Week 12 - Arushi Naidu: The Power of Scent
My grandmother, my Aaji, lives in Mumbai, India in a quaint home next to Shivaji Park with my grandfather, my Aaba. They are enjoying their retirement, delighting in the early mornings, warm cups of chai, Marathi television serials, and long walks. I just wish I was there with them. I miss both of my grandparents terribly and I desperately wish I could ask them to just book a flight to California and come be here with me. I would relish Aaji’s puran poli and warm hugs and laugh at Aaba’s thought-provoking questions. I would take them on long drives and show them the gorgeous sunsets at Coyote Hills. But this is me dreaming because I know they are not in the condition to sustain the long flight and California’s cold winter.
Until then, Whatsapp calls and “good morning” GIFS will have to suffice. About a year ago, I was rummaging through my mother’s makeup and I found a perfume that I had not seen before. Curious, I sprayed some on my clothing and immediately, I was transported back to Mumbai, India in the warm embrace of my grandmother. Wearing her perfume felt like she was right there with me and that one scent was enough to bring back memories of comfort and warmth.
Even in Hawaii this past summer, I would wear a Sea Salt and Fig perfume before heading down to the beach for morning swims. Now everytime I wear this perfume, I am reminded of the waves on my skin and just the feeling of summer. It has always been so beautiful to me that certain aromas have the power to evoke memory, to elicit a smile of recognition and familiarity, to transport a person back to a completely different decade.
Hi Arushi! I definitely agree that scent has an unspoken, intangible power through memories and attaching itself to different moments. Anytime I spell my mom or my grandma’s perfume, it feels like they’re right there, and it makes me feel better when my mom is on a trip or when my grandma is in India as well. I believe I have a strong sense of smell, so smelling certain foods and fragrances do hold a lot of power that I didn’t think about earlier. I like how you described your experiences in the first paragraph too; It is definitely relatable to me as most of my relatives are in India, and my grandma is about to leave for India for a few months, which is definitely going to be tough for me. Her fragrances definitely remind me of her when she’s not here, and I love that you described this power in your blog as well. Scents do more than just bring back memories, but transport you to a different place; Everytime I come back from India, I can still smell its scent on the suitcases, that distinct smell that lingers for a long time. Different smells take you to different places and memories, and this power is definitely something that shouldn't go unnoticed. Thank you for sharing, good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Arushi! I completely agree that scent has the power to evoke memory. My experience with scent is similar to yours. My grandma recently visited America where she would wear sarees everyday, wake up to her daily cup of chai, watch Hindi television series, and talk for hours with her friends in India on the phone. She is now in India, but has left behind a few clothes of hers in our house. While you smell your grandma’s in her perfume, I smell mine in her clothes. The smell definitely lingers and brings back happy memories from the time she was here. I also went to Hawaii two years ago. While we were there, I applied the lavender lotion provided by the hotel everyday. I took the lotion home to California and when applied, it reminded me of all the fun I had in Hawaii. Scent being able to bring back memories of comfort and warmth is an interesting phenomenon. Are there any other items whose smell remind you of something else? Thanks for your blog!
ReplyDelete