It is a pity Vatsyayana, despite being a sage, while dealing extensively with the man-woman relationship, physical that is, did not touch upon the two sure-shot aphrodisiacs, namely jasmine and halwa. In the quest of softening the heart of the lady love, there can be no better bait for a man than the ubiquitous jasmine-halwa combo.
Unlike the costlier varieties like the Kanchipuram silk, a signet ring, a trip to Ooty, Kodaikanal, Darjeeling or a top-drawer Switzerland, the redolent white flower and the shiny, yummy sweet invariably would click without making a dent in his pocket. There may be cases where jasmine and halwa may disappointingly fail to spell magic but they are exceptions. A rule, as a rule, has an exception, including this rule.
Marital bond is indeed an enigma: It is strong and at the same time brittle. A harmless word injudiciously uttered with a tinge of sarcasm, anger or impatience would immediately rush ominous dark clouds. Thunders would start rumbling at the distant horizon, threatening waterworks from the eye of the impending storm.
A seasoned married man, would at that time quietly withdraw and leg it to the open spaces. And after a lapse of the mandatory cooling period, like they practise in customs, he would make a grand entry to surrender with the white flag of a jasmine string and the packet of the glistening, ghee-soaked confectionary wonder. The rest will be history. Or her-story.
Talking of jasmines, Poonamallee, a Chennai hamlet, is famous for the cultivation of jasmines. During summer, the ideal time for their abundant growth, there will be a slew of varieties like iruvatchi, mullai, nithya malli, gundu malli and so on. They are the boons given by Mother Nature to honour the olfactory senses of sensuous men and women.
Likewise, we have no dearth of halwas. Yet, the one called Iruttu kadai (dark shop) halwa in Tirunelveli down south sells only a fixed quantity in the evening. The shop is kept open hardly for one and half hour in the evening in which time the stock flies away from the vessel. The formula being used is as closely guarded as that of Coca-Cola. But one tenable explanation may be that the mineral-rich Thamirabarani water is being used.
Nowadays, if the husband and wife live together, it is called a joint family. There may be several methods of reconciliation, should there be marital tiffs, but not the good old jasmine-halwa route. But who knows, like any other fashion that does come full circle, this may also come back!
Raghavan J S
Email: writerjsr@gmail.com