2021...A Rewind ❤️

I was scrolling through my gallery for the last picture(s) to post on the last day of this year, it has brought me such myraid of memories : the house-warming of our new apartment that had been getting procrastinated months together for abrupt reasons, the certain second wave that hit us leading to postponement of my very anticipated exams, the countless number of times I tried to chocolate banana cake to get the perfect recipe with its crumble texture that melts in the mouth, yet another lockdown birthday I celebrated with family as I grew a year older, juggling between two cities for varied reasons, infinite pictures clicked against the soft montelimar wall of my sister's room, taking physical and mental health into consideration and making baby steps to make it better each day,  hording coffee mugs of all shapes, sizes and colors because it made me happier, taking the 20 minutes of "me time" with my mug of chai when it's almost twilight whilst those birds chirping, making their way back to nests, independently handling those restless events and acing it like a pro amidst the incessant downpour that lashed the city day and night in mighty digits (1044.35 mms), the number of phonecalls I've made to my close friends seeking for comfort whenever I felt down.. 

This year has had its ups and downs & I'm fortunate enough to have broken even with it all.

I've suffered in a way I never hoped to again, I've made some amazing friendships who've become too close to my heart. 

What lies ahead in the coming year are new cities, new worlds, new people and places. I would wish to go into. 2022 as the same irrational & suspicious spirit, with some short tempered sass on the side, with a silly sense of humor & witty personality, the person that always finds joy in unusual places, they always sees a glass never empty, that finds positive in any given situation, that occasionally needs a swift kick in the ass to get going, that who still love stranger, spread kindness and try my bestest to be one hell of a human that I always wanted to be.

Here's to the best pictures of my 2021

Wishing everyone a healthy, wealthy, joyful and prosperous 2022🎉🎈

Aromas of Nostalgia

Isn't it strange how  certain smells become a part of your being and any time, you even remotely encounter them, you pause by for a moment and recollect moments that bring back memoirs of time when growing up was all about us basking in the simplest pleasures of childhood.

The heady lingering smell of the Mysore sandal talc, that my mum has been using for ages now, its sweet, warm, rich, woody persistent whiff gives me a sense of comfort and belongingness, almost like a cozy hug. The smell of the earth following the first rain of the season - so invigorating and so full of hope. 

The divine aroma of freshly made sandalwood paste,  kumkum, incense sticks leaving out scented wavy fumes as they dissipate in the air as they burn, camphor, diyas burning in ghee, chrysanthemums and marigolds inside the temples that make the whole environment so serenely beautiful, reminds me of those childhood times when sister and I along with mum visit the Ayyappan temple nearby our home every evening as a daily ritual. 

The smell of books, I love rustling through the pages of new books and breathing in deep into its aroma. I don't if many do but I  love the pungent chemical smell of petrol for it reminds me of those days I used to accompany my dad to the petrol station to get our bike tank filled.  

The smell of hot oil in which fluffy pooris are being fried till golden brown, the smell of pastry straight out of oven always reminds me of coming home to fresh bakes. The smell of washed line dried crisp clothes that encompasses the whole of summer and childhood in each wonderful breath.

The mystifying floral fragrance of tree jasmine that makes me reminisce playful and worry less school days during monsoon, the waxy sweetness of a new box of crayons - exactly how my nose knew it was the first day of school, I loved watching my mom’s winter regime which always ended with, her slathering Pond’s cold cream on her face every night before going to bed. I can still recall the clean, strong, flowery smell, deeply refreshing and satisfying.

Masala chai that carries nostalgic memories as if the past has infused itself into the drink. The warm, sweet, milky tea laced with aromatic spices and ginger brings back memories of cozy and lazy winter mornings and long chats on rainy holiday afternoons. The heavenly waft that's imminent from melt in the mouth ghee laden sweets holds the promise of extravagant delights and festive banquets. The smell of chalk on a blackboard have always transported me to my early school days. The aromas from our very own kitchen's masala box is another treasured smell. The zingy cumin , sweetness of cinnamon , oomph from those murky mustard seeds, intense smell of peppercorns , robustic flavours from the bay leaves , the punch of garam masala and spiciness of chillies that evoke a sense of home , comfort and delight which is just so Indian. 

Rainy evenings ushered in the spicy aroma of onion, plantain and aloo pakoras sizzling in hot oil brings a smell that warms your belly and soul, pleases the olfactory and salivary glands alike. The smell of tadka, as the spices hit the smoking oil is so satisfying to the soul that reminds me of being welcomed home after a long day and of wonders that are homemade. 

Aromas are so distinct, so humdrum and so meek. 

As an adult, it's overwhelming to be taken aback to those moments, reliving the happiest and most cherished parts of life through memories and the fragrances I associate with them. I believe all of us have this tiny bundle tucked in somewhere that takes a teeny tiny bit of sniff of all these aromas and fastens them in cautiously. On some days, the bundle presents you a peep into it and you lazing in your pyjamas, sifting through profuse memories while the pleasant aromas of nostalgia take over. 

A Lifetime Of Memories

Soooo this morning, I was lost in thoughts on how the first five months of the year hurried in a whip whilst lounging on my balcony swing, having my dose of mid-morning sulaimani chai. I was quite taken aback down the memory lane by those moments that played out as reminders of stories I had almost forgotten. Hence I decided to give it an acknowledgment.  

Memories gushed down like a breath of fresh air pondering how a typical May-end - June used to be, not soo long ago when my sister and I were school kids & how the kids today who are locked in their homes for almost two years now, reluctantly made sit in front of a laptop attending their online classes are missing out in their life!

A major chunk of the school kids inclusive of us would find their way back home only by the last week of May.

The following days till the commencement of the school used to be so boisterous. 

Sister and I always and forever had got brand new school supplies each year (grateful for the parents we're born to). Right from going on a shopping spree and picking up our essentials such as bags that are new in the market, lunch boxes from the Tupperware which always had vibrant colors to choose from, water bottles that had pictures of favorite cartoon characters on them, with all glee and giggles amidst a dilemma if to choose the blue or the red one, to carefully choosing the name labels, to getting the bounded textbooks delivered home, to helping mom and dad by cutting up bits of fancy adhesive tapes that had to be stuck on the corners while they're gingerly wrapping up our notebooks with crisp glossy brown sheets (and smelling them - I love the smell of new books, don't you?).

From getting our new pinafores stitched from the local tailor to packing our stationery pouches with glossy glitter pens and Parker pens with ink cartridges, to planning the lunch menu for the first day of school. The night before the first day of school had always been a melange of emotions - a tiny bit of distress that you got to wait a whole year to get another holiday this long, a whole lot of elation because you're going to meet up with your fellow mates, with a bit of anxiousness (that you shouldn't sleep off snoozing your alarm clock😜) and run late on the reopening day!

The first day of school would be nothing short of a celebration for us.

Mum would wake us up a bit early since it was the first day - she'd make sure we get ready on time, eat a proper breakfast, do a little pooja of sorts at home and visit the Ayyappan temple nearby our bus stop. It used to look so lovely with bunches of pretty kids, here and there with their colorful uniforms, waiting for their school buses. The day at school would start with a prayer meeting where The Principal addresses, welcoming their children back to school for yet another successful academic year. 

As soon as it gets over, we'd rush back to our classrooms, excited to know who our new class teacher was, also to know who all have left the school, and of course to eagerly meet the newcomers.

What would follow are - introduction of ourselves and how we spent the vacation. The lunch scenes used to resemble more like a potluck, each of us, bringing their mum's signature dish (my friends' most favorite dishes of my mum were - pulav with spicy potato roast.) and sharing it with everyone. Of course, the evenings remained the same, of us going back to our homes and sharing every detail of what happened in the class with our mum and dad. And the routine continues...

And when my musings were interrupted by the horn of the truck that passed by the street, I realize that nostalgia makes us feel something that we haven't felt in a long time & we just feel back at home and that it reminds us of people, of childhoods, of random forgotten moments and of things that would stay with us, as a part of us ❤️