Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day and there is love in the air!

Earlier celebrated only in the west, as a day dedicated to lovers, a day glorifying love, a day to exchange gifts, flowers, chocolates and love notes, Valentine's Day has become very popular the world over, and in India is widely celebrated, just as Diwali, Christmas and New Year are celebrated. After all, love is universal.

Love goes back a long way...
In the 5th century, Claudius, Emperor of Rome, banned marriages as he was of the opinion that married men did not make good soldiers. However, despite the ban, Bishop Valentine, who was sympathetic to the plight of lovers, and realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and secretly married them off. When Claudius heard of it, he first imprisoned Valentine and tried to convert him, but without any success. Valentine, on the other hand, tried to convert him. Claudius was enraged and so had Valentine stoned and beheaded on February 14th. Years later, the Catholic Church declared Valentine a saint and designated the day of his martyrdom as his feast day.

While Valentine was in prison, he fell in love with the jailor's blind daughter. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously cure her of her blindness. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." And that's why the phrase has been used on his day ever since. Although the truth behind the Valentine legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure.

The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name.

Love ke liye kuch bhi karega...
Inspite of forces opposing the celebrations in the name of nationalism, Valentine's Day, has been completely taken over by the market forces and is a huge draw for business houses worth their name, to cash in on the popular mood. Unmindful of the 'culture stigma' attached to the occasion, corporates are selling the concept and stretching it, like they do for Diwali, Christmas and New Year, thus making it a two-week festival. Everybody wants to ensure that the kids have the time of their lives.

Archies was one of the first companies to introduce the concept of Valentine's Day in the early 1990s. Today, cell phone services, watchmakers, jewellers, restaurants, florists, retailers, both desi and videshi, have joined the bandwagon.

"If you stop doing things because somebody says you should, then you might as well stop living," says Sunil Sharma, Marketing Manager of Nirula's, a Delhi-based fast food joint, thus summing up the market mood.

K Vaitheeswaran, Marketing Vice-President of Fabmart, a Bangalore-based shop-chain and retailing company, tells us they start their promotions around mid-January.

McDonald's fast food chain, came up with a mega promotion called "All for My Love" - a Valentine meal combination - and with it came a scratch-n-win coupon that could entitle you to gifts from Adidas, chocolates from Nestle, gift hamper from Revlon, music from Sony or some jewellery from Oyzterbay.

Chennai-based Titan Watches promoted a limited edition 'Big Heart' watch in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore with only 300 watches. So if you're looking at a lasting relationship, you could steal her heart with this one.

Essar is another of the scores of companies looking to dig into the pockets of the well-heeled Indian -- all for love. 'Dial 588 for love' from Essar, was a dial-a-song facility. And why 588, you ask? 588, spells the letters L-U-V on your mobile phone keypad !

Love, in the last decade, has translated into lovely business aimed at an ever-burgeoning brand of Indians. Indians who are undeniably urbanised, increasingly prosperous and, of late, lavishly liberal.

So, here's to love. Happy Valentine's Day !

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