While a dinner with friends might cost Rs 1,500, couples struck by the lovebug believe that an evening with each other is priceless. ‘Honey, under the moonlit sky lay only you and I. In this bag full of goodies are flowers, chocolates, a teddy bear and a whole lot of love from me especially for you.’
This is a line that most romantic couples use to woo each other other on Valentine’s Day. It is a very important date in the calendar for many cupid-friendly youngsters. But, do they know what it is really celebrated for? Andrea D’silva, a student says, “Saint Valentine got people married secretively. Even though it is meant for married couples, you find couples dating also celebrating it.”
Getting flowers and chocolates all the time can get monotonous for these lovebugs. It often may get heavy for their pockets as well. “This way, things are kept special,” says Andrea.
Every committed girl’s checklist as a run up to this day includes painting nails red, buying a red top, multiple parlour visits, buying lots of goodies for the man and indulging in a lot of love all day.
Entrepreneur Kiran Chawla says, “V-day is special for Vidhi and me. A few years ago, on this special occasion, I proposed to her.” When asked about what they plan on doing, he blushes, adding, “We have to be together for 24 hours at a stretch. We are hoping to stay the night at a hotel in the city.”
To remind her boyfriend Nipun about the big week, Neha Savara, a counsellor, sent him this post on his Facebook wall:
Feb 7: Rose day
Feb 8: Propose day
Feb 9: Chocolate day
Feb 10: Teddy Day
Feb 11: Promise Day
Feb 12: Hug Day
Feb 13: Kiss Day
Feb 14: Valentine Day!
She says, “We like to spend the entire day together. Last year, we were together from 7 am to 11 pm. Our candle-light dinner by a poolside was the cherry on the top.”
Tech love
Social networking sites are bursting with the colour red. Kiran’s brother’s friends conducted a competition on Facebook. The couple that got the most ‘likes’ on their cosy couple profile picture would win a jewellery set.
People on Twitter are creating the special hugs, kisses, promises and the ‘ike this week’ trend. Online stores are selling products pertaining to this day.
Shreya Bajaj from ItsHandMade says, “Many boys are sending special goodies to their beloveds. Custom-made products like calendars and diaries are what boys want to gift their girls. Many have made an earnest request to send their presents instantly.”
A beer brand in the city is launching a Facebook application called The Serenade. This allows youth to send their potential partners a song inviting them on a date.
Anti love brigade
For every cupid-struck youth, there are those that do not identify with this day. They get turned off by all the restaurants that offer specials, stay away from gift stores and overlook the many red-clad mannequins at stores because all it reeks of is love.
Arjun Rao, a software engineer says, “This is a good marketing gimmick for most people as there are many buyers for such products. The concept of this day is just over hyped. I’d rather catch up with a group of friends instead.”
People speak
Most couples believe that love should be celebrated every day. Arati Sunawala says, "Darius and I do little things for each other through the year. We give flowers, surprise dinners and even presents to each other."
But for Santosh Gnanakan, it is a different story. His wife Christobelle says, "On Valentine's Day, it depends on who the babysitter is. Every day we celebrate Children's Day! Saggy grabs any opportunity to tell the kids our love story. Being together through the day is what matters. Saggy has been promising to write me a poem for Valentine's Day for the past 10 years. But through the year, he showers me with surprise presents, dinners and the kind."
Christobelle was reminded of a friend who used to get a card from her father every Valentine's Day. "That is such a sweet gesture. This is a day to celebrate all kinds of love. I am going to give my kids a card this year as well," says Christobelle.
Gifting delights
The most popular gifts this season are a diary of memories from the past. A heart-shaped cushion for her to cuddle with every night. A jewellery box to store trinkets in. Love shoelaces and heart shaped earring are also doing the rounds. Most feel that the best gift is a card to treasure forever.
Roses are expensive
On an ordinary day, if you go to buy a red rose, it costs Rs 5 for a rose. But today, it costs Rs 20. Anthony Sebastian from Max Florist says, “The demand in the market is very high this week. So we have no choice but to raise the rates.”
