Pragati Ratti Sharma
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On the eve of Valentine’s, we sit on our news desks and discuss what this day of love is all about and what’s the hype around it. While some oppose it, some nod in favour of the day of celebrating love. That leads to a discussion between me and Chanchal. While Chanchal goes anti-Valentine, I’m all for it. Here’s how we put our points.
Pragati: Every year at Valentine’s Day, I see people going all anti-valentine. Why? What makes us so critical of something that has to do something with love? Yes, we can express our love for our beloved every single day. But what’s wrong with having a day when we can go one step ahead and do something more special for the person we love? I can say those three words to my beloved every single day. But I’d love a day meant for doing more than just saying ‘I love you’. What’s wrong with a day when we can exchange gifts with our beloved?
Chanchal: Okay, I understand the significance of this lovey-dovey day for the couples but honestly, what would our lives be if we stop being critical of things happening around us? We’d miss out on a lot of fun, trust me! But let me get to the point why I bicker about it. Valentine’s Day is a fairy tale, a fable, a myth exactly like the love which our ex-bfs claimed to have for us! I get you, ladies! Over the years, the day has become a bit of a cult in India. It is a completely Hallmark-pimped pretense. Why do we need a day especially made for celebrating love? I would rather do that every day.
Pragati: We live in a world that’s speeding more every second. Life is busy. We’re all caught up with work, stuck in traffic and what not. In the midst of the maddening everyday life, a nice romantic Valentin’s Day is more than just welcome. And no, it’s no pressure on the singles. In fact, we must have a nice Single’s Day too. A Valentine’s Day and a Single one’s day – Perfect no?
Chanchal: Er… not sure! Having a Single’s day doesn’t make any of us feel better, trust me. It only tells us that dude, you are SINGLE and to make you feel a little better about being “single”, we are shouting-out-loud for a Single’s Day! Yay! I wouldn’t campaign for a Single’s Day as there’s nothing so serious about not having a man by our sides to share our lives with. Why do we have to make it a big issue?
About busy lives, don’t you think that’s what makes things crazy and exciting for us? Taking some time out to ask your beloved about how s/he’s holding up making her/him feel that we keep thinking about them? That’s more romantic, no? Not saying that that proves our love! But showing off love while being in the middle of a crazy schedule has its own charm! But being in a crazy schedule and waiting for just a day to celebrate what we have lost, doesn’t go down with me!
Pragati: We celebrate festivals with all fervour, some for praying to God, some for celebrating the brother-sister bond, why not celebrate a day that celebrates Love? Tell me honestly, do you really celebrate Love every day. It’s practically not possible, especially in today’s busy world. Why not celebrate a Valentine’s Day to sit down with your loved one, to exchange a gift with them, to say something special to them.
Chanchal: Yes, it is possible to celebrate love every day. You just need to have love for your man/woman, nothing more, nothing less. I am honestly not in favour of celebrating Rakhi or any other relation-based festivals. If I love my brother, I would show my love off even when there’s no Rakshabandhan. Life’s short, don’t wait for any particular day to show your love off; don’t hold back those words for any particular time or day, it might all be gone tomorrow.
Pragati: And there are also people who celebrate ‘Matra Pitra Pujan Divas’ (Parents day) on February 14. If we can have a day for expressing our love for our parents, why can’t we have one for our beloved? Why is romance looked down upon? We have a lot of hatred in our country. It’s love that we need today. It’s a V-Day that we need today to celebrate love, to go one step ahead for our loved one. I’m totally on for a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Chanchal: ‘Matra Pitra Pujan Divas’ is a baby of Asaram. I don’t know what to say about it any more but yes, there’s already a lot of hatred in our country and people are rude to each other all the time trying to put each other down, but don’t you think that’s why we need to spread love everyday and encourage others to spread it more, every single day? Let’s celebrate love today, tomorrow and overmorrow and the day after that! We aren’t going to be here forever, are we?
Pragati: Tell me honestly, will you be able to do it every day? I’ll again put my point. I’m not talking about the regular ‘I Love You’ stuff when I’m referring to Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about going beyond that. Besides the regular love, Valentine’s Day for more, much more love. I won’t go on a date every single day, but since it is Valentine’s Day, can we just celebrate and not be so skeptical? It’s love after all.
Chanchal: As far as I am concerned here, yes, I will be able to do it every day. All we need for that is love for the person and the understanding of the love we have for the person concerned. And when I say love, I don’t mean the regular ‘I Love You’ stuff but beyond that. Let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day every day and make this world a happy place, for all of us and encourage others to do that too for the sake of love which seems to have faded-off from the face of this earth.
Another Valentine’s, another debate. Eventually, we both agree with the concept of love, if not Valentine’s Day. What’s your opinion on Valentine’s Day? Let us know in the comments below.
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