IF MINDS HAD AN ODOUR, THE WORLD WOULD SMELL VERY DIFFERENT

IF MINDS HAD AN ODOUR, THE WORLD WOULD SMELL VERY DIFFERENT If Every Thought Produced a Fragrance, Would People Come Closer to You—or Struggle to Remain in the Same Room? It began with an ordinary Sunday morning. Dr. Abhishek Gilara was sitting in his lounge, preparing to watch his childhood favourites, Mickey and Donald, when an unbearable foul smell suddenly entered through an open garden door. A cat had defecated outside. The source was cleaned. The door was closed. Room freshener was sprayed. Within minutes, the lounge became comfortable again. But one question refused to leave: What if human thoughts had an odour too? What if gratitude smelled beautiful? What if compassion, honesty, humility and good intention created fragrance? And what if jealousy, hatred, ego, gossip, comparison, dishonesty and resentment produced an odour so foul that even we ourselves could not tolerate standing near our own mind? That simple question becomes the foundation of this deeply reflective book. Through five chapters, Dr. Abhishek Gilara explores the invisible world we carry within ourselves and the very visible effect it can have on our lives. Why do we immediately remove physical dirt but preserve mental garbage for years? Why can an insult lasting five minutes remain alive inside us for five years? How do our thoughts eventually influence the way we speak, lead, parent, work and behave? How much do the people around us influence the thoughts we learn to consider normal? And most importantly: What kind of mental fragrance are we creating for ourselves and everyone who comes near us? Drawing from his own philosophy of discipline, spirituality, leadership, family, business, association and self-awareness, Gilara connects this idea with some of the recurring principles from his earlier writing: What you focus on, you give energy to. The diya into which you pour oil will burn. Delete what no longer serves you. You don’t need more networking. You need more time with yourself. True power does not need to prove itself. The owner is the product. The message is simple, but uncomfortable: We may be able to hide our thoughts from the world for some time. But repeated thoughts eventually appear through our behaviour, relationships, reactions and character. And while other people may occasionally walk away from our mental environment, there is one person who cannot. We ourselves have to live inside our own mind every day. This book is therefore not about judging the minds around us. It is about asking a much more difficult question: IF MY THOUGHTS COULD BE SMELLED TODAY, WOULD I WANT TO REMAIN IN THE SAME ROOM WITH MYSELF? Because perhaps the greatest fragrance in life does not come from anything we wear. It comes from what we carry within.