Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Gifts from the heart

LIZA GEORGE finds out what the best gift is to give your sweetheart

They were in college and he was wooing her. For Valentine's Day he gives her an ordinary looking box while the girls around her were receiving roses from their boyfriends. She opens the box and sees, a tongue cleaner, a `cheep' (comb) and a curry leaf.

We enjoy Valentine's day and the celebrations Santosh Palee and Ann

Says Balabhaskar, violinist, "I gave this to my then sweetheart and now wife, Laksmi, because though I confessed my love to her, she would often ridicule it. The tongue cleaner is to ensure she speaks sweet nothings to me. The `cheep' stands for how low (cheap) I can go to win her affection. As for the curry leaf, in dishes, it is often discarded. I did not want her to do that to me."

His wife laughs recalling this incident. For her, however, the most memorable gift he gave her was not on Valentine's Day. "It was a song he sang at a college function called `Aarynee enn Omanae.' It was dedicated to me." For this couple, every day is special, and there is no need for a particular day to be set aside to renew or confess their love for each other.

Romantic at heart

This is a view shared by Nidhi Sudhan, consultant producer with Asianet Plus. "I don't believe in a day for lovers," says Nidhi. Her husband Thomas George, who works as account group head at Stark Communications is a romantic at heart. He feels it's a great way to show your loved one that she or he is special. Both say that their favourite gift was not received on Valentine's Day though. "I have a fascination for Mercedes Benz. Thomas, knowing my obsession for them, would get posters of all the latest models. In fact, he once gifted me a model of one," she quips.

It is a story of a Prince rescuing a Princess Thomas and Nidhi

For Thomas, it's the collage she made of them which shows their story right from their days of courting to their wedding day. "It is a story of a prince rescuing a princess and has Thomas coming in a Mercedes instead of a white horse and us living in a palace; Buckingham," laughs Nidhi.

This is not the case for Santosh Palee, producer of Kairali's `Weekender' and `When I am alone' and wife Ann, who is a public relations officer at Chrysalis. "We enjoy Valentine's Day and the celebrations," they say. A love that blossomed on the sets of a show, which Santosh produced and Ann anchored, they would often exchange gifts to mark Valentine's. "As my family had no idea of my relationship with Santosh, I would say that the presents were from fans," says Ann. Married in December 2004, their first Valentine's Day together as a married couple was in Dubai. "I gave her a lot of things, including a diamond set," says Santosh. However, despite claims that diamonds are a girl's best friend and the way to her heart, the gift she values the most is a huge white teddy holding a big heart in the middle that he gave her. This year, however, the couple plans to celebrate Valentine's Day at home.

For the youth

While this is the case for couples, Valentine's Day holds a different meaning for the youth. Gifts are a major problem for them. For Seema S., an employee at Technopark, it's all about `loving your loved ones' on that day. "I will take my parents out for dinner. The only problem is I have no idea what to get my boyfriend. A shirt is too personal, a deodorant, rude. He did say something about an album by Ganesh Hegde," Seema says.

While the women folk say CDs and VCDs are a safe bet for men, the women want to be wined and dined with chocolates, roses, movies and dinner. "Guys don't really care what they get. We however want the works; roses and chocolates," points Arya Nair, a medical student.

Every day is special BalaBhaskar and Lakshmi

Reuban Jacob, a final-year student of engineering, thinks commercialisation accompanies Valentine's Day. "This so called Mr. Valentine is pulled out from history for pure commercial interest. A way to get us to buy roses and cards," he says, as the girls around him look downcast.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail