I love eating cakes. Every time I eat, I get hypnotized by its
taste, texture and aroma. Till the last bite, it’s only me and my cake!
Almost every evening of my
childhood ended with a cake. Chocolate Cake, Japanese cake, Pink cake, Roll
cake, Cup-cake, Honey cake, Apple cake – the list was fascinating. And the
child in me had a secret crush for the Chocolate roll cake. I thought the
creamy inner layer in the roll was another cake hidden inside!
Till I was 10, either my mom or
dad used to buy cakes for me. It was in my 5th standard summer vacation,
I started visiting the small bakery nearby.
Wow! It was small, yet contained
everything I wanted. I would run through the display many times, but finally
would settle for my delicacy – Chocolate roll! (After many years, I learnt what
was called chocolate roll in my native is actually the Swiss Roll J. But let me continue addressing
it as chocolate roll J
).
With my frequent visits, I befriended the girl
Pavani, who worked in the shop. She was
very good at spinning stories. Yes, I mean it. She would transform magically, my
cake eating time, to a journey to an unseen wonderful land!
Of course time is fleeting. I
moved out of my native. On the last day, I packed 20 chocolate rolls and bid a
sad goodbye to my favorite bakery and dear friend. I didn’t know who I would share those 20
rolls with. But I just wanted them all! As simple as that!
Higher Education, Employment,
Marriage, Kids. Nothing took my love for cakes away. In whichever city I was, I
would first get to know the nearest bakery.
But there is a strange thing
about the whole story.
I had tried eating cakes from
posh pastry shops to small road side tea shops. And all of them were perfect.
But believe me - something was missing.
Something was empty. There had
always been a craving for something more that I wasn’t able to identify until
recently.
Last month as I was walking down
the busy streets of my neighborhood, I stumbled upon a small dull shop. I had
passed by that shop many a times. And it
had never impressed me. I saw some of
the display covered with canvas cloth and I didn’t bother to know much about
it. As I desperately wanted water, I decided to walk into the shop.
Suddenly, a strong aroma, which
has been known to me for more than 25 years, engulfed me - the same mesmerizing
aroma, which the small bakery in my hometown used to house. I was thrilled.
Presently, a middle aged lady
came out from a rear room and took off the canvas and settled all the trays there.
As she removed the canvas, there it was
again, my favorite chocolate roll! But
I still remembered to ask her for water.
God! She bore a striking
resemblance to Pavani . But I understood she was in no way connected to her. Interestingly,
she too was good at conversing and had her own style of weaving stories. Half
an hour seemed too short a time. Do I
need to mention I bought couple of rolls?
That day I got back home, quickly
prepared dinner and sat down to open the rolls. Something in me churned, opened
up and there was an outbreak of joyous cry!
Behind my closed eye lids, I saw a
cake, full of life that I have been searching for ! I could connect to it and
relate to it. The every bit of my walking that I did as a child and the sweet
days I spent with Pavani came racing back to me.
What caused the jubilation? Was
it the aroma? Was it my meeting with the one who resembled Pavani? Was it the
conversation that I had with the woman at the shop?
Moments of silence slipped
smoothly….
The answer was ‘YES’ for all. And
then it dawned on me, all these days, I have been trying to eat the good
memories in the form of cake. Not the cake itself.
I confessed to my beloved roll.
This revelation
– What more does it mean?
Does it mean, whether good or bad, I’ve been searching for that ‘something’
that has deeply touched me? And in the process, am I failing to do justice for the
‘NOW’, when I can make great moments than building memories? Do I need to stop
chewing the chewed?
Yes, it’s high time I did!
Now, within
me, I see all the Christmas stars glowing in all its brightness!
Do you want to follow suit?
