Oh shit ! It's Valentines Day Again !!!!!

There was a time when one heard only of teacher’s day and children’s day. Today we are flooded with special days. There is Valentine ’s Day, friendship’s day, boss’s day, mother’s day, father’s day, veteran’s day- you name it you got it.
Valentine’s Day, one of the most popular special days which has caught on like fire. We have little or no connection with this occasion; yet, the response to Valentine’s Day in India has resulted in sales of cards and gifts that, I am told, surpasses even those of diwali!

There is now a special day for every relationship, each one designated for us tell our girlfriends/boyfriends mother’s, father’s, or whoever how much we love them , not of course by picking up the telephone and expressing our feelings, not even by writing a letter, but by sending cards, flowers, chocolates or gifts of one sort or another.

What we are witnessing is blatant commercialization of emotion. Its obvious that whole idea of having special days has stemmed from greeting card companies and producer’s of such thing as gifts , perfumes and confectionery. Cynics may sniff contemptuously about people falling for these marketing gimmicks but the truth of the matter is they won’t have succeeded had the ground in which the card companies sowed their seeds not been ultra fertile . Perhaps, as people live a busier life and spend less time their loved ones, they fel the need to assuage their guilt by making a fuss over them or perhaps with more money in their pockets, they welcome a new avenue of spending.

How one wonders, are these special days chosen! I dare say not, How do the greeting card companies decide which day eill be dedicated to which member of the family? When should boss be honoured and when the secretary? The answer—just follow the west…

We have also made our own indigenous offering: “Karva Chouth” as husband’s day “Bhaiya Dooj” as brothers day, and “Jamai Shasthi” as son-in-law’s day. So far traditionally we can look forward to their being jazzed up and with cards and sweets! but I’m afraid that no foreign company is inclined to take those days in their country.