Lost fragrances from the past

Rajnigandha has lost its fragrance. As have roses. There are other things too that are now like a forgotten memory calling from a distance

“Don’t bring me flowers; take me to the flowers.” This caption accompanying a picture of yellow wildflowers posted by a friend long ago often comes to mind when I see cut flowers on sale. You could say it’s a conscience keeper that checks me from buying those pretty bunches. But the face peering through my car window this one late evening melted those words away.

It was a girl, wide-eyed and cheerful, selling milky-white rajnigandha. Her face, lit up by the headlights of the vehicles at the traffic crossing, glowed like the buds she held to her cheek. As my window