I sort of remember smells. I guess with barely any normal vision, I needed a heightened 'other' sense. And weirdly enough; my nose won. That and an elephant's memory that remembers all unimportant things, smells included.
The smell of India's world cup victory will therefore always be the musty-old-carpet smell of Seminar Room 1. It came rushing back to me when I was sitting there for a PhD proposal seminar...quite the same sense of anticipation and excitement, I'd say! There is of course the smell of "the-world-is-my-urinal" walk to Amul's ice-cream or CCD. And even typing CCD brings to mind that amazing coffee shop smell. It's almost like I go to the shop for the smell and not the coffee. What about the smell of moss when I walk up the hill to my flat? I'm not sure how I feel about that. But yes, last year when the winds brought to 441 the smell of "chatim" flowers and Lakshmi said it was smell of durga pujo, it was like i was home.
The smell of baking when you cross Glenary's in Darjeeling. The smell of Shivangi's tea just in the moments before it is ready. The smell of biriyanii that ma made for a birthday when I wasn't home...smells for which I just have to close my eyes.
There are smells that all of us know: the new rain, the railway platform, the dirty drain overflowing, johnson's baby cream soap shampoo on a baby!
Then there is the weirdest one, the people smells. The cologne mixed with tobacco, the deodorant whose name I don't know, smell of a sweaty brother, the smell of my grandmom's soft old white sarees.
And finally there is the greatest smell of all: correctly cooked meat.
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