Valentine's Day 2025: Damdami Mai Puja absent at Hindu College! Is DU's famed Virgin Tree tradition losing its legacy?

V-Tree aka Damdami Mai Puja is a popular tradition of Hindu College, Delhi University. Is it fading into obscurity due to protests over its regressive nature?

Worshipping the Virgin Tree, or the Damdami Mai Puja, once used to be a vibrant Valentine’s Day tradition at Hindu College. For long the tree has been the epicenter of some controversial ways of celebration at Delhi University's North Campus. The students from the Boys' Hostel would gather here, around the Virgin Tree, and recite prayers to life-sized portraits of the most desirable Bollywood actor (male and female) of the season, all with the hopes of finding true love.

The Damdami Mai Puja used to be celebrated with full gusto back in the day, as students hung heart-shaped balloons and even condoms at the sacred Virgin Tree! (Photo: X (For Representational Purpose Only))

This tree that holds many a stories, stood tall and would be all decked up in reverence of its glory as students cheers on across the college campus, but not anymore! “Until 2019, we celebrated this puja every year on Valentine's Day. There would be excitement around the Damdami Mai Puja, and Hindu College would host a unique celebration that has been renowned. But now that vibe is lost. Kaafi kuchh badal gaya hai,” says Rahul Rajpurohit, Hindu College Students' Union head aka Prime Minister.

Students share that as the years passed, this ceremony became a centre of heated debate due to several protests arising due to its regressive nature. Is it now losing its standing? Well, the women's development society of the college has certainly condemned it as misogynistic, accusing the students of objectifying women at the V-Day puja. Among these is Riya, a second-year student of Economics (Hons), who opines: “Anything that is hurtful has to meet it's fate at some point. We are students and can shape the future. Why not take that as a responsibility? What you see as a fun activity is actually dangerously toxic and ridicules women. I'm glad we are almost done with it!”

But the growing protests from the female students and frequent restrictions of the authorities, are not the only reasons why the popular tradition is withering. “Some remnants of it have lingered on until last year,” informs Rajpurohit, recalling the last-minute celebrations of last year (2024). “This year, however, there is nothing left,” says this final-year student of BA (Hons) Hindi, adding, “Abhi toh hostel building hi toot chuki hai due to the new hostel building coming up. Students are not residing together and even the tree looks aloof now. So I don't see the Damdami Maa Puja happening this year. Although last year we did our bit and hung garlands on it, after a quick morning discussion on the Valentine's Day. But this year... nothing. Also, February 15 is the college's foundation day and any controversial activity a day prior to this will create unnecessary drama.”

The barren image of the tree, from 2019, appears more like a symbol of the fading tradition of V-Day celebrations at Hindu College in North Campus.(File Photo: Sarang Gupta/HT (For Representational Purpose Only))

As the ritual of once much-celebrated Damdami Mai Puja fades into history, some mourn its loss as part of campus culture while others see it as a befitting end to the victory for progress and inclusivity. Meanwhile, the Virgin Tree – once the focal point of youthful hope and celebration of love – now stands as a quiet symbol of complex changes in the modern-day environment of Delhi University campus.

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