The missing fragrance

Tuberoses have an interesting name in Hindi – Rajnigandha (fragrance of the night – ‘Rajni’ is night, ‘gandh’ means smell).

I always placed these flowers in the rooms of houseguests I cared about. It ensured a good ambience in the evenings, as we often spent the day outdoors. One such couple returned after years.

“There’s something different about the house.”

“Not really. We haven’t changed any settings.”

I knew what was amiss – the fragrance of Rajnigandha. They were back after a long interval for a reason – relationships had lost their fragrance. We pretended as if nothing had happened in those intervening years.

Tale Weaver – #239 – Flowers – 6th September