What is the vacation fragrance – Yes, Summer is here

When I was a child, I always used to love summer vacations just like any other kid.  With exams getting over around end of March or the first week of April, we as kids used to be so thrilled.

I still recollect the times when I used to ask my amma – the air is appearing so fresh and I can smell the fragrance of the vacation.  My mom used to be amused at this statement and gave a surprised look at me.  I was all of 10 or 12 years, but the fragrance of the summer vacations still mesmerises my soul. Summers are not any longer so fragrant? You may ask why?  May be we have grown up and we no longer get to smell the summer and remain carefree the way we used to.

Those were the days when the drink “Rasna” had become so popular. I used to literally trouble my amma so much to buy all the flavours. It was just the feeling and happiness of opening the fridge and seeing all the different coloured syrups. That was fun for me. It was the thought of my amma laying the rice vadams and karuvadamas (papads).  The perfect place for laying these was the building terrace.  We literally used to book the places for these

I was the first to get up early in the morning and used to run to the terrace to broom that particular area where my mom used to get the big pot with the batter. It was fun.  That was all the help I could give her.  But I used to be with her for the entire time she laid those papads and vadams/vathals.  I used to count every little papad/vadam that she laid and smiled.  Hahahah, come to think of it, it brings a smile. There was this excitement. We used to have neighbours who would come to terrace to dry their mango pickles and chundaas. I can never forget those days of papads and drying mangoes.

We as kids used to literally ravage the terrace and steal away those goodies that were neatly covered with the white muslin cloth.

Yes, that’s the fragrance of vacation. Come April and May the fragrance always stayed for many many years.  It was happiness for no reason and there was every reason to be happy.

Luv Always

Rekha