Happy Senses - 3

Any more absence from me and people might conclude that I have actually lost one of the senses about whom I have been blabbering away in this series.

You can see the first two at Happy Senses -1 and Happy Senses - 2

Taste:

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After a long and arduous journey, the first sight of food would fill one with a kind of bliss. Be it a simple roti dal at a roadside dhaba, idly chutney sold on a cart or a table laden with an array of home cooked items.Food that reaches and satisfies one at the hungriest of hours is the tastiest on earth. 

A cup of coffee my husband makes after forcing me to sit and take a break from the household work, the single grape my son pops into my mouth, the bowl of curd rice my father used to bring to my room during the uncomfortable days of my pregnancy, every meal my mom prepares with gusto each time I visit her - When love gets mixed, food always becomes delicious.

The cup of steaming tea on the highest points of Ooty or Kodaikanal, hot crispy molagai bajjis(chilli pakoras) on a rainy evening, A lick of that icecream or a bite of that watermelon slice after being out in the scorching sun - Weather and surroundings have a huge impact on the taste buds.

I have always been a foodie, a vegetarian one though. Food is something man has been experimenting with, since time immemorial and we have a million varieties under the sun . In todays globalized world we need a lifetime to try out all thats available - Indian, Italian, Lebanese, American, Mexican, Thai, African, Japanese, Chinese - Sweet, Spicy, Hot, Sour, Hot, Cold, Bitter!. Being healthy, eating it right is definitely good. But every now and then, one does need to indulge, immerse and relish. After all we live to eat don't we? Once in a while say good bye to that no-carb, no-fat diet and pop some pani puris in. Your system deserves it.

Touch:

Image courtesy of twobee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At a function or in general, whenever an elder touches me on my head to wish me good and bless me, it gives me a feeling of being loved , cared for and protected.

A hug, a pat, a tap, a hold, a kiss any expression of affection is amazing. That's why perhaps the emotion is called being touched.

In our marriages we have a practice where the bride has to hold her fingers like a closed lotus and the groom would be asked to hold it and not let go till all rituals are over. Its a lovely symbolic representation of the life long promise to love, share,care and safe guard.

At the end of an exhausted day, sitting next to a loved one and dozing off leaning on their shoulder - one of the simple nice things in life.

The most cherished touch I have had is something my unfortunate male friends will never get to experience. Every time I felt the baby in my womb move or kick . I don't even know if it can be classified as touch but its an extraordinary and a beautiful feeling indeed.

Our touch can make a huge difference in so many lives. A simple pat on the head to a boy acting as a waiter at the small restaurant, holding a blind person while helping her get aboard a bud, helping an injured sick relative to move lending him a shoulder support, handing out books to some poor kids- These are very mediocre examples that came popping in my head. A touch can go a very long way in adding a new meaning to people's lives.  The first and strongest expression of love and affection is nothing but a simple touch.