Shopping with Sujata, the Sniffer

My friend and landlady Sujata Naidu and I went shopping for a weekend of parties. Given the importance of the occasions (her son's first wedding anniversary, her husband's birthday) no ordinary market would do. We couldn't even be content with a Super Market.

We went to Total here in Bangalore, known as a HYPER MARKET.

Hyper and high tech or not, Suja relied on her old fashioned sense of smell to buy our fruit. This little montage begins with her getting close to a Melody Melon (isn't that a wonderful name?) and then becoming very serious, even intimate, with pineapples...spelled Pine Apple on the Total Hypermarket sign.

When I posted last week, with photos of the stunning flowering tree, I wished the Internet was able to communicate scent. Today, in honor of the marvelous fruits Sujata selected, I again wish for smell. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just Scratch and Sniff your screen?

Trust me, the fruits were deliciously ripe!

Our parties were a great success. With the help of two friends, we made five big apple pies. Yes, I did smell a few apples, but not all three kilos.

I also had fun decorating the fig tree with cut out letters. When the outdoor party began Sunday morning, we had 25 balloons (yellow, orange, blue and purple) hanging in lush bunches among the figs. But as the heat of the sun wore on, they combusted loudly! Each time, I revealed I have Very Fine Reflexes for my age...and a surprisingly stubborn bladder. Whew!

Just a few brave balloons remained 24 hours later. Curiously, the orange were the first to go.

In his book, Sense and Nonsense of Sickness and Pain, author and healer Peter Mandel writes of the healing characteristics and power of colors. Without this knowledge, we unknowingly (subconsciously?) selected great balloon colors, according to Mandel:

Orange, for joy and happiness

Blue, for peace and infinity

Yellow, for a cheering effect

Purple, brings spiritual strength.