Well, I am writing a new post after a very long time and today is an apt day to do it because it is Valentine’s Day today – the day of Romance. Mr. Avinash Veer has been taunting me since a very long time as it has been ages since I wrote my last post and he even asked me if I have put up my domain name for auction. Well, I have been quite busy and mostly lazy since past couple of months to write something new. But today is Valentine’s Day and what better occasion to write about love???
This post is not about the History-Geography of Valentine’s Day. When, How and Why it was started is something which you can just Google and find every relevant (as well as irrelevant) information about the same. You will find 1000s of webpages with different information on the start of Valentine’s Day. I am writing this post to publish my views on the occasion called as the Valentine’s Day.
While I was in school, our principal used to conduct surprise Bag-Checks during the period of Valentine’s Day and Friendship Day. School authorities thought that these were the times and students should be kept in check so that they don’t go out of line and study well. I still remember the visuals when a guy was checking a girl’s bag (guys were not allowed to check girls’ bags) and he found a pack of sanitary napkins in her bag and he was flaunting in the class asking questions, “What is this, What is this???” He received an earful from the seniors later on but I felt disgusted at the act.
I have grown up watching Yash Chopra and Karan Johar movies where they have used the concept of Love, Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day etc. to make and sell their movies. I always wondered about the specialty of the day as I never had a girlfriend back then. I also read and watched news which said that certain political party workers have black-faced some couples, they have barged into different restaurants, gift shops, etc. to show their protests against the western culture. The point here is that I have grown in a mixed environment where I have seen pros and cons – both of Valentine’s Day and personally I am not a big fan of the concept called as Valentine’s Day. Called me old school or call me cynic, but I see the concept being popularized mainly by Greeting Card companies and the Gift Shops to increase their Business. You go to the rural parts of India and no one cares about Valentine’s Day. The husband in a village of India will say, “Ye kya Valentine’s Day laga rakha hain TV pe??? Hum toh humari Biwi se jab chaahe tab PYAAR (Sex) kar sakte hain… Koi special din rakhneka zarurat thode na hain???”
The trend of Valentine’s Day is more of an urban trend and the college kids use this day often to make out/hang out with their better halves of that period. I always made it a point to reach home on time or early to keep my parents thinking that I am still a decent boy. But, they are my parents and they know me better than myself and they used to understand my tricks. I have seen many couples fight on this day specifically as their partners expected a better treatment from them. The point here is, this day is considered to be so special that everyone tries making some special arrangements for their better halves but people spend hours planning, preparing, arranging, hiding, spending for the special moment and in the end they end up spending couple of hours together just admiring the efforts taken. My point here, why don’t you try spending the time with your better half trying to make him/her feel special just by being there for them rather than making the elaborate plans?
Another issue here is that, my favorite restaurant which has all the time and space for me on a normal weekday is jam packed on a Valentine’s Day. They make me wait for more than an hour and after that their service is slow and food quality is not that great. The traffic, the rush, the service, the lethargies amongst the people on this day irritates me to the core. The traffic on the roads and the difficulties in finding an auto or maneuvering your car through the traffic kills the mood even before it begins. And yes, not to forget the constant fear of some political party trying to ruin your evening or some uncle-aunty spotting you with someone and reporting to your place. Couples, whether married or not should not give so much importance to a day which can be technically celebrated everyday of being together. Not to sound too mushy, but don’t you feel that only 1 day in an entire year is kindoff a very short time to keep your better half happy??? Try to keep them happy all through the year rather than investing all on 1 day…
All said and done, like every coin has 2 sides; this one also has 2 sides. While I have seen couple fighting, breaking up, ending things on a sad note on Valentine’s Day, I have also seen couple patch things up, ignite the flame again on same day. Couples who are going through a rough patch use days like Valentine’s Day and Anniversaries to take that extra step to make their loved ones feel special and rekindle their romance. Everything is forgiven on this day if the couple has been on a fight since a long time. People do take their time offs and go out of town to make a memory out of it. Eventhough the bosses might not allow for leaves on this day, yet people rebel and go out of their ways either to take a holiday or atleast a halfday to make their loved ones feel special. These are some gestures which still keeps the true spirit of Valentine’s Day alive.
If you ask me, I still maintain that I don’t believe in such days. Soon to get married and I always feel that if you feel like going out with your loved one on any particular day, go ahead, and don’t wait for any special day to come by. Sahi maza toh isme hain ke jo Shaadi se pehle bhi roz Valentine’s Day mana sake aur Shaadi ke baad bhi roz… But this is not an ideal world and yes we might need occasions like a Valentine’s Day or a Friendship’s Day or any Anniversary to float our boats in the future…
So to all the couples and singles who are desperately trying to get hooked, grass is always green on the other side but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what you have right now… Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
May the stupid Cupid strike you sooner rather than later…