The Perfumist of Paris

I’ve come to think that some people are meant to be in our lives for a certain length of time and not a moment more.

The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime. Samaj-jao?

A wise man to the rest of the world is a nobody at home.

Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn’t like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we’re offering. And in the end, we’re left with...pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It’s hard for us to just walk away.

Why am I the one who must find the solution to a problem I didn’t cause?

I've given my best, but I've been used. Delphine said I have to move past it. Lakshmi moved past her betrayals. So did Victorine. Isn't that the look she's giving us in Manet's paining? There will always be a Ferdie in our lives. We have to do our best despite them.

parents’ families have always lived in North India, which means they might have mingled with Persians, Afghanis or even European traders, or perhaps they were just born with light eyes.

Did you know there’s a Hindu belief that the people known to you in this life are the same people you knew in your last life but in different roles?

On one side of the room is a floor hearth with a clay oven where I assume chappatis and tandoori chicken and lamb are cooked.

ground cotton root bark in a paper packet.

remember how excited we all were when the government started the irrigation projects right after independence. But we didn’t know at the time that those projects were only suited for commercial farms, and India is a nation of small farmers.

cumin seeds sizzle in the oil before adding the onions. When the onions are nicely browned, I ask Shanti to add two teaspoons each of turmeric and cumin powder and salt, one teaspoon each of garam masala and black pepper, the four cloves of garlic I minced, one cup of fresh cilantro and a tiny bit of red chili powder.

In Hinduism, the left and right sides of the body carry different meanings. The left is the feminine, the right the masculine.

Rundo Rani, burri sayani. Peethi tunda, tunda pani. Lakin kurthi hai manmani. Little queen, thinks herself so grand. Drinks only cold, cold water. But does so much mischief.

Jiji—big sister—but she hadn’t always called me choti behen.

Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn't like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we're offering. And in the end, we're left with...pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It's hard for us to just walk away.

You see this hand?" Gérard holds up the claw that is his right hand. "I used to be right-handed. Now this hand is useless. So I learned to paint with my left hand. When the disease progresses, my left hand will be useless, too." He smiles down at me, which is when I notice how electric his blue eyes are. "But in my dreams, I still dream I paint with my right hand. In my dreams, everything is as it used to be. I have not forgotten.

INGREDIENTS: 1 clean jam jar with airtight lid 2 cups rose petals, red or pink, washed, dried and shredded (be careful to use only rose petals that have not been sprayed with insecticides) 1 cup white sugar (or rock sugar) ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed (optional) DIRECTIONS: Layer the bottom of the jar with some shredded dried petals. Add a layer of sugar. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all the petals and sugar. At this point, you can add the crushed cardamom seeds if desired. Close the jar tightly with a lid. Place the jar in sunlight for 7 to 10 days. Every day, use a clean spoon to stir the contents, which will start to become moist. On the last day, stir and store the jar in the refrigerator. It should last up to a year. Enjoy on toast, ice cream, in milk or even just out of the jar! Some folks add it to paan, a popular Indian snack and breath freshener made with betel leaves and stuffed with areca nuts, lime paste, cardamom, coconut, fennel and other spices. A PERFUME PRIMER Perfume.

I just was. I just did. I just felt.

There are men and men and every stone is not a gem. Likability is in the eye of the beholder.