There's a funny thing about fragrances - there is no telling where they can transport you within the blink of an eye. I realized this once again during my weekend trip the exhibition at the reclamation. Mom and I were roaming about the aisles - eyes peeled for anything remotely interesting or novel when I suddenly started taking long deep breaths. At first mom didn't notice, then she looked at me quizzically as if I had gone berserk and decided to do my breathing exercises right in the middle of a crowded exhibition.

'Can you smell it?' I asked her, all the while inhaling deeply.
'No. What is it?' she asked, alarmed, fishing out her kerchief, all ready to cover her nose.
'Relax mom. It's not an odor. In fact it's a fragrance I remember from our vacations in Belgaum'.

Now she too took deep breaths. 'Oh yeah, I thought it felt familiar but couldn't quite place it. You are right.'

I was hardly paying her any attention - my mind filled with memories from my grandparents' home in the city of Belgaum in Karnataka. My brother, mom and I used to spend part of our summer holidays there. A thousand memories must have flashed through my mind during a span of, maybe, 5 minutes.

I looked around desperately - maybe someone was selling incense sticks. Maybe I can purchase them, light up one in the evening and pretend that I am back in the house in Belgaum. No such luck. At least that particular isle didn't have any stalls selling incense sticks.

Reluctantly, I moved on. On our way back, I lamented that I should have checked a few nearby isles and looked harder for those incense sticks. Mom smiled and remarked that it was funny how I always seem to miss that house and those days more than she ever did.

'That's because that was my childhood, mom. Not yours.' I smiled at her. And for once she agreed :-)