Sunday, August 24, 2008

The smell of her skin..


As I made my way back home today, I was suddenly guided by a fresh, crystalline fragrance. It was a captivating interpretation of lush floral blooms, floating on clear, sparkling water.

They say, a fragrance can call up memories, and this one certainly did that to me. Though I couldn’t register the wearer, her distinctive aroma , made me recall somebody. My Ma. It was her signature smell.

The aroma was as intimate as the redolence of wet soil after rain, and on the spur of that moment, I just couldn’t breath.Like a reflex, my eyes searched for my mother. Nevertheless, consciousness had to dawn in soon and it did, when I realized that my Ma was sitting pretty, somewhere at the far end of the globe.

Ever since I was a child, I had been enchanted by my Ma’s lingering essence. An expression of femininity, which was neither too heady, nor too frail. When she hugged me, breathing in that special, subtle yet alluring smell, I would paint a picture of abundance in my mind and find my small world reassuringly secure.

The tranquil yet delightful nature of the smell was so invigorating that I never found one that matched it. Probably, for the simple reason, that I could relate the fragrance to Ma. Someone, who was unique and accounted for an ecstatic admiration on my behalf. And that’s the reason, that although it’s been a year since I last saw her, the moment I sniffed the familiar scent, I could still recognize that it complemented her.

And not just today, I would recognize it anytime, anywhere and never be beguiled, for I’m sure, hers is an everlasting fragrance etched deep within me.

2 comments:

Anand said...

new pic, new article. whats going on.
hv u heard "yat yat navtam upaiti tat lavanyam uchhyate"? (i m sure, NO is the answer)
Anyway, this article reminds me of really loo....ng time back.
I was once left for a few days at my nani-ma's palce for few days (I must hv been around 10) and I still remember that any picture of woman I saw in newspaper, in posters hung at the wall, where'er, it looked like my mom (actually it must hv been just reminding me of it, but at that age, I very well remember, they LOOKED like my mom (not simply reminded me of her)).
I can't believe I used to be so emotional back then!!!!!!

Arpita said...

Yeah..I heard just now!!!hahahaha
Anand, I guess more than "emotionally" remembering aunty, you were suffering from a darn attack of hallucination!!Okiee jokes apart,I think when a person is physically not around, we subconsciously tend to relate that person with small things.Things which can be as meagre as his or her smell and clothes to as concrete as touch or a complete mental caricature..Thanks to the wonders of the human mind!