What’s your favourite smell? This question came to me last month with a chain mail that asked a whole lot of small, but interesting, queries about the responder. The idea is to send the mail to your friends and wait for their reply. My favourite smell, for years, has been the first drops of rain on a hot April afternoon. One might say, for that particular incident to take place, and the subsequent scent, you have to wait a whole year. But isn’t it natural that the thing one likes most should not happen very often?
Another natural smell that i like most is that of petrol! I know that people might not agree with me to this... but the smell of raw petrol is awesome. I have never seen a musk deer in the forests, let alone smell it, except when it comes with some talcum powder or after shave lotions or deodorant sprays! What other natural smells i like? Valley of flowers. No i am yet to trek to the famous Garhwal landscape, but i am talking about any valley full of flowers like that in Gairibas in the eastern Himalayas.
This evening, it was another smell that left me speechless. I think that this one is too old for me, as it has been with me since March 4, 1980. I was watching Padakshep, a film, with my mom sitting beside me. Once when she put her hand on my back, i could smell it....my Ma. This touch was perennial, so as the smell. No other fragrance — no matter how costly it is — can ever match this invaluable one. I also discovered a new smell recently, incidentally like the old one, while watching a movie. I rubbed my nose with the arm of the person and found that was splendid to drive me crazy. But i restrained myself, thinking if i can get another aromatic substance better than this. It’s difficult to smell a rose in everything, but let’s try to make everything more aromatic.
©Supratim Pal
