Today, I was reminded
of the smell and taste of hot water used for taking bath, from my
childhood. The water used to be heated in a boiler using the dry leaves,
branches and stems of plants and trees from the courtyard! It smells
the same when it is heated on a traditional chulha! The scent and taste
cannot be described, but can only be experienced.
My grandfather used to gather all the material needed, dry it, pile it up into heaps, then plan on which one to be used and when, undertake the cumbersome (delightful for him) process of loading the boiler with water and drawing out the heated water into buckets for us! Then came the time for cleaning the equipment and the ash plate, completely blackened after use! I think it was the sweet fragrance of the collective hard work that made me recall the 3 decade-old experience today! There were numerous instances when he used to ask us to test the temperature and then, there was a small door to peep the finger in and test it!
My grandfather used to gather all the material needed, dry it, pile it up into heaps, then plan on which one to be used and when, undertake the cumbersome (delightful for him) process of loading the boiler with water and drawing out the heated water into buckets for us! Then came the time for cleaning the equipment and the ash plate, completely blackened after use! I think it was the sweet fragrance of the collective hard work that made me recall the 3 decade-old experience today! There were numerous instances when he used to ask us to test the temperature and then, there was a small door to peep the finger in and test it!
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