An Overdose of Love

In this fast-paced world, where everything is at the touch of a button, greetings and wishes have become monotonous and impersonal. The same Diwali or Christmas message is forwarded to a million people and your Facebook wall is full of birthday wishes from people you hardly know. But come Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or Father's Day, and suddenly, there is an overdose of love...

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So it’s that day again! The day when everyone suddenly realizes that they need to show their love and affection to their near and dear ones. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the 14^th of February, the day of love. The day when flower vendors make a killing and sales of Archies cards and gifts shoot up by almost 50%.

You leave your house and the town is painted red – literally! Red roses, girls dressed in red, women in red saris, the list is never-ending! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for romanticism. In fact, I’m a die-hard romantic! I live on sappy romantic movies with their cheesy dialogues and clichéd happily-ever-after endings.

What I don’t get, and what irks me to no end, is why we need a specific day to show our love and gratitude to those special people. Wishing everyone, getting all romantic and mushy, and going all out and spending your last penny to get a gift for that someone only on that day, just doesn’t make sense.

And it isn’t limited to Valentine’s Day alone. It extends to days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving Day etc. In the USA, tables in restaurants are booked almost 3 months in advance for these special days. You will see dutiful daughters with their fathers or doting sons with their mothers sharing a heart-to-heart talk and acting like they haven’t met all year.

Wait a minute… Of course they haven’t…

They don’t bother to call or keep in touch during the course of the year, but come Mother’s or Father’s Day and suddenly your parents are super special, even if they have been languishing in one of those old age homes throughout the year.

Your boyfriend and girlfriend is the centre of your world, even if the two of you just can’t get along the whole year. Friendship Day is a day to exchange expensive friendship bands and gifts, even if you bitch about the very same friend the next day. Women’s Day is a day to show how special, yet marginalized, women actually are. The many rapes and dowry deaths every day are immaterial.

Why do you need a day to show love? Why do you need a date on a calendar to fill your heart with warmth for those who have sacrificed so much for you? The mother who denied herself a new sari so that you could buy that toy you wanted. The father who worked overtime to make sure that your school and college fees could be paid on time. The lover who forgave those malicious personal remarks you made in a bout of anger.

However, man is a social animal and it is such events and celebrations that make life worth living. Enjoy Valentine’s Day, dress up, go out, and make sure you have a great time. Buy that little pendent you want for your mother, or that black tie you just knew you had to buy your father. There is nothing wrong in that. Contradicting myself am I? Well not really. By all means celebrate, but make sure you don’t go overboard. Make sure that the same love and affection is present every day. Say ‘I Love You’, smile, hug and do something to make that person know that his/her world truly revolves around you. Not just on one day of the year, but on every day of every month of every year.

After all, I believe that it’s not money, but love, that makes the world go round!