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Be my Valentine
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A red letter day for people flush with love, Valentine's Day provides an opportunity to express their feelings for each other, writes SUBHA J RAO
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Pic. K. Ananthan
COME FEBRUARY and all wannabe Valentines are caught in a flurry of activity. Some, building the nerve to tell that `special someone' what he or she means to them and others, doing last-minute shopping to bring a smile on the faces of their loved ones. And, those who have `been there and done it' watch the proceedings with fascination and a dash of nostalgia.
There is feverishness on the other side of the spectrum too, which is peopled by those who think the Day is nothing but a commercial exercise.
"Love is said to be akin to one's breath. Do we celebrate `oxygen' or `breathing' day? So, why Valentine's?" asks Wing Commander (Retd.) M. Sivakumar, married for 33 years now.
Love, they say, is about acceptance. Sivakumar's wife Seetha, who is a romantic at heart and quite likes the concept of a day reserved for professing love, is proof of that. But, it has been commercialised far too much, she rues. However, she would not `mind' if her husband sent her a bunch of red roses.
Love all the way
For boys and girls in the flush of youth, love is what keeps them going.
College students in their final year know this is the last chance for them to let the girls they have been devotedly eyeing for close to three years that `you are the one'.
At Karpagam College of Arts and Science, the students have hit upon a novel idea of handing out white roses to past crushes and present friends. "And the winners (read boys who got their girls) will treat everyone else."
Though a section of people continues to insist that Valentine's Day is meant to profess any kind of love, many feel it dilutes the spirit of the occasion.
"Let's admit it. St Valentine died uniting lovers, not people who merely cared for each other. And, since this is a day to celebrate that kind of love, I guess others should keep away," says Manjari, a college student.
Recent popularity
The Day is not without its share of controversies. Organisations that think it is a Western concept have been threatening people against celebrating it. But, its popularity is fairly recent.
Shantini, who is married to her childhood sweetheart, Dennis, says she did not even know what the day meant when he first sent her a card more than a decade ago.
For Kanchana, wife of Flight Lieutenant Jagdeep, the day has assumed greater importance after marriage despite each new day being a Valentine's Day. "But, you need one occasion to celebrate love, no?" she asks.
That is something her husband agrees with. But, the day means something more to him.
"Earlier, February 14 meant going out with a girl and dancing away the evening. Now, Kanchana and I discover new things about each other every day. And, Valentine's Day serves as a retrospection of the year gone by, where we talk about the highs and lows of the past year and reaffirm our love for each other."
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