There is a particular fragrance that always brings back
memories of my childhood days in Kolkata. My mother was extremely house proud
and she would decorate the house with ferns and flowers every day. This was
possible in a Kolkata flat because a flower seller climbed all the way up to
our floor every morning to bring the flowers to our doorstep. There was no
garden of flowers outside the block of flats, just some huge trees in the
corners of the plot that provided shade.
My mother had studied Ikebana so several of the arrangements
were of the ‘designer’ type. She had spiked iron holders in vases to hold the
arrangements. Ferns and plants often curled their tops into loops and other
forms to suit the requirements of this demanding style of flower arrangement.
But there was one area where simplicity reigned. In the
hallway, there hung an oval mirror with a thick decorative brass frame. Just below
this mirror there hung a long, polished wooden ledge. It was held by thick
decorative brass chains on either side which were attached to the wall. In the
centre of this wooden ledge and aligned with the mirror at the back, my mother
placed a huge cut glass vase of Rajnigandhas every day. It reflected in all its
beauty in the mirror. But I did not care for how beautiful it looked at that
time.
All I cared for was the fragrance that assailed my nostrils
when I entered the hallway. I would be hot, sweaty, smelly and tired from my
day at school. The cool hallway and the smell of Rajnigandha was all that
mattered to me then. The tall white flowers that filled the vase beckoned me. I
would run up to the vase and breathe in deeply; and all balance would be
restored for the time being.
Then of course, mother would be standing there, a glass of
chilled lemonade in her hands. The smell of freshly squeezed lemon and the
fragrance of Rajnigandha… that is what I remember with nostalgia. My mother’s
hands smelled of lemon too as she placed the glass to my lips.
When I decorate my
home with flowers, I place huge vases of Rajnigandha all over the place, and
that works for me. This is a simple
thing for me to do, it requires no art. But it reminds me of those hot
afternoons filled with fragrance. All I have to do is make myself some chilled
lemonade and stand in front of a vase of these beautiful white flowers. I am
transported back to those carefree days when most things revolved around
homework, hopscotch and a home filled with food, fun and flowers.
At the times when these real flowers with their particular perfume
are not available for me, I wish I could spray the fragrance of Rajnigandha in
my home. It would fill me with so much happiness and instant nostalgia.
This post is written for the contest at Indiblogger titled "Smellyto Smiley" for AmbipurIndia www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia
