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Valentine’s Day: Focusing on love of self and friends
Bye-bye amorous love, millennials are giving an all-new spin to Valentine’s Day and spending it celebrating whatever and whoever else they love.
Bye-bye amorous love, millennials are giving an all-new spin to Valentine’s Day and spending it celebrating whatever and whoever else they love.
A day spent with siblings
Jagrati Bhardwaj, a 26-year-old who works in Lucknow, spent the day relaxing at home with her younger sister Ishika. Not a huge believer in the occasion, but not one to shy away from celebrations, Jagrati made the day about her sister and herself.
“I did something that might be considered stupid,” she confessed. “I got ready and did my make-up and everything. But we had nowhere to go, so I ordered pizza and garlic bread for my sister and I. So, it was a good day, and I enjoyed my own company,” she said.
When birthday and V-Day coincide
“My birthday is the day before Valentine’s Day, so I spent my birthday with my friends and extended the celebrations into Valentine’s Day as well,” said Vinayak Tripathi. The fact that the day of love so closely followed his birthday had previously always annoyed him, but now he sees it as an excuse to spend more hours with his friends. “We stayed home all night and watched movies, relaxing with them is always so much fun,” he said. “We are always there to hang out and do nothing. It’s fun and a different level of understanding. Valentine’s Day should just be about the people we love, and if you do not have one specific person to celebrate, go ahead and celebrate the ones who have been around,” he said.
“I spent the day loving myself”
Smriti Sinha had a full day of work before she could even embark on her Valentine’s Day plans. “I had to work till 6PM, but that gave me plenty of time to plan my evening,” said Sinha. “During my lunch break, I actually booked myself a salon appointment, and I got a haircut after nearly one and a half years. It felt luxurious,” she laughed. “And then I went home and ordered dinner more expensive than usual without going through the trouble of cooking myself. Later, I lit scented candles in my bedroom and read poetry until I fell asleep.”
Sinha felt empowered in dedicating the evening to pampering herself especially because the day is supposed to be dedicated to the person you love. “I have always had issues with self-worth, something I learned about myself in therapy. So, doing this felt extra special,” she admitted.
