Nostalgia has a different constitution for every individual. To me, nostalgia is scent of the past. Our heart’s memory is designed to loose trace of bad and remember the good and thank god for that! Nostalgia for me is the desire to revisit the by-gone moments laced with the pain of being unable to do so. There are objects, frames, people or scents that take me on a mental time travel to the past. Few of my designs are inspired by the longing for the events, things and people from the buried moments that I can only romanticize without a promise of reality. Many of my readers are from a different time altogether and will not be able to dig into the same past. I am offering them an emotional state of Anemoia. Anemoia is defined by urban dictionary as ‘nostalgia for time you’ve never known.
My memories of the joyous times that still ring in my heart are accompanied by the familiar fragrance of the Genda or Marigold flower. They adorn the memory lane, leading to all celebrations from past to now. No biye bari (wedding venue), pujo (religious festivals) or home coming is complete without the ubiquitous garlands of Genda hanging from every arch ,these loose flowers and their yellow and orange petals scattered on the corridors and hallways.
In those days, we were thoughtfully groomed to perfect the taciturn practices of modesty; (Un) expressing emotions in any rhetoric style was improper. So, for the amorous hearts all we could rely on were coy gestures like half a look, a sigh or here is a flower for you(out of nowhere)! Whatever was your choice, as long as it was wordless, it was acceptable. If you were lucky then your timid advances were reciprocated too !
Besides my emotional attachment towards the passionate Genda, she has a laudable history and story, slightly varying across cultures. It is said that the Portuguese brought the Marigold to India first.
Aztecs and Marigold: Marigold was a sacred flower to the Aztecs. It was used in many religious ceremonies and also as a medicine. The Aztecs were of the belief that marigold flowers relieved one from hiccups and it cured people who were struck by lightning.
Mexicans and Marigold: According to Mexican tradition, marigold flowers are used during ‘Dia de los Muertos’, which in English means Day of the Dead. It is a tradition which originated in Mexico, celebrated on the 1st November of every year to honor the lives of family and friends who passed away. Mexicans are of the belief that during this day, dead souls visit the living and marigold flowers guide them towards the altar. Due to its strong odor, dead souls are attracted towards the flowers. Burial sites are adorned with marigolds and even the private altars constructed for the dead are surrounded with marigold.
French , African and their Marigold: According to the language of flowers, French marigold flower means jealousy and African marigold flower means a vulgar mind.
In spite of all its contradictory history, the Genda flower remains a thing of beauty in my mind forever. The redolent scent of the flower takes me back in time. It has been an instinctive desire to imprint the lasting impression of these things of voluptuous beauty. My collection, Rendezvous with Genda is a capture of the frames filled with laughter and banter of family, friends, aunts and cousins in colorful, shiny new clothes, genda on their buns and open tresses – they are the yellow, orange and green coloured emotions imprinted on my sarees. The flowers are screen printed on soft organic cotton. I have chosen organic cotton for its very earthy and soft feel that complements the tender feelings provoked by these radiant beauties.
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