Scents of Memory

In this session of Reader’s Bloc, we’ll explore two texts—The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra and Smell by Radhika Jha—both exploring smell as not just a sense, but as a conduit for memory, love, identity and belonging. 

Malhotra’s The Book of Everlasting Things follows a perfume maker in pre-partition India, where different scents become the legacy passed through generations, carrying with it familial love and a lot of history; while Jha’s Smell, tells the story of a young brown woman who navigates identity and alienation in postcolonial, diasporic France. 

This session is conducted as part of our engagements for the MAP Youth Collective. The Collective is a community for young people (18-25 year olds) to engage with the arts and culture sector. The collective is for, of and by young people — to explore our shared identities and interests through art.