Excellent thread DNM. :thumbsup here is my list - Love the smell of New and old books...always reminds me of my school days. - smell of jasmine flowers take me back to my home in India. - smell of betel nut leaves reminds me of my Dad buying me sweet paan because I just love it. - when I cook sauntikayi avalakki (aval poha with cucumber in it) takes me back to my mom making this. - Chandrika soap reminds me of my FIL who is no more - smell of the earth when it rains, takes me back to my hometown in india and particularly to one day when I was out in the garden of my house, loving every moment getting drenched in the rain.
Jaya - That was such a nice list! Just like KVs. Most everyone here has mentioned smells taking us back to homeland. We all miss it very much... The sauntakayi avalakki sounds very interesting. I only know the avalakki that is mixed with puliyogare powder...Maybe you can give me the recipe sometime.
Lovely topic DNM Bow Garlic - Garlic reminds me of my Mum. Dont know what she does, but her hands' always smell of garlic..as a boy and till now i keep smelling her hands layign my head on her watching tv or talking...you know just the way your dog smells you when you come home. :crazy...am feeling all senti now ...where's Mum? ..atlest garlic? ...:-( ..no... office supply does not keep garlics in store. Neural Networks...this phenomenon of mind patterninsing things n associating them....this was my research topic at school. Love this topic. Thank You.
Naksh - Awww...So sweet being reminded of your mom!!! I love it! I am trying to think about what my mom's hand smelled like....hmmm Neural networks, huh? Nice! How strange the human brain is...memories stored so distinctly and for such a long time!
I love the ripened sapotas' smell.It smells so mild and makes me want to eat anytime. Also Custard apple's smell and my grandmother who eats it like a kid.Even now when we buy them, my mom will definitely talk @ grandmother. The most favourite smell is frying garlic in oil especially when frying puffed rice (pori) and having it in the evenings with chai.Wow!Wow!Wow!Can't have enough of that.
Hey Soumya - Good ones! Sapotas are so yum! To take a spoon and scoop out the brown goodness and plopping it in my mouth! The taalichufying smell (tadka) is such an indian home landmark, right? Here in US, when we walk along apartment building corridors, we know if there is an indian living in an apt from that smell. It simply draws you in...
Hey Swetha, I love Jaadhi malli too but I did not know that NIthya malli has any smell. Isn't nithya malli the one with orange stems? I am confused.
no that is pavazha malli what iam saying is nithya malli which looks similar to mullai which give extraordinary fragrance.
Pavazha malli! Yes thats the name! I still am not able to visualise nithya malli. I will have to google it and see. Edited: This is it, right? I remember now! I remember this plant called Manoranjitham. Have you heard of it? The creeper in our garden when I was younger. The flowers were green like the leaves but would slowly become yellow and then brown. The fragrance would last even when the flower wouth wither and crumble to dust! My mom would put them inside our clothes cupboard and linen closet. My mom cried when we had to sell the house since we could not take her plants and trees with us...
