SHRESHTA ON SPACE ON THE NOSE

SMELL & SENSIBILITY

A thousand surge at us as we begin our walk. Sweat, sand, soap, dung, camphor, flowers, oil, oranges, fish, pigeons, disinfectant, wet earth, deodorant, varnish, burnt rubber - each blending with the distinct other, explosively at one instance, and gently at another, creating one choking gulp of life-odour at a time. We succumb to the methodical olfactory attack; the other senses take a reluctant back seat. And suddenly, as we navigate our way through the heart of Dadar, we look at each other for a moment and smile at the mutual realisation of having just smelt ' humanity'.