Valentine’s Day, Nothing More Than A Classified.
Come Valentine’s Day and the sales of Hallmark cards, flowers and personal gifts sky-rocket enabling the sellers of all the above to reap a rich cash bounty. But much richer kill is made by the prominent city tabloids and newspapers who have had been targeting the millions of youths and teenagers at least a fort-night before the Valentine’s Day by prodding, coaxing, cajoling and inducing them to send their love message to their respective beloveds and dear ones by inserting the same in their special Valentines paid-classifieds. And our over enthusiastic youths swallow this bait; hook-line and sinker and are on a spree of splurging their cash on such money-duping schemes.
This craze for Valentine’s Day has not only taken the educated English speaking youths in its grip but has extended its tentacles among the semi-urbane, non-English speaking youths too. Merely three decades back, the youths in Mumbai who were aware of the Valentine’s Day were very few. But within the last decade the number of youngsters who celebrate this marketing gimmick has increased to an exorbitant level.
Then w come this sudden spurt in our young people to celebrate this day?
No; it wasn’t the western influence, it was in fact our very own Print Media. An afternoon Mumbai Tabloid that first aroused the interest of Mumbaikars on this Valentine’s Day. The main motive of this tabloid was to kill two birds with one stone; first, to escalate the sale of this paper; and second, to mint money by publishing romantic and affectionate messages. To bring about an overall awareness of this day, numerous articles were published high-lighting this day much prior to the occurrence. The whole thing was planned with such precision that the tabloid over succeeded not only in getting an overwhelming response from Mumbaite but also cashing in a bounty of profit for themselves!
The rest of the renowned newspapers soon followed the trend and the rest as they say is history. Today similar tactics are used by these very newspapers during other Indian festivals such as Holi and Raksha-Bandhan.
I am pained at the gullibility and vulnerability of our present day youths and teenagers who fall easy victims to this kind of media tricks. Loving a person or ensuing in a romantic pursuit with a person of opposite sex (or even same) is purely a personal connection. One need not make a public display by advertising their mutual affection for each other through such kinds of classifieds in the name of Valentine’s Day. The same goes for the love that exists between two siblings.
If I love a person, I don’t need a particular day to express my loving sentiments to him/her. I can do so any day any time. I don’t have to resort to commercialized gimmicks and make the world aware of it. Doing so would not only amount to downright cheapness but at times also to violating the silent and mutually understood private code of conduct that exists between two people in love.
Aping a distant culture is not bad as long as it doesn’ make a fool out of us. The sanctity of personal relationships should be maintained at personal and private level. Love and affection that exists between two humans are sacred and sacrosanct; we should refrain from committing a sacrilege by blowing its purity out of proportion through such cheap money-making stunts of our print-media.
We all have a right to express our views. In many instances; it will be against ours and in some; with us. To hear them out is 'decency' but to let them get to you is 'weakness'. 
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13 comments | Leave your comment
Jun 1st, 2007 at 8:55 pm | #
I’d blame archies and hallmark for this.. “for a special way to say you care” .. BS!!
..nice post.. btw, u know dhivya ? she happens to be a pretty good friend of mine..
she was tellin me about you and your blog and stuff..pretty nice!
Jun 2nd, 2007 at 1:29 am | #
This article sounds like its written by some member of the chaddi gang (RSS). This is precisely why i believe everyone should get married. The sexual frustration makes them either write articles like this or vandalise public property and beat up kids who just want to have a good time.
Its none of any one’s business telling the kids how to live their lives.
Jun 2nd, 2007 at 5:37 am | #
Xeonx - Hey…thanks for dropping by. Actually this post hasn’t been written by me, its from a guest blogger. And yes I do know Dhivya, she has an awesome blog herself. Anyway, hope to see you here often.
Full2Enjoy - “chaddi gang” LOL. Though I agree with you to a certain extent, I would still say it’s not wrong in advising younger people….the decision to listen to those advises should be left to them and not enforced upon.
Jun 2nd, 2007 at 8:03 am | #
I do agree that such occasions have been hyped and often exploited by the industry to book profits. But I think, for many of us, they are occasions to take some time-off for someone you care about. This, of course, should not preclude caring about the person on other days of the year
Take mother’s day for instance. Haven’t there been times when we take our Mom for granted? Mother’s day gives me a moment to express that I really care. That’s all…
Once a precedent (of gifting) is set, people come to expect it. And that’s what the marketing people try to exploit…
A friend reiterated this quote on the last Valentine’s day: “Valentine’s Day is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap” - Any guess from where this comes?
Jun 2nd, 2007 at 10:54 am | #
Sakshi, advising is fine. Healthy debate on this issue is fine too. I can even understand “nagging” by parents.
What gets my goat is this chaddi gang members (RSS, VHP, ABVP, Shiv Sena, BJP, Bajrang Dal and the rest of the monkey gang) taking law into their own hands and vandalising public property and beating up people who are celebrating.
Who the hell are these people to impose their bloody ideas on us? I seriously believe the next time onwards, all the college students should gang up and celebrate Valentine’s day. And beat the hell out of this monkeys if they try to disrupt them. After all, we are so good at our campus violence. Its high time, its bought on to the streets too.
If the monkeys are so concerned about their bloody sanskriti, let them go and live on the trees and not disturb others.
Jun 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 pm | #
“If the monkeys are so concerned about their bloody sanskriti, let them go and live on the trees and not disturb others.”
LOL!
Full2Enjoy,I actually find myself agreeing with MA here.However,that does not mean that I am RSS,BJP,etc. or that I don’t have any girl-friends.I don’t see much reason why we should celebrate Valentine’s day.Sure,celebrate love and all that but all that messaging.Me wonders sometimes,don’t these couples ever send each other all those romantic messages or give gifts on normal days?And if you start beating these monkeys,then doesn’t that mean you are also taking law into your own hands,fighting for your own selfish cause?
Besides,not everyone can get married.The sex ratio is quite bad,you know.
Jun 4th, 2007 at 9:12 am | #
If I dont like Valentine’s day, I automatically become an RSS/VHP member.. Interesting
Jun 5th, 2007 at 11:36 am | #
It’s all so relative. If someone is celebrating ‘Valentines’ Day’, it doesn’t mean that they doesn’t love each other on other days. Sure they can and do send sweet msgs n gifts to each other all through-out the year. Valentines’ day is just another such day with a little bit of extra excitement attached to it. I totally agree with RP’s point here that
But again, Full2Enjoy also has his strong points. Who the hell are these monkeys to tell us what we should do…..!!! It’s high time that we bring an end to their vandalism. No offense, but GandhiGiri won’t do here. Taking the beating lying down and then taking out procession won’t do. “Tit for Tat” is what they need to mend their ways.
Another point that’s bothering me, which is distantly related to the current topic is - the alarming rate at which we are introducing new ‘days’ every year. Every alternate day is either -’World env. day’ or ‘Petroleum Day’ or some other crap. If that continues, someday people will won’t care to remember important days.
Jun 7th, 2007 at 10:58 am | #
Whoever wrote the above post has no idea of the power of events.
Our own Lokmanya Tilak started Ganesh Chaturthi - not to make Lord Ganesh more famous. But to bring people closer with the power of an event.
There is a big difference between feeling love and showing love. An event like Valentine’s Day allows people to “show” their love. It bonds the society.
Jun 7th, 2007 at 2:01 pm | #
full2njoy must get his brain scanned for coming to the conclusion without reading my article to its last word.No where I have went against romance.I am only against the vulgar public display of personal relationships between two persons.full2njoy ought to know that it is the shivsainiks who indulge in vandalism and not the RSS.As for myself,I am an atheist who does not profess slavery to any political party,religion,or any ism.
Allow me to enlighten full2njoy that I am a married man having a seven year old daughter.If he needs proof,I would gladly send him a photograph of myself with my wife in an unique kamasutra aasan.He may frame it and study its contents to arouse himself whenever he is sexually depressed.
Jun 8th, 2007 at 1:10 am | #
Maverick:
“I am only against the vulgar public display of personal relationships between two persons”
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO COMMENT ON HOW PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE THEIR LIVES ?
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO DECIDE WHAT IS VULGAR AND WHAT IS NOT ?
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO DECIDE HOW MUCH OF PUBLIC DISPLAY IS NEEDED OR NOT NEEDED ?
“If he needs proof,I would gladly send him a photograph of myself with my wife in an unique kamasutra aasan.He may frame it and study its contents to arouse himself whenever he is sexually depressed.”
YOUR WIFE? NAAH, I DONT HAVE SUCH A LOUSY TASTE. CHECK OUT IF ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBOR IS TRYING OUT ALL THOSE KAMASUTRA ANGLES WITH HER.
Jun 8th, 2007 at 5:36 am | #
Hey Shakshi, Things are going vulgar in this post itself. I guess U can delete the “Full2njoy
Jun 8th, 2007 at 1:10 am” comment.
Jun 8th, 2007 at 11:57 pm | #
greetings, sakshi & fello guest blogger
finally
I couldnt agree more.
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