Love is in the Air

Its that time of the year again, when the whole world is red in color, and love seems to be in the air… well, literally.

Hey! Wait a minute. When I say, ‘Love is in the air’, I am not talking about the air being sprinkled with magical ‘love dust’ that is responsible for an overdose of endorphins and dopamines to ecstatic couples in love. This is certainly not about the impish Cupid or our very own Kamadeva who goes haywire with flower decked arrows, totally sabotaging the lives of unsuspecting Homo sapiens either. Neither am I referring to the clandestine meetings between loving hearts who seem oblivious to the rest of the world, or the lovelorn singles who take advantage of the various cellular network signals and Smarphones to catch up with their beloved(s) in other parts of the world…

My statement is specifically targeted towards the ‘hearts’ that are seen strewed all over the place in this season of Love. Come February, and various types of ‘hearts’ hits the market. Hanging hearts, giant hearts, little hearts, diamond hearts, platinum hearts, golden  hearts, velvet hearts, glittering hearts, hearts held by fluffy teddy bears, heart shaped boxes filled with yummy, melt in the mouth heart shaped  chocolates, hearts printed onto perfume bottles, pen sets, make-up kits, books, greeting cards, handkerchiefs and what not... all very obviously, red in colour.  

There is just no escaping these hearts… They glare at you from display windows of bookstores, garment shops, stationary shops, shops selling electronic goods, sports shops, lifestyle shops, florists, bakeries, supermarkets, and even the local grocery outlet for that matter. Yesterday, when I went to the small shop across the street where I normally buy my vegetables and provisions,  I actually bumped my head onto a bunch of cheap, red, velvet heart shaped cushion-like stuff, that was seen hanging from hooks fixed on to the cobwebbed ceiling! Love certainly has come a long, dusty way…

Speaking of Valentine’s day, I cant help sympathize with the woes of a young male friend of mine who is struggling with ‘economics’ when it came to maintaining his love life. As per this Romeo, the birthday of his mother and brother, as well as his sister’s wedding anniversary, all fell on the second month of the year, with decent gifts required to be brought for all the three occasions. The recent trend of ‘gifting’ for Valentine’s day only added to his financial burden. 

After breaking his head over how to tackle the situation, he promptly landed with an idea. He brought one of those inexpensive heart shaped paper boxes of the smallest size, that literally fit into his pocket. After artistically gift wrapping the box, he placed it onto the waiting hands of his expectant girlfriend, who possibly assumed that the pretty box would contain something of value… perhaps a diamond ring or gold pendant…  The only thing that saved his life was the gift of the gab that he was sufficiently endowed with. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said soulfully, “This is my empty heart. Please fill it up your everlasting love”. Well.. this happened during last year’s Valentine’s day. I hope he has come up with a better lifesaver of an excuse this time or else, he is into serious trouble…

Anyways, the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. And sometimes, the best things in life are not things at all… but the people who make you feel loved and cared for. So cheers to all those who are in love… with their partners, parents, friends, siblings, children, pets, books, life.. Whatever… 

Happy Valentine’s day!!!