 "It's
better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."
There are thousands of quotes and thoughts written on the theme
of love. Almost every poet has written poems on love. Just about
every Bollywood movie revolves around the theme of love. Even
science fiction movies are interwoven with love episodes. One
statistic says among the 40,000 odd songs sung by the legendary
Lata Mangeshkar, nearly 85% of them are on the theme
of love. Not to mention legendary lovers like Nala Dhamayanthi,
Salim Anarkali and Laila Majnu.
Little wonder that people are obsessed with observing this
strange celebration called St Valentine's Day… Though
quite a new custom for us Indians, it has become a rage among
the younger generation in recent years. Greeting card companies
have flooded the market with new designs for the occasion. Flower
sales have gone up and prices have skyrocketed. Gifts and memoirs
have been prominently displayed in showrooms, wooing lovers
who want to woo their sweethearts.
 Opinions
vary about the origin of this European tradition of Valentine's
Day. Legend has it that in 270 AD a Christian priest Valentine
started a custom of secret marriages for lovers. The Roman emperor
Claudius II banned all marriages in Rome, as he wanted
men for his military conquests. However, Valentine secretly
married couples in a small candle lit room with only the bride
and the groom. But he was soon caught for defying the emperor's
orders and executed. Just before being led out to his execution,
the priest wrote a note to the jailor's daughter, signing it,
"From your Valentine." His legend lived on
and soon the church anointed him as a saint. Over time, the
day of execution of the saint on February 14 became the day
for exchanging love messages.
Some experts credit the famous English author Geoffrey Chaucer
with the custom of linking Valentine's Day with lovers.
Shakespeare wrote about it in his Midsummer Night's
Dream. Another legend speaks about the medieval custom observed
during the Roman Feast of Lupercalia. On this occasion,
names of young girls were written on a paper and put in a jar,
to be drawn in lots by young men.
 Whatever
be the origin of the custom, today this festival has acquired
a new dimension in the age of consumerism. Youngsters take this
opportunity to express their love for their sweet hearts, be
it in college, the workplace or the neighbourhood. Companies
have targeted their products at the younger generation and this
is becoming a global phenomenon. In Bangalore the
flower industry is in full bloom for the season and shops
reap profits from their gift item sales. But they say this year's
Valentine season is not as good as last year's.
Amidst this celebration of love, the culture vultures are hovering
again with their sermons about what is culture and what is not.
And some others say this is just a marketing gimmick hyped up
by the media. But lovers will be lovers. Check out the number
of newspaper columns kept apart for Valentine messages and the
number of Internet sites dedicated to sending messages.
Nonetheless, somebody remarked, "If everybody loves
a lover, then why are there so many cops in the park…"
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Levine Lawrence
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