The business of love spares no one. Not even the world’s longest married couple, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, aged 104 and 102 respectively. This Valentine’s Day, the duo will be tweeting advice to the lovelorn from their home in North Carolina, US.
The concept is sweet, and it tugs at where love blooms and finds nourishment — in the chambers of the heart. But, it’s also a desperate bid to draw attention to the now-dying craze of Valentine’s Day.
At least in India, Valentine’s Day has seen its share of crests and lows and finally seems to be fizzling out. This year it’s pretty muted as if love has suddenly lost is voice to the screaming concerns of reality.
Of the many Western imports in India, Valentine’s Day has had a field run in the ‘90s and in the early days of the new millennium. It had acquired a pan-Indian status — a day for falling in love, proclaiming love and even breaking hearts.
Quite a fewcompanies cashed in on the madness and in no time it turned into big business. Cards, pendants, chocolates, teddy bears flew off the shelves like never before.
The traditional and the conservatives saw red in such brazen displays of love. ‘It’s against the Indian culture; our youth is going astray’, they had cried themselves hoarse.
Radical Hindu and Muslim outfits, the so-called custodians of the country’s culture, finally found something to do. They ran amok on D-day, beat up couples and unleashed a reign of terror for the young doves.
The circus around Valentine’s Day got merrier when a nation-wide pink chaddi campaign was launched last year, essentially by the women, against the Ram Sene in Bangalore.
We have come a long way since then, evident at the stoic approach of the Sainiks and Senes. They no longer seemed enthused to flex their muscles. The war cries do not rent the air anymore. One can’t blame them altogether.
The youth too seemed to have moved on. The volcanic eruption is not restricted to only a day of celebration. When life appears to be one long party, love can sprout anywhere, and that’s exactly what has happened to them now. Much like the days when nobody had heard of Valentine’s Day and celebrating love hardly needed an excuse.
So, is it back to square one?The corporates, which are trying to stoke the dying embers this year with film screenings on TV and a slew of contests, will probably give up hope next year. Is it then time to give Valentine’s Day a decent burial and celebrate love 365 days in a year?
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