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Friday, July 4, 2014

Mud & Mogra Magic!


I would love to share a soothing experience that calmed my tensed nerves. This happened a few years back when I travelled to my aunt’s place somewhere in Rajasthan. The moment we think of Rajasthan, three things come to our mind- royalty, colors and dryness. My stay was for around two weeks or so and we were tired waiting for rains to hit the parched earth. I was busy in exploring various aspects of culture like the Rajasthani dresses, bangles and artificial jewelery, and of course, filling myself with the yummy daal-baati-choorma at home. Do try rose choorma, it is awesome! Anyways, not deviating from the topic, it was a few days later that much to our surprise black clouds gathered up and a soft drizzle was welcomed by the fried souls below. However, it was nothing much and like a cheap deo, faded as soon as it had arrived. 

The next day, my cousin and I were given the task of cleaning the garden (the gardener had had a small accident) that after some reluctance we agreed to. So we set up on the task and gathered all the leaves in a heap on one side of the lawn making the fresh grass look as beautiful as a Kashmiri carpet. The walls around that big house were covered with bougainvillea flowers and a few other creepers, some of which flowered in strange colors. The garden, not small by any standards, was full of various flowers, a few rose plants and more of others like China Rose (Gurhal), Mogra, Motia, Paarijaat and Marigold, commonly called ‘genda’ apart from some local varieties. So, after clearing the patch, we were given a hot cuppa green tea as a reward for our hard work. Oh! I forgot to add; I leveled the grass too using a grass cutter while my cousin collected the twigs and heaped them in the corner along with the discarded leaves and branches, under the cotton plant that stood at a corner. 

Drizzle taps waiting earth
Its salubrious whiff escapes
I breathe after ages

We both started chatting about the last shopping spree, sipping the reward when we cheered at dark black clouds laden with the gifts of rain drops arriving in the sky like a postman arriving with a letter from home in a foreign land! Needless to say, our happiness knew no bounds! We stayed glued to our places, praying for a full rain this time and lo! Our prayers were granted. The downpour was good indeed with heavy droplets hitting our sun parched tanned bodies! The water was cool and carried with itself a certain comfort that is hard to describe in words!

We stayed put enjoying the tap of drops on green leaves, colorful flowers and brown tree barks. After some time, my cousin went inside while I lay down in the grass, lost in the pleasure of a particular smell that still lingers somewhere in my mind. It was not just the soothing whiff that the hot mud releases when wet; nor it was the typical earthen smell of wet ground but something more, even more lovely. I realized I was lying near a group of mogra plants, full in bloom in the pleasant evening! The smell that had literally intoxicated me was actually the smell of wet earth mingled in the sweet fragrance of mogra, an engaging, lively and sharp flowery smell. It was I thought something that gave us the pleasures of both, land and flowers! I kept laying supine there for a long time, drenched in rain and even after that absorbing the intoxicating perfume of nature that was instantly created by mixing of two different aromas, within me and letting it pull me into a comfortable slumber, a certain rest and calm. 

I have a mogra plant at my place and whenever it rains, that day comes clear in front of my eyes!

For a variety of room and car sprays, visit  

Pics from-
http://www.himalayanexcursion.com/post_images/                                            
Haiku by me



22 comments:

  1. beautifully described the picturesque experience! :)
    Rains are love <3

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ph_

      thanks a lot dear! I am so glad that you liked the post :D

      <3

      Delete
  2. I could visualise the scene,the rain soaked grass and the whiff of mogra fragrance and the muddy smell..You have written very nicely and the haiku in the middle of post is lovely.

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    Replies
    1. Hello KP Sir,

      Thank you for this nice compliment! I am so happy that you liked and enjoyed the post!

      :)

      Delete
  3. Why is it that when I crave rain, I read all these beautiful posts about the monsoons? Why why why? ;) Jokes apart, that was a refreshing piece on the rains :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi A

      haha! that is a nice coincidence! Thank you, I am really glad you liked the post :)

      Delete
  4. I crave for all that scent but sadly not for rain.. as we are having so much of that here .. enough.. and those car freshners I think My car needs them A LOT of THem :)

    Bikram

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bikram

      I have heard and read so much (even poetry) about London rains! I loveee car and room fresheners and I think I cannot survive without them! lol!!

      Delete
  5. So you went to "dry" Rajasthan. During the 2 weeks of your stay, it poured there. A Tamil saying comes to my mind. Nallar oruvar ularale, avar poruttu ellorkum peyyum mazhai. (If there is one good human being present in a place, because of that person rain pours for everybody there.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi SG

      Yups! Dry Rajasthan was very colourful !

      That's a nice saying and thank you for this wonderful compliment :D

      Delete
  6. Oh yes, am quite familiar with.. dry weather. But we are now past it and into the rainy season here.... towards which we would have to contend with floods, potholes, and monstrous traffic jams.

    Thanks for sharing a lovely post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ellen

      ohk, I just hate traffic jams and potholes. Thanks a lot for liking the post :)

      Delete
  7. Loved your descriptions ... beautifully illustrated :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amrit

      Thanks a lot! I am so glad that you enjoyed this book!

      Delete
  8. Really lovely post...
    And I could almost smell it through your post!
    All the best :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Locomente

      Thanks a lot!! I am really glad that you could relate to the post so well! That is indeed a huge compliment :D

      Delete
  9. I love rain! Beautifully written and well described!
    Have a great week!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Katrin

      I loveee rains too :D

      Thanks a lot!! i am really glad that you liked the post!

      Delete
  10. Ah! Mogra & Rain- Lovely combination, Ankita!
    Best wishes :)

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  11. Loved your description of the wait for rain Ankita. As the summer is peaking here, I eagerly await the rains. I miss the fragrant mogra bush and jaji(flowering jasmine) creepers that adorn the garden in my maternal home.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Reshma

      Thanks a ton! I am really happy that you enjoyed the post :D
      I am waiting for rains too for here it is unbearable humid and hot.
      I lovee mogra too, its fragrance is divine!! you can have one in a gamla :)

      Delete