Saturday, August 6, 2011

Sense of Smell....



Ever wondered what the world would be like if we couldn't smell anything?

You may think why I am asking it here now....Well, believe me , there is nothing like suffering from a bad cold to make one realize how much we would miss having a clear sense of smell....Yaa, you got it right, I am suffering from cold and missing my sense of smell these days.

I am just not able to feel the aroma of the variety of dishes being made in kitchen at ”iftar time” during Ramadan....and the smell of wet earth after a good shower is something I am not able to enjoy these days....Aah, how can i forget the whiff of those Jasmines when I pass a woman who wears it in her hair.

I remember when I was a kid and used to travel with my father in the general compartment. The train journey would not complete without my father having consumed several cups of tea from the Chai-wallahs(Tea vendors)...And even today while traveling, the aroma of tea takes me back to those crowded compartments and I can almost see my dad holding that little plastic cup in his hands and enjoying every sip of it.

The scent of talcum powder reminds me of my dad getting ready for office....and the fragrance of Kastoori attar, my uncle's favourite, reminds me, when me and my cousin used to sprinkle that attar on our dusty T-shirts and take deep breath to feel its fragrance.

hhhhmmm....Each of those smell evokes a sense of comfort and nostalgia.

70 comments:

  1. I have read that smell is our strongest sense. It can bring back long forgotten memories. The human body and brain are amazing. Did you know a cat will not eat anything that he cannot smell, if they lose their sense of smell they will starve to death!!

    http://jpweddingphotograpy.blogspot.com/2011/08/photographing-charging-grizzly.html

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  2. Hmm, don't worry I generally have old cold from inside. so I feel the same.

    You can say, Cold made me philosopher. :) take some drops and you will feel better.

    and smell anything again. can you smell why Sonia Gandhi is out of Country? you can smell with even cold too.

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  3. Get well soon !Enjoy your iftar time to the fullest ! You are right about smells evoking a sense of nostalgia .The cigarette smell reminds me of my dad ,the sweet scent of roses reminds me of my childhood days when we played near our home garden.

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  4. And i must add - Kutch Lete Kyuon Nahi ?

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  5. @JIM : thank God, we human can eat even when we can't smell... :) thank you.

    @MOHINEE : "philosopher".... hehehe !!!
    and why to bother abt these politicians even when they are in India what good the can do for the country.

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  6. @KAVITA : hahaaaa..."BAHUT KUCH LIYAA"
    ....and here you sound like a Doctor.... :)

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  7. I do recall some nostalgic smells of Papa and Grandmas from time to time.

    Then there is Pears which always smells like Mom :)

    Please feel better soon...

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  8. oh yes smells have associating properties! :)

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  9. @NRIGirl : thank you...good to have you back here, seems you had good time during the break....


    @MAGICEYE : yaa, and thanks for yet again visit here :)

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  10. Have a blessed Ramadan,get well soon.
    Rest,drink Hamdard Josanda and take vitamin C :)

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  11. I can understand Irfan..~ Happy Frendship Day ~

    Someone is Special

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  12. Hmmm...well, the sense of smell is connected to the sense of taste... and it's difficult to eat really, if we can't smell...

    It's not just that it's difficult to breathe when we have colds... so you need plenty of rest and sleep and increase your fluid intake to regain your strength...

    I wouldn't know what it would be like without this sense...hmmmm...

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  13. Wish you a happy Ramadan... I can smell sewaiyya with cardamoms already.

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  14. completely agree.....especially mom's food, even as she puts that ghee on the tawa and you sense it again somewhere else you are reminded of her and also the smell of the damp soil after rain....you just feel so awesome and nostalgic

    nice topic to blog about

    Happy Ramadan to you....

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  15. aww! get well soon....happy ramadan :)

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  16. hii

    what a sweet post!

    the smell of wet earth is so soothing and calming, i love it!

    and yes, the smell of home cooked food also can make one happy!

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  17. Hmmm we all have some fragrance kept in our mind, we smell those when we recall past memories.... :)


    Stay Blessed

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  18. Quite a concept for a post buddy :) All the same, here is wishing you a return to good health ASAP. Just yesterday,I was telling mom I was enjoying the fragrance of the mud.It felt like first rains once again for the monsoonal season, after a dry spell of two days. But a bad cold,has its flip side.I was telling the gal in my dept.the other day that another female who had walked in - her perfume was sooooooooooo intoxicating to my olfactory senses. And that she was seating near me :) I know how good Biryanis taste and are specialities of the Muslim.My sis is a Muslim always invites me for the various Id festivals. Anyway,on the flip side, you are avoiding the temptation day-in,day-out these days .... how long can yo let your mouth-water before the dish is finally served :) Look on the brighter side buddy. Having flu comes with its positives.

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  19. Yeah,smell is a sense that we do not acknowledge until we find it missing like when we have a cold. I also associate smells with many things- the smell of Mysore Sandal soap always reminds me of my "nani", and babies from any part of the world have that distinct smell.I have a good friend who is blind and she used to recognize people from their smell and touch! Sad that you are missing out on the smell of biryani- which is a very olfactory stimulating dish. Hope you recover soon and advance wishes for Idd.

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  20. @DAANISH : thanks for all those tips :)

    @SOMEONE ID SPECIAL : Happy frndship day to you too...

    @MELISSA : don't worry its not that serious which needs rest....thank you :)

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  21. @ALKA GURHA : and I can only see those sewaiyya..hehehe thank you.


    @BHAVNA : welcome at my space Bhavna...and there is nothing better than Mom's food..... :)
    hope to see you more often here now...thank you.

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  22. @CHINTAN : thank you so much.


    @AS : thanks for the visit and those kind words.


    @ASMA KHAN : Thats true...thank you.

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  23. @BASIL : Aah...good to know those positives of Flu...:) thank you.


    @MEERA SUDERARAJAN : Thanks for the wishes Meera ji... :)

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  24. Even i wonder such things as to what would have if v couldnt smell or maybe taste..so now that i have read ur post i could only feel that I m pretty much sane till now :P

    and smell definitely is not just associated with food but also with people and many other emotions. d complexities of brain u c:D

    sarah

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  25. that's bad...:(

    get well soon...:)

    BTW you are the right person to tell me if potato and onion tastes the same...i heard that the only difference between them is their smell:p

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  26. Oh.. that's bad. Get well soon irfanji.

    @SUB :O Haven't you had them all your life?

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  27. get well Irfan , enjoy d festivities :)

    i love d smell of J&J on babies & that of ripening mangoes

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  28. u r back in form Irfan Bhai.....:).....i am doing good bhai....but my schedule is quite hectic as i am jiggling 2 different careers....so off blogger...hopefully i will be back....take care

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  29. interesting thoughts irfan
    BTW happy ramadan!!

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  30. @SUBTLESCRIBBLER : Oh yes..there are memories too involved with smell...Thanks for stopping by, do come again.

    @SUB : and i bet they smell same(at least for me now).....btw nice to have you at APNIBOLI, plz do come again...thank you.

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  31. @VIJAY MENON : thanks for the wishes vijay....


    @SUJATHA SATHYA : hhmmmm...aroma of ripening mangoes are really so good...and thanks for the wishes Sujatha.

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  32. @DEEKAY : hey, how are you doing mannnn....seeing you after so long.....
    Best of luck for ur future career...but in between do take some time for blogger, we miss you here....


    @SNEHA : thank you Sneha.....!!!

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  33. Irfan Bhai, use your spare wheel(6th sense) instead......hahaha

    SOME-TOTKAS-
    (a)try to inhale vapours of freshly roasted super hot (GARAM GARAM KALEY CHANNEY) --
    or inhale hot water vapours directly (b)you may try banafsha remedy.
    (C) Don't spread it. Get well soon.

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  34. @TARIQ MIAN : sometimes these totkas are really helpful...thank you Tariq Bhai....!!!

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  35. oh poor you!

    sub sy bara nuqsan is to miss the aroma of Iftari dishes from kitchen....I hope you get well soon....the aroma stories were so interesting:-)

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  36. @MISHI : hhmmmm Bechara Main....and yes sub se bara nuqsan yahi hai, so just pray for me Mishi, so that i can get at least my this sense back...let other senses may not be there.... :)

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  37. hmm....wish you get well soon...

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  38. @THINKING : i need those wishes very much...thanks a lot...!!

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  39. happy...Ramadan..
    these memories are treasures ,,we cherish the more we think about them!

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  40. So true, smells evoke memories. Wish you a happy Ramzan. You must be enjoying the delicacies made by your wife in this period.

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  41. Oh Oh! Hope you're doing good now. Smells - I can think of the fresh painted walls, the crazy lady me love the smell of kerosene. And yes the smell of fresh monsoon gets me the feeling of liveliness.. And there Wish you a very happy Ramadan.

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  42. One would have problems, if one couldn't smell.Forget that, get well soon

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  43. @HARMAN : Agree with you...thanks a lot.

    @RACHNA : Oh yaa...Enjoying a lot..thank you.

    @ASHWINI : Look, there are so many wishes around, so feeling much better now....and i have seen ppl being crazy about Petrol smell, buttt kerosine...well its fine i think, see Petrol is too costly these days..... :)

    @CHOWLA Sir : Thank you Sir.

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  44. Oh ho .. Not goood Get well soon .. jaldi jaldi

    happy Ramadaan Irfaan, I am coming over for all those festivities :) bacha ke rakhna DHER sara BAHUT sara :) he heheh

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  45. Happy Ramadan Sir. Sawaiyan for me. :p

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  46. Suffering from cold is the worst thing to happen during any festival.It's hard to imagine life without smell.I can understand your situation. :)

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  47. The smell of rasam along with very small size cut potato curry sometimes reminds me of my mother, and the days she used to come to my school and feed me with with rice mixed with rasam and to go with it that awesome tasting potato curry, and with tears in my eyes, I used to complain it too hot,for which she would say she has added lots of ghee, and somehow make me finish it before the lunch time was over.
    I often make rasam and that same kind of potato curry but only sometimes it tastes exactly like how she used to make it, and then i would get so excited that I will tell my children to come and taste it as it tastes just like how grandma used to make.
    My mother is no longer there but still I feel connected to her with the sense of smell.
    Get well soon.

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  48. @BIKRAM : Sir ji aao to sahi...we will together have DHER SARA :)

    @PRATEEK : thank you..and Sawaiyan is ready boss, plz do come :)

    @ABHISHEK : thnks for the read Abhishek Bhai.

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  49. @RAMA : undoubtedly the most common thing we all miss is food prepared by Moms and the love while feeding that food...

    btw welcome at APNIBOLI, glad to have you here, plz do come again...Thank you.

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  50. ah, those train journeys... awesome.. and yeah life without the power to smell.. can't imagine.

    weakest link :)

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  51. Irfan, not true for me. I start sneezing on smell of fume or any fragrance, powder etc. :)))

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  52. I have such an allergic nose, It just needs one little reason and the sneezing fit is on its way to bug me. :D
    But, imagining life without the sense of smell is unimaginable :)
    Hope you're well now :)

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  53. @RACHIT : ya..we all have some memories associated with train journeys...thank you.


    @A : Oh...then you should take precautions n stay away from these.... :)


    @SERENDIPITY : ya, much better now, thanks...
    and welcome here at APNIBOLI, hope to see you here more often now.

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  54. I DO wish sometimes tht ths sense of smell JUST disappear :D

    thankx for following, me glad :]

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  55. that smell of variety of dishes in the kitchen at iftar time is simply irresistible and I am also a big sucker of tea... I can really connect to this post of yours... Anyways wish u a lightning fast recovery :) keep posting :)

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  56. @IFRA : Really ???? But why???
    anyways thanks for stopping by and the follow, i am honored.... :)


    @ROLLING STONE : Thanks for the wishes dear..and btw AAP TAARE ABHI BHI GIN RAHE HO KYA BHAI SAHEB????... hehehe :)

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  57. I have often thought about smells and here you are writing about it. So often I come across a smell and it transports me to some other place bringing back memories, sometimes happy, sometimes sad. Loved it

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  58. @RIMLY : yes, memories always have both shades, happy as well as sad...and this is what life is all about....
    btw, thanks for yet again visit at APNIBOLI....keep visitng same way.

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  59. happy ramadan to you....

    Hyderabad too is aromatic here with haleem, biryani, attar and the fine vermicelli sewain...... it is soo festive here....

    Get well soon:)

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  60. Wish you and your family a very Happy Ramadan.
    Take care of your health.
    You are welcome at my new posts-
    http://urmi-z-unique.blogspot.com/
    http://amazing-shot.blogspot.com

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  61. yes smell is necessary
    what if forgot to switch of Gas only smell can save us

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  62. nice post:)
    thats absolutely true.nothing irritates you more than a bad cold..

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  63. @ASHA : Undoubtedly the aroma of "Hyderabad biryani" has got its own flavour...unbeatable one.
    thank you so much Asha ji.


    @BABLI : thank you so much for the wishes..!!!

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  64. @SM : oh, yes...smell of leaking Gas, something very dangerous if we miss...thank you.


    @HARITHA : Thank you :)

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  65. A nostalgic post on scent...yeah, at times of cold, we terribly miss smells

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  66. @TOMZ : Thanks for the read dear...!!

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  67. I understand the sense u miss via the bad cold. I wish you get well soon and take part in iftar feast.

    So true! Some smell sense back in memories and here are few touches gently.

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  68. @JEEAVAN : Thank you so much for the visit n wishes...plz do come again.

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  69. Irfanuddin,

    Of all the five senses we give least attention to sense of smell. And it is only when we miss it like you we feel sad. Hope your cold is over. To repeat someone famous, You can get over cold in a week if you take medicine otherwise it takes seven days. I found that drinking a lot of water during this and blowing nose helps a lot.

    Take care

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  70. Nice post, full of nostalgia !
    I have this( borrowed couplet ) for you :
    Gulshan se kabab ki boo aati hai-
    Kisi bulbul ka dil jala hoga !

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