Of fragrances and life...

I once said, 'The best experiences are had with your eyes closed.' When you cut off your visual inputs; which are over 90% of the total sensory input, then you suddenly enter a different world, where things 'feel' different.
That world of mine is one fragrant world I know of! I mean, the dominant sense when I shut my eyes is that of smell.
Its weird i know, but my most beautiful memories have a strong component of fragrance. More often than not I am reminded of certain events, places or 'people' not by a sound or a visual, but by some smell. It could be anything. A passer-by's perfume, some flower, the smell of wood, anything...
I can never escape the haunting warmth of the small hut sort of hanuman temple at the banks of The Ganges when I'm near an agarbatti of a particular scent. It was dark inside, on a summer noon in Kanpur. Lit only by a diya, the shadow of the deity flickered on the mud walls around. I remember the moment... The smell.
Then the smell of roses. It reminds me of a party, that happened many years ago. But it still does, always.
There is so much fragrance around us, its surprising that its seldom appreciated. The smell of turmeric, that of recently splintered coconut... There is a scent of something I don't know thats there in a lady's vanity box. It reminds me of the packed rooms where women get dressed before a wedding.
I remember gulab-jamun more by its scent than the flavour! Nothing satiates me more than the aroma of hot chocolate or rich coffee. And nothing is more unappatising than the smell of desi-ghee!
Sometimes even my dreams are based on a scent. Like the smell of burning wood or charcoal... Its so deep seated.
And then there is nature with all kinds of fragrances that stir some sub-concsious instinct every time. The smell of mist, the just-spicy scent of dust, that of trees drenched in rain, of grass- both dry and wet, of the ocean...and so many lovely things...
Although I love to capture still moments, I wish I could add a part of fragrance associated with each of them, that belongs to them. So that I could live them with my eyes closed...