Get a whiff

John and I have agreed that years and years from now we’ll still be able to mentally transport back to Bombay in an instant if we encounter particular smells. This a pungent city, indeed. Here is a list of all of the aromas/stenches I made a conscious note of smelling on the mile-long walk from yoga practice to our flat this evening.

Exhaust (car, taxi, scooter and bus),
Tobacco,
Raw onions,
Dust,
Poop (dog and cow),
Roasted corn and nuts,
Nagchampa,
Sea air,
Fresh flowers,
Hot, wet garbage,
Rotting leaves,
Ginger and other cooking spices,
Public urinal,
Chai,
and of course, body odor.

A few of these smells were subtle, but most of them were utterly overwhelming. Walking down the street in Bombay is difficult. Despite being a little more confident in crossing the road, it hasn’t gotten much easier in seven months. You have to be very alert while walking. Otherwise you’ll step in dog poop or in a pothole (or in some of the more rubbley areas you’ll be surprised by stepping out of the predominant pothole), or you’ll get run over by a bicycle, or you’ll take a deep inhalation just as an exhaust-spewing bus hurtles past, or while not realizing you’re down-wind of the urinal or the garbage bin. It’s a sensory challenge, and very exhausting. And take it from me, this is one situation where deep, yogic breathing is not helpful.