An overdose of red and pink - Valentine's Day!

It all started with a soft beep last night.

My cell had just received a message.

Nothing extraordinary about it – I receive a fair share of messages everyday.

Except that this one came from a person who I had not been in touch with for ages.

A saccharine-sweet, threatening-to-give-diabetes-to-me message unfolded right in front of my eyes, much to my surprise.

And then it dawned upon me - the clock had just chimed twelve…

And it was Valentine’s Day. The day Cupid works for all year round, but gets credit for only today...

I was just wondering the other day why this day whips up so many otherwise sane people in a frenzy. Sample the following:

For some people, preparations start right in earnest as long back as a fortnight or even a month before the actual day.

- Premier tickets to the pulling-at-your-heart-strings, achingly sweet movies - TICK
- Couple sessions to the his and hers spa - TICK
- Romantic horoscope books (zodiac-wise) - TICK
- Aromatherapy candles in every possible fragrance - TICK
- Pay budding guitarist friend to serenede object of affection with his / her fave song - Uhmm, yeah TICK

A field month for card and gift makers, flower-sellers, jewelry manufacturers, spa and resort owners, even gadget giants – who go grinning like Cheshire cats, all the way to the bank. Oh did I mention the (cheesy) matching ‘couple’ watches?

Shades of red (and pink) which I had never known existed, seem to be shouting off the rooftops in the form of abundant soft, furry toys that make me

a) Grimace
b) Break out in a cold sweat
c) Both the above

An up market coffee place has even come out with “innovative” Valentine shakes, complete with one straw (how exceedingly orally-hygienic. Ahem.) for the oh-so-much-in-love couples…

Promises to be quite a mentally-progressive sight.

The D-Day has come. Complete with all the fanfare you can imagine.

Couples, dressed all in their finery (read more shades of crimson), walk all lovey-dovey, hand-in-hand, casting deep looks of adoration at each other.

Oblivious to those around them, they proceed to their chosen venue – a restaurant, a hotel, a tapri, a park, McDonald’s (depending on how deep their pockets are).

Some of the men cast furtive looks around - hoping, wishing, praying that they are not spotted by anyone who will snitch on them to the boss. After all, all that bulldozing by the lady love had made them call up at work with the lame, 'I-don't-feel-well-enough-to-come-to-office ruse...As if a day's earning not reaching their pockets was not enough, they have to also make peace with endless rounds of the swanky mall, and (sob) paying for obnoxiously expensive items...

Ohhh, and can I forget, they are armed with bouquets – blushing flowers (again of the red-hued variety), carrying them like war-trophies. Some hands are also laden with chocolates (in heart shapes, no less), cushions (again of the heart-shaped variety), CDS of the mushiest-possible numbers - and other such 'heart-y' paraphernalia.

(The flowers have been purchased at triple their actual costs, making many flower-sellers break out into merry jigs).

Quite a few cliched 'proposals' do the rounds on this day...The 'L'-word is spluttered out, causing immense merriment for friends the next day, who leave no stone unturned in tormenting the poor souls who uttered the dreadful word...

With looks that speak a thousand words, the couples then start the customary gift-giving (procured from beaming merchants). Ooooohs and aaahs follow in quick succession. Furtive pecks, kisses, caresses, you name it - do the rounds.
And that’s what Valentine’s Day has come to…For quite a few folks…


Though the next morning many of these selfsame couples may go back to their quibbling selves, for one 'glorious" day, love is definitely in the air.

And how!

...And a Happy New Year!!

They say that one does all year round, what one does on the first day of the year.

Try as I did, I just couldn’t get myself to posting anything on my blog on Jan 01. I am conveniently gonna put the blame on the cold wave in Delhi that has ensured that I think thrice before I venture my hands out of my warm blanket (when I am at home, that is). But yeah, I do hope I get to a lot of (creative) writing this year. And nope this isn’t a New Year Resolution – one of those that goes in one (y)ear and out the next (y)ear ;-)

To cut a long story short, 2008 is here. And boy! Did 2007 go speeding by!

I’m guessing many of us ushered 2008, despite the blustery weather, with holding hands, piping hot snacks, the odd spin on the dance floor (maybe you were flabbergasted, like I was, how some people could burn up the dance floor), and the staple bubbly (though maybe not in that order).

Here’s to a super 2008.

Let’s chink those glasses.

Hic hic.

PS: On a more sober note, out of the tonnes of New Year messages, there was one that I really liked.

Am quoting it here.

On failing twice, Sir Edmund Hillary challenged Mt. Everest, " I'll come again. As a mountain you can't grow. But as a human, I can." May we all grow together in 2008.

Kind of strikes the right note, doesn't it?

International Women's Day

Since last week, I've noticed a fair number of companies waving special schemes, freebies, complimentary packages - all with the same intention - to woo women.

and then it suddenly dawned upon me: oho - Women's Day was just around the corner. And hence, the following: a leading two-wheeler company giving trial runs to women, radio station / channels / newspapers - all urging you to don your 'thinking caps" and name your woman icon, etc etc etc.

Today, I was a tad amused to see the oppo gender at their chivalrous best - opening doors for their female counterpaarts, holding their bags(and laptops), the works.

However, I just want to see if the chivalry continues. Or was it just a one-day fad? (Obviously, I am keeping my fingers crossed).

More on this later.

Happy Womens Day!

The Big Fat Indian Wedding

There are officially, a lot of “knotty” people out there.

While the rest of India puts freezing toes into hot-as-toast quilts, Delhi(and many other places) are gearing up for a long season of weddings.

I heard that this Monday, Delhi alone, had over 36,000 weddings. Whew!

Not to be left behind , yesterday had quite a few thousand lined up too.

Threading our way through traffic last night, it didn’t help us at al that there were several thousands of people on the road, bravely bearing the bitter cold, out to attend some wedding or the other.

A column in the national daily, perhaps because of lack of other newsy articles, reported how poor, “overworked,” politicos had an average of 12 weddings to attend every other night.

Sample this hypothetical situ: Secretary of a politician at a press meet, “Sir had to attend Mr. so-and-so’s brother-in-law’s son’s wedding last night. He is dog tired after all that revelry. So kindly excuse his political gaffes / howlers today.”
Wow!

So last night, on our way back from West Delhi (where we had gone to see a house for best friend who is to get married next month), we saw loads of Delhiite baraatis, out in all their gaudy finery, bejeweled hands raised in typical marriage dance style, swaying to the loud tunes that the local bands belted out.

Grooms sat on pretty white mares. Most looked unmistakably forlorn (was it because of the cold or the fact that they were abandoning their single status for a lifetime of in-laws, groceries, kids? lol)

Kids looked as if they were having the time of their lives, dancing, prancing, yelling gleefully, some so enthused that they were shrieking like banshees.
Despite the car windows rolled up, we could scarcely hear a word of what we were spouting; the deafening cymbals drowning any attempt at conversation with their deafening sound.

Is that what they call music?

I guess even the Bard, William Shakespeare, would think twice before saying again, “If music be the food of love, play on..”

Needless to say, my ears hurt till late last night.

And earaches suck big time.

Owwwwwww

And to think I have to attend quite a few nuptials in the coming few months.
Thank God for the awesome food they serve there, though.

Quite a saving grace. Burp.