The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Gen X paints town red

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Friday, Feb 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Gen X paints town red

Staff Reporter

Bouquets of flowers fly off shelves on V-Day

Youngsters have a ball hanging out at coffee shops, malls, theatres and restaurants
Shops selling greeting cards and gifts make a killing as people of all ages buy them

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

In contemplation: A young couple steals silent moments at a mall on Thursday.

Hyderabad: Clear skies with the sun shining bright and the flowers in bloom everywhere. Youngsters with a spring in their step and a song on their lips painted the streets and the corners red on the Valentine’s Day.

Dressed in their best and with gleaming bikes, the youngsters got on to the roads right from morning with some of them clutching flowers or bouquets. The dainty young ladies were all coy to begin with but it was very much evident that they were all prepared for the day.

Masti time

With flower sellers lining up at every nook and corner of the twin cities, bouquets of fresh flowers were seen flying off the shelves as they day wore on. And boy! Did the youngsters have a ball - hanging out at coffee shops, malls, theatres and restaurants, not to mention Tank Bund and the Necklace road.

Most business shops were decorated with stuffed toys and flowers while those selling greeting cards and gifts made a killing as people of all ages bought them. “The day is a reason to party with friends and loved ones. All our friends got together and went out for a lunch,” said Taran Singh, an engineering student.

Candlelight dinners, sparkling wine and a live band added to the romantic ambience in most of the star restaurants in the evening. All the pubs and discs had Valentine’s Day theme party with DJs spinning groovy romantic numbers.

“The day is not only for couples but also for families. Every year we have a family dinner at home, followed by a long drive and ensure that we have a blast,” said Rachana Kaur, a lawyer. Anticipating protests from Left parties and the ‘moral brigade’ in general, policemen were stationed at several locations like the Tank Bund, Lumbini Park and a few malls.

Love in the air

Love was literally in the air with FM channels lining up contests carrying the message of love. Five listeners of Radio Mirchi won a contest wherein they had a chance to meet their ‘dream hero’ Sumanth, while BIG FM threw in a ‘Date in the Sky’, a contest for couples at the Nadergul Airfield, where a couple won a plane ride.

Some fundamentalist groups created a scene at Shilparamam and tried to shoo couples away for their so-called ‘obscene behaviour.’ Some of them also tried to curb shop owners from selling greeting cards in areas like Dilsukhnagar, L.B. Nagar and Chaitanyapuri.

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