Valentine's Day....Celebrate Love and Care

Date: February 14. (forget about the year)
Time: 6 pm.
Venue: An over crowded coffee joint.

A boy and a girl (both in their early 20s) are seen in one of the corner tables. The air was filled with glee, giggles and soft cozy music. Our couple seemed to be having a superb time with each other. The clock stroke 7 and they come out of the cafe to enjoy a walk down the outskirts of the town. After a brief but warm stroll, the guy drops the the girl home. As they part, the girl just smiled and said to the boy- “Thank you”. The guy couldn't make out why all of a sudden she thanked him, but her smile was enough to make his day a pearl to preserve. On the other hand, the girl was pleased about the fact that it was the same day a year ago when the boy quit smoking on her insistence....

The festival of love and intimacy is zooming forward and the celebrations have pushed the accelerator peddle. The immortal story of St. Valentine and how he sacrificed his life for only love's sake is said to be the origin of this wonderful day. Like love knows no bounds, Valentine day also is observed all across the globe. Isn't it sublime to have a day like this in today's world of chaos and calamity?

In India, skeptics always find fault with everything, they relate it to the so-called invasion of the foreign culture. Some even argue over the commercial side of Valentine's Day. Fine, it seems to carry a hidden commercial agenda, but it is propagated by a certain class of people who sees business everywhere. But why to minimize the significance of the day? It is a time to celebrate the feeling of loving and being loved. The truth is, these hypocrites are afraid of anything that unites people, spreads love and care.

Despite this, Valentine's Day has now become a widely recognized and celebrated day with Indian people. This romantic festival is a relatively new concept in India but has caught the fancy of people to a great extent.

Fortunately for the world we live in, love doesn't seem to fed away. Lets see Valentine's Day beyond the college campuses and hip cafes and food joints. Fact is, all of us – beyond age barriers and social strata, need love to get through this tough and unfair life. No matter how strong one claims to be, deeper within he/she also craves for love and care at one point or the other. We need someone to listen to our silence, to allow us to be ourselves and the assurance that this person will always be by our side.

...Being in love doesn't always have to be a mutual feeling, If you find someone who gets stuck in your heart, you can and you should celebrate it. And what better time than Feb 14? Take a dip into your soul and ask the question and when you will find the answer, this Valentine's Day will never be the same...