Kuch Is Tarah

Yes…once again I am feeling bored…I have tried taking a temporary relocation to forum (I have spent 50% of my time there)…tried playing football...learning German...dozing off at odd hours...but somehow I always find some time to spare with absolutely nothing else to do.
So this fine morning…after a resolute sleep…after infinite snoring…after browsing internet for nth hour…drinking mth cup of tea from Pantry…after sending irrelevant status reports to thousands of unconcerned persons…after disturbing people who are online on messenger about some non-existent bugs…after trying to read latest newspaper report on Megan Fox…I have finally decided to write something...anything...anything about unknown smells…
Smells are very important for a foodie like me…it’s not for a mere temptation…but as the smell is intrinsically etched to one’s memories…I have tried to taste smell too.

I was coming out of my flat…couple of blocks away…on a small roadside stall near the Games Village Gate…a guy sells pakoda and fried delicacies…that has a fine smell…oil dripping…crumbling…half fried…deep fried…served with red chilly sauce…smell tells it all.

Then comes the smell of dhaba’s…specially Bobby Da Dhaba near Ulsoor Gurdwara…its a small run down shop probably half a century old…that has a smell…smell of hot…super hot paranthe…with little butter cubes on top of it…on tingling ghee on your platter…
There is this amazing smell of warm freshly cooked food…which I find irresistible…which I find in that place…that delicious Shahi Paneer with square paneer cubes and butter bundle on top of it…that’s a food experience…
There was a smell of Phuchka aka Gol gappe…slight tangy…smell of lemon...chopped onion…and smashed boiled potatoes…mixed…fiddled…to create a perfect piece of art…that’s the smell of street food…that smell has inexplicable affection from me as it has thousands of memories from my College days…
But yes…there are some smells which sometimes makes me nostalgic…smell of luchi…freshly prepared Alu r Dom…Makhani…what is special in these plates that they were served by someone special…someone with extraordinary love…none other than my Mother…My starting point of life..
That love and the beautiful smell with a warm aura around it…that’s my favorite…simple and humble...fresh...warm...served with a lot of love and eternal sunshine...love always…

How I wish…how I wish you're here…

Rain has again started falling…dampness all around…sudden cold breezes...falling umbrellas…tumbling footsteps…sound of laughter…smell of earth…fresh…new…Rejuvenated….deeply aromatic…splashes of water…dazzle of colors…its monsoon time…kohl smeared eyes looking strangely…rain drenched flowers lying on road…silent…only sound is of rain drops on my roof…their sound plays like beautiful collage of nature and sound…I listen to them..Intently…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…


When winter chills settle down…dusty…cold morning...distant sound of trucks passing by…when I wake up early…shivering in the darkness…searching for my toothbrush…when look towards my window…darkness all around…faint light…Sun would rising up in a few moments…the lantern hanging somewhere in the neighborhood near Hanuman Temple…near Kalavati Chauraha…distant faint chants of hymns coming from nearest temple…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…

When I had trekked up to a mountain top…just beside a gorgeous waterfall….water gushing out….white….pure…tremendous….suddenly cloud comes and covers the wide…vast green landscape….as long as you can see greenery…this is beauty of Western Ghats….untouched…unspoilt beauty…360 degrees of panoramic view of the mountains…clouds intermingling with the tropical forests…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…

While travelling down the narrow serpentine path….the bus crosses a lot of twists and turns…it is approaching my destination….waking up from a deep slumber…when I open the window….the first morning sun falls upon my face….a gentle breeze caresses….I see early morning laziness all around…slight fog…warm sunshine piercing through cloud covers…a lovely face smiles…it’s the end of journey…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…

While in middle of night….I stop somewhere in remotest part of Kerala…travelling with friends…amidst nowhere…we enter in dhaba…roadside…typical…few sleepy waiter….I wake them up….it was cold then…December…31st..Munnar…got some hot paranthas…oily…with curry…trucks passing by…breaking the silence abruptly…only sound of munching food…occasional laughs…leg pulling…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…

Returning from office…almost all my energy sapped off...endless meetings…never ending improvement suggestions...listless faces…shrewd voices…manipulating deals…assigning works…it never ends…I stare emptily outside the window of the last shuttle from campus..Generally last bus is taken by few over worked beer bellied senior managers with rainbow tags…few TIS guys…all are sleepy…all wants to go home…grab a quick bite and sleep…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…

Durga Pujo…October…festivity all around…thousands of people crowd my neighborhood…I sit in small chair in my verandah….lazily watching people….people from all classes of society…in their best dresses….I see people going by…endless…their voices rings back my half asleep dream…
I feel tired now…
Its time sleep…
It’s my time to dream…perhaps I would meet you there…
How I wish…how I wish you're here…