E-Paper
Love, er, actually
It's that time of the year again when people like me have reason to sulk a bit more than usual. Before I go on to tell you why this day ? February 14, that is ? is a dismal one, let me pose that gnawing question: what's the big deal about Valentine's Day?
It's that time of the year again when people like me have reason to sulk a bit more than usual. Before I go on to tell you why this day — February 14, that is — is a dismal one, let me pose that gnawing question: what's the big deal about Valentine's Day? Apart from the fact that you get another extraordinary day to spend with your sweetheart, there's really no reason to turn yourself into a sappy cherubim.
How does this one day have so much significance to all ye Romeos out there? Do you expect me to believe that you only get one day in 365 to express your 'finer feelings' to someone? Come on, everyone goes through believing in embarrassingly dumb things in their lives at one point or the other. I have.
For instance, I was most upset when I never got gifts from Santa till I realised that it was my father who was the one who didn't believe in him in the first place.
Today, apart from the fact that the greeting cards and soft toy industries are mauled by deewanas, I fail to see any Majnu getting a better 'opportunity' from a Laila just because it's Valentine's Day.
Maybe on this day, the lady in question may just smile forgivingly at you and point to the six-foot tall gent who's buying her a drink. (On regular days, she just set the bouncer on you.) As far as I see it, that's the only difference between a normal day and V Day.
For those who are already cushioned and comfy in 'lurv' and may not need the entity called Valentine's to call your girlfriends some seriously saccharine names, it's a bit of a bummer. A perfectly created 'special day' goes wasted on you.
So just imagine you are going through all that effort, just to see your money being squandered on the twinkle in your girlfriend's — and increasingly boyfriend's — eyes as she passes from one shop to another. The day, however, still ends the same way as ever. And before you know it, you've already looted your piggybank savings to spend again on her birthday, the anniversary when you shared a glass of cold coffee for the first time, etc. etc.
Isn't it so much wiser to save your hard-earned (easily squandered) money and spend it on a couple of beers, a nice evening at the cinema with the love of your (still uninteresting) life and grumble under your popcorn breath: "Happy Valentine" and get over with it?
