are known by the scent you carry.
Many times it has happened that I am not able to recall the face of a person but I surely remember his/her fragrance. This is not only the case with people but also places. Every place has a smell of its own which will remain parked in your memory lane. The memories related to them will ignite as soon as a similar smell strikes your nose.

Lets refresh some of those memories.

No more studies as it was time for summer vacations. Like any other school student I too loved summer as it was the only time in the year to say tata to books and plan a travel trip to exotic places of the world.
This time was a bit different as my mother decided to visit her Uncle who lived in Singoli, a remote village in Madhya Pradesh. I had mixed emotions but as I never visited a village so decided to give it a chance.

We started at 10 in the morning and reached by 6 in the evening. My mom's uncle and his wife were waiting for us anxiously. As we got down they welcomed us whole heartily. After having dinner Uncle told me to get up early morning as he had a  surprise planned for me.

It was 5 in the morning.
I asked him where were we going and now he should reveal the surprise, but he told me to follow him and wait for the right time.
We have to get to the top of that hill which appears at the other side of the ground, he affirmed.

I was gasping for air as the path to the top was not easy and it took all my stamina to even stand still.
Come on my boy we have almost made it, he exclaimed. I could see a 60 year old standing at the top and motivating a 14 year young champ to take those remaining steps.
That day it was very much clear , why my Nani used to say that people in villages have tremendous stamina and that it was all because they loved nature and were very close to it in all aspects.

When I reached on the peak I was completely tired and out of my senses, but suddenly a gust of cool breeze touched my face, blowing my hair. What I saw next was phenomenal, tiny extravagant shades of orange and pink appeared in the sky. Shortly after a fiery ball enhancement started to make it’s way beyond the mountain ranges at a distance. Sky was filled with colours of unexplainable magnificence that had no known name. I felt like I am on top of the world with nature charming me with all its elements. And the best of all was the scent which is the main reason I remember this trip. This distinct scent was a mix of fresh moist grass at the top of the mountain and cool breeze which carried the pleasant smell of nearby flowing river water.


Another fragrance that walks down my memory lane is when I visited Ranthambore National Park.
It is one of most biggest and renowned park in north India. We were quite excited as it is also home to the majestic predators, the Tigers.
Our accommodation was an old wooden apartment which stood in the middle of the forest.
There was a small lake near to it and was a classic location to watch all form of wildlife specially birds.
I was sitting on the chair in the balcony, drinking coffee and doing bird watching.
Suddenly it started raining. The smell of wet soil, combined with that of the old wood was mesmerizing and to add to the blend was the refreshing smell of coffee. The fragrance created out of the combo was just unique and I definitely want to wear it if available in the market.


If we talk about fragrance and it doesn't remind us of blooming flowers and beautiful gardens, is impossible.
The place from where this fragrance originates is called the "Heaven on this World, Kashmir".
To be able to describe the beauty of this place in words is an indomitable task. The more you describe , the more you are compelled to describe. The crisp smell of fresh snow, the exotic aroma of amazing Baghs and the subtle air carried by the lakes and smooth sheets of falling water created a blend which is so desirable.


Last on the list is the one which reminds me of my visit to Oman.
My relatives live in Muscat and I took a week vacation to visit them last year.
Oman is famous for its camel racing, sand beaches, bull fighting, majestic mountains and the enormous desert. Desert to me is one of the most mysterious places in the world and exploring it on a camel is one of my dreams. I requested my relatives to spend a night in Wahiba Sands and they agreed to it.
There are lots of luxury camps which provide Bedouin style luxury tents and we booked one of them.
We started exploring the desert on a camel. After travelling for a while we came across an oasis.
There was lush greenery all around. I was enjoying my lime juice and the picturesque view.
Suddenly there was a small sand dune which moved towards us from south.
The blend of smell created by the blowing sand, nearby vegetation and the lime juice was just amazing.

                                       The Finest Fragrances are never of single essence
                                             But are combination of essential elements
                                         that captures the presence of various emotions.


This post is written as a part of contest Inspire A Fragrance by Godrej Aer on Indiblogger.

Fragrances, connecting us with different memories of past..

Nose is the most sensitive part of our body. Just a smell of tadka can make us sneeze for minutes.
We come across hundreds of smell every day, some pleasant and some terrible.
But there are some fragrances which bring the memory of long lost moment crashing back to the forefront of our minds.

It’s really amazing how simple airborne molecules can trigger such vivid recollections.

While I was cleaning by bike some petrol spilled out of the tank.
The smell of petrol made me remember those college days when I used to get the tank of my bike full and hit the highways without any destination in mind. Also I just love the scent of petrol. It is so mesmerizing. There were times when I used to visit petrol pump thrice in a week. But with the rates shooting up like a rocket from 50 to 70, my visit has just reduced to once a week..:(

My neighbour had a whitewash few days back. The smell of the paint brought me back to the memory lane when my new home was under construction and I was so damn excited to choose the colours for my room.

We got our pavement cemented recently. The smell of cement triggers those memories when I and Dad used to stand for hours in the hot sun visualizing every minute details of our dream home which was under construction.

During monsoon the aroma of wet soil, very fresh and earthy brings back those childhood days when I and my friends used to eagerly wait for the first drops of rain. The damp grass and slosh of puddles under our feet used to make us dance and enjoy like crazy.

It also plays with the heartbeat as the romantic memories start to pour in. Those long walks with that someone special, holding hands in hand and clouds playing the cupid is just amazing.

When someone gets hurt and dad who is a doctor applies Betadine on it, the smell of the tube takes me to those days when I used to fall from the cycle once every fortnight and get bruises all over my body. I used to race with cars and bikes but unfortunately the chain of my cycle was a Bevda Aashiq , off the track every time with no control of its own.

Coming to the food items, the smell of Khicadi (Daal-rice one) reminds me of those time when I was new to cooking and it was the first thing I added to “What all I can cook list’’..:)

The smell of Gajar ka Halwa , Badam Halwa , bhutte ka kees..etc etc.. rewinds life to that phase of childhood when I and my brother used to fight till the last bite of the dish was left.

Some smells are frightening and you need to be very cautious while dealing with them.
One such smell is of Leaking Gas. An incident from my past comes flashing by whenever my nose senses a gas leakage. There was an old lady aged around 60 who used to live in our colony with her family. Once when her son and daughter in law went to a trip to Thailand she was alone at home. Unfortunately the knob of cylinder was left open for the whole night. In morning when she got up to 

make her morning tea, there was a blast and she was 90% burnt. The lady died after 3 days.

Some smells bring back the most memorable moments of your life, one of which is the smell of Mehandi. Whenever someone in my family or friends apply mehandi , it reminds me of my brother’s marriage when for the first time in my life mehandi was applied on my hands. Those funny and crazy moments which all the family members shared during the mehandi session comes flashing in front of me.

There are lot and lots of fragrances and smells; some bring in good memories while some bad ones.
But whenever there is a pungent smell like leaking pipelines, smelly toilets or cushions of car seat smelling because of moisture at the time of rains, only one thing strikes my mind and i.e. the most trusted brand of air fresheners “AmbiPur”.

Ambipur car freshener, Ambipur air effects and Ambipur set and refresh are the best in the business.

This post is part of contest Smelly to Smiley on Indiblogger.