“Smells, I think, may be the last thing on earth to die.”
― Fern Schumer Chapman.
When we think of scents, smells, and fragrances, we usually think of perfumes. However, it is what lies right in front of our eyes that hold the real scents. These are the scents and smells of the Earth itself. For example, a forest is a constellation of these fragrances. There are a billion scents that signify the very cycle of life. It separates species and announces any change in the environment. From its beginning to its end, scents capture an essence of life that goes beyond our usual thoughts.
Scents are the intrinsic DNA of Nature.
Once we understand them, we can appreciate these scents. For instance, your favorite street side stall serves you fresh vada pav and chai (tea) before work every day. The scent of this vada pav and chai is the DNA of these dishes. It has the power to change your mood.
The scent of Nature in your food! All foods!
For us these scents are defined by growing up in India, where running a household is altogether a different experience. It is held together by an assortment of scents and smells, which every Indian associate with their childhood. It starts from the Indian kitchen, where scents herald the coming of festivals, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It tells the tale of the health of the household. One eagerly anticipates the dispersal of these scents to start andend their day. Think about the time that you were excited about a festival, not only because of the joy it brought but also because of all the food you would finally get to eat. Was it not a heavenly time when you would find yourself in the kitchen as a child, begging for a taste of whatever magical dish was being prepared? Such is the power of scent.
Scents of Nature are an X-Ray of your health.
“Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.”
-Vladimir Nabokov
The fact about these scents is that they have the power to take us back to a time that everyone undoubtedly longs for in their adult life - when everyone seeks comfort and joy they found only at a particular time and age. We can recall a few important ones, especially those that we found have deep roots in our culture. From the beginning, Indians have associated nature with divine elements, regardless of where they found divinity. Whether it was in worship of the gods, in their parents, or even in a particular dish, scents are omnipresent even before history.
Scent of Nature is infinite!
- It is the arrival of mangoes in the summer.
- It is the scent of the wet mud.
- It is the scent of the newborn baby.
- It is the scent of your mother’s cooking.
- It is the scent of new flowers in the Spring.
- It is the smell of the barren land in the Winter.
- It is the smell of the sea and the mountains.
- It is the smell of your place of worship.
