Its A Valentino !

Its Valentine Day tomorrow and the Sector 11 market is awash with red balloons, red hearts, red teddy bears, red plasticky icky roses wrapped in plastic with you guessed it right, hearts embossed on it. They’re red teddy bears on key chains, with the I love you written on them. The weather is also been specially ordered for all lovers or the doomed ones. It’s raining, cloudy, overcast and it kind of synonymous with Indian love; we see rain and romance and love sort of sprouts over. Its just because we’ve been mentally conditioned with a steady dose of Bollywood movies where when it starts to get darker, cloudier, love becomes stronger. I know it’s a cliché but how does cupid ‘s arrow work, doesn’t it get struck with lightening and misfire?

I know, I know I’m sounding like a cynic and a jaded one too, put it down to the years I’ve spent on earth and the fact that its my teenager boys and nephews who are all rejoicing on this day. In fact, for me a die hard Punjabi its velan time, a great joke that it’s the belan time and it sort of got Anglicized to Valentine because of the accent!

When did we start paying more attention to the outer gestures of love, and the fact there are days dedicated to this craziness? I don’t know the order, but apparently there is rose day, teddy bear day, chocolate, day, propose day and then valentine and maybe a hug day some where and all. I must have missed out one odd day! This madness is supported by a whole industry of flowers, think all shades of red and pink, cards with soppy, mushy teddy bears all sort of eclipsed in a fog (what does this mean) and chocolates (this is the best thing possible).

It is a perfect way to delude oneself that love is in the air even if it is raining today! Today in the market, a couple were arguing because she had got less flowers from him and her friend had more and he didn’t love her. How was she going to post on face book and show her face to her friend who had more flowers? She wanted more!

I swear, the fight was more interesting than all the serials that are playing on television and he kept on saying don’t worry, wait and see what I gift you tomorrow. ‘

This day, indirectly hits the parents who knowingly and unknowingly have to support their child who because peer pressure and what will others say shell out crazy amounts to declare their love. Any ways, with rising prices just eking out a living is difficult , and on top of this the burden of declaring love in numerous ways in the form of teddy bears . The best icon of the teddy bear who is just concerned with Hunny ( Winnie the Pooh ) would be rolling in his grave over the representations made in his name .

Love is not declaring to the world ,just the silent gestures are what matter . Of course my kind of Valentine is with just a difference , Its Valentino .