Of Aromas and ambience

Actually I had decided to blog about another topic altogether….. But then just a whiff of my toothpaste reminded me of my visit to my friend’s place in the US. Isn’t that absolutely hilarious? It’s true though that many a times when the aroma of coffee wafts to me I am transported to the trattoirs of Paris and the many petits bistros that line them. I would love to go there again and sit at a bistro, with une petite tasse du café (a cup of coffee) or with a glass of wine and watch the world go by.
The complete stillness of an evening reminds me of Switzerland… where you can hear the silence. It’s amazing that till you actually get to the Rhine falls you don’t even realize that they exist… such is the silence there. Even nature behaves :)
The brain is tuned to such nuances of smells and aromas. The heavier attars (fragrances/perfumes) brings a picture of the desert while the cooler perfumes brings to mind the snowy landscapes.
For me even the crayons have a distinctive smell….. and in my mind’s eye I can see my aju (my grandpa) drawing. My childhood memories are associated with him drawing either my portrait or drawing figures from the stories that he would tell. While the sandalwood reminds me of my grandma….. as her saris would be scented with sandalwood that she kept in her almirah.
All through life your brain keeps soaking in these trivial (?) things and whose importance you only get to know when memories get jogged by only a whiff of that long forgotten fragrance/aroma.