I woke up yesterday morning to the tunes of the Rangoli on DD National channel. The host started the show announcing that it was the day of love as it was Valentine's day. Then as the show went on, she narrated the 'significance' of the day and what lovers ought to do on this day. As the day progressed, there was more and more of Valentine coming up everywhere - news channels, TV shows, restaurants, gift-stores, shops - literally everywhere. It was as if there was nothing that could stay unmoved by the charm of this day. There were live shows where couples were made out of strangers and there were some where couples were forced to do some crazy stuffs for each other.
During bed-time, after all the Valentine affair, I fell into some sort of contemplation. "What after all is this day about? Is it actually a day for love or there is something more it hides? Is it about people in love or by people who want to gain something else out of it?
I could not recall any celebration of Valentine's day in any time before late 90's. There used to be a saint called Valentine in the 15th century somewhere in Europe and there was some related story saying how he went on to officiate the marriage between two love-struck couples. But he was long forgotten. Sometime in late 90's, during the onset of 'Branding' era, he was suddenly made alive. Actually anything in the name of love can be very easily sold. This I have observed even in Hindi movies also - almost 99% of all movies ever made revolve around the basic theory of love. Thus took birth 'Valentine's day'. It started with greeting cards and accessory gifts. I would give Archies and Hallmarks a lot of credit in immortalizing Valentine. The targeted market was the youth who had the desire and ability to spend in the name of love. The youth in turn reciprocated with competitive buying, each trying to outdo the other lover in the amount of money spent in buying gifts. This love fever was to infect the ascetics too. Those who never had the guts/wish to go after the people from other planet were forced to fall into line saying it was the custom with this day and thus this day started becoming the universal day to propose love (to ...) and with it, for some other ugly affairs also.
The potential of this market was slowly tapped by other industries also. Restaurants making exotic arrangements (and of course at higher prices) for this day, gift-stores luring people to buy more and more expensive gifts (as the competition is very tough out there) and many more. The television media was not be left alone, all TV shows, be it news, reality shows, Saas-bahu serials, got into this. The ever-uncreative news-channels also used this avenue to create stories for quite a good number days. Such elaborate was the coverage of some news-channels that it would leave you with the impression that the world didn't exist outside Valentine's day celebrations.
With such corporate trap, I can hardly see anything beyond Valentine on Feb 14.
During bed-time, after all the Valentine affair, I fell into some sort of contemplation. "What after all is this day about? Is it actually a day for love or there is something more it hides? Is it about people in love or by people who want to gain something else out of it?
I could not recall any celebration of Valentine's day in any time before late 90's. There used to be a saint called Valentine in the 15th century somewhere in Europe and there was some related story saying how he went on to officiate the marriage between two love-struck couples. But he was long forgotten. Sometime in late 90's, during the onset of 'Branding' era, he was suddenly made alive. Actually anything in the name of love can be very easily sold. This I have observed even in Hindi movies also - almost 99% of all movies ever made revolve around the basic theory of love. Thus took birth 'Valentine's day'. It started with greeting cards and accessory gifts. I would give Archies and Hallmarks a lot of credit in immortalizing Valentine. The targeted market was the youth who had the desire and ability to spend in the name of love. The youth in turn reciprocated with competitive buying, each trying to outdo the other lover in the amount of money spent in buying gifts. This love fever was to infect the ascetics too. Those who never had the guts/wish to go after the people from other planet were forced to fall into line saying it was the custom with this day and thus this day started becoming the universal day to propose love (to ...) and with it, for some other ugly affairs also.
The potential of this market was slowly tapped by other industries also. Restaurants making exotic arrangements (and of course at higher prices) for this day, gift-stores luring people to buy more and more expensive gifts (as the competition is very tough out there) and many more. The television media was not be left alone, all TV shows, be it news, reality shows, Saas-bahu serials, got into this. The ever-uncreative news-channels also used this avenue to create stories for quite a good number days. Such elaborate was the coverage of some news-channels that it would leave you with the impression that the world didn't exist outside Valentine's day celebrations.
With such corporate trap, I can hardly see anything beyond Valentine on Feb 14.
1 comment:
Tushar,rightly said.I have one point to make.
Apart from all these marketing gimmicks, one peculiar phenomenon in India emerges recently.
In previous years, they used to find out the sales volume of greeting cards and flowers and now it is CONDOMS...Horrible!!
What this trend shows clearly is that now the valentines day is not to celebrate love but it is a day to make love...
I am quite heart broken as this trend rapidly takes center stage in India too..
I fear parents could not do much but to offer condoms to their kids for this day...shame!!! shame!!!
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