Writers Jam

When I read the theme for Writers Jam this week, I didn't have any confusion on which of the objects I should choose to write about. Yes, you read it right. A bottle of Zandu balm is the most coveted object I have in my room. When I enter my room, my eyes search for this small container full of a chilli resin based liniment. What's so special about it? There are many things.

First of all, the comfort I get sniffing the open bottle. Second of all, the burning sensation on the forehead is comforting irrespective of whether or not I actually have a headache. In my first year of college, I read in pharmacology class that these balms we apply have no medicinal value and they are nothing but counter-irritants. Never mind what the books say.

It's a loving relationship I have developed over the years. Each bottle empties out slowly till it is left without an iota of substance, and I throw it out with a pang in my heart not unlike what you feel when you stand at a train station watching your loved one leave.

Then I open up a new one and feel just the same happiness as when you watch your child come home to you. It is the one object I carry everywhere — to my place of work, on official trips, holidays, weekend getaways, and so on.

There are nights when I hold it tightly in my palm, meaning to open it but falling asleep without doing so.

You may call it an addiction. Aren't we all addicted to someone or something in our lives, though?

Money? Power? Position? Fame? Love? Habits? Only the noun changes depending on the stage and age we are at.

I am forever grateful for my little box of Zandu balm which keeps me warm, cosy and comfortable as I ease into my fitful sleeps.

My small addiction makes me happy and I intend to continue with it.