Bring back the old Valentine’s Day

HYDERABAD:  This Monday was observed as Valentine’s Day. I’m no Bejan Daruwalla, but I can confidently assume that you spent most of the day finishing work, and looking at funny reels about  Valentine’s Day. Memes and tweets and stories — self-aware, sarcastic takes on the tradition. Cities were not draped in red, and plastic cupids weren’t trapped at the entrance of malls. Honestly, I find it all quite boring. 

It appears that India has gotten over the concept of Valentine’s Day. Independence Day and Diwali have become more marketable occasions to brands. But back in the day, it was a rather wonderful scam orchestrated by brands and advertising agencies. In those years, scams were more socially accepted phenomena. Chief ministers and defence ministers would get embroiled in scams. Newspapers were crammed with stamp paper scams, stock market scams and telecom scams. But the one that affected the youngsters of middle-class families the most was the Valentine’s Day scam. 

Every Valentine’s Day featured a practised routine. About two weeks before the day, brands would expand their advertising budgets. Hoardings, malls and restaurants would deck themselves in red. Everybody from phone networks to super strong cement companies cajoled you to spend time with your loved one. Chocolate brands assured you that they could feel your lips, on their fingertips. Toothpaste brands implored you to get closer with confidence. 

Television channels would telecast recent romantic hits. Just as the President addresses the nation every Republic Day, Shah Rukh Khan delivered his yearly Valentine’s Day speech while peddling fairness creams, cars, or biscuits. While Capitalism was  doing its bit, other actors were also in play. Religious groups would warn of dire consequences if the day was observed. 

Since I grew up in a small town, the threat from religious groups was rather real. If you were unfortunately caught by these groups, they would either thrash you, or forcibly marry you to your partner, before featuring you in the annual local news shaming process. And so, the youngsters in my town adopted their own strategies. The general consensus was to avoid public parks, or any establishments with red hearts, for these spots were prone to vandalism. Girls covered their faces with their chunnis, and the guys practised short-distance sprinting. 

The phenomenon of Valentine’s Day was clearly targeted at youngsters in a post-liberalised India. An American capitalist idea credited to a Roman saint. But since I was the first one from both sides of my family to ever go on a date, I fell headlong into the scam. Entire stores were devoted to gifting. You could choose to express through a greeting card — where your deepest emotions were conveyed in the words of an underpaid copywriter. Chocolates were accepted too. For the musically inclined, perhaps a CD featuring favourite tracks. A meal at a restaurant, or a movie in a dark theatre. If you went out with someone, didn’t embarrass yourself, and avoided getting forcibly married or thrashed — it was a good day. 

Today, Valentine’s Day is spoken of in a sarcastic, ironic manner. As a nation, one presumes we have moved past the ideas of a day dedicated to expressing love. The entire idea seems rather cringy, a blunder from the wonder years. Through an economic lens, brands have now moved to digital sales on e-commerce sites, and the marketability of Valentine’s Day has taken a hit during the pandemic. But brings back the Valentine’s Day of yore any day. It’s been a while since I’ve fallen for a Capitalist trap!

(The writer’s views are his own)