<p>A shower of rose petals, the violins playing a magical note in the background and the lovebirds dancing to its lilting tunes in surreal locations --- seems like an idea borrowed from Karan Johar’s ‘Ishq wala love’ generation. (The dry brown leaves of <br />Mohabbatein are passé, aren’t they?) <br /><br /></p>.<p>With the arrival of Valentine’s week, and the entire <br />rigmarole of celebrating ‘rose day’, ‘propose day’, ‘hug day’, and a sundry other mushy days, the exotic cinematic experience seems to be playing out live in broad daylight! <br /><br />Whether you are single ready to mingle, lovelorn or just happy being lonesome ownsome, you cannot escape the rush of mushiness in the air--- courtesy your mailbox! <br /><br />It’s hilarious, isn’t it how a note in your mailbox looks so ‘personalised’ as if an online portal is the only real friend you have! That inanimate portal reminds you ever so often even to the extent of pushing you into ‘showing him that you really care! Buy him a Valentine gift from our Super Duper romantic series’ and crashing that lovely, friendly banter by adding: ‘click this link to buy all what your love wants’! Demystified, this basically means chip in your credit cards’ password and pay for exaggeratedly priced gifts! <br /><br />Serenading your woman with an exclusive composition or letting e-retailers take care of your beau’s needs, Metrolife checks out what fancies Delhiites more? <br />“There’s nothing like school-time romance,” <br />exclaims Akansha Singh. <br /><br />“That is when you are actually barred from behaving romantically. And that is perhaps when love strikes you for the first time. I remember making little gifts, days in advance for my boyfriend.” <br /><br />And what does she have in mind for Valentine ’s Day <br />this year?<br /><br />“In the last eight years, we have grown up, so has our relationship. We are not in that ‘madly-in-love’ phase like teenagers. We understand each other better. So, exchanging gifts doesn’t hold any significance now. But I have to confess, his first gift to me, his match-winning cricket ball which he gave me because he had run out of ideas to present something unique, is still very special to me,” shares Akansha, blushingly.<br /><br />At first blush, a romantic affair can throw up so many questions: How to behave in each other’s company, what to wear for the first proper date and what not to do to blow off your chances of being together? But, what about the <br />experienced ones? <br /><br />A septuagenarian, Surinder Bajaj evades the question initially but reveals, “It’s absurd to celebrate your love publically, if you ask people of my generation.” He however concedes that “our behaviour mirrors the prevalent norms in the society at a certain point of time. Maybe it is okay for youngsters these days to celebrate it openly. We used to cherish love, but away from the public gaze. A flower, a pin, anything that puts a smile on your wife’s face was our way to celebrate our love.” <br /><br />While a few of us put picture collages up on social media, declaring our love almost globally, there are others who prefer romantic candlelight dinners (You may call it standard, but it’s tried and tested) or share an adventure by travelling together. What we endorse is Chander Prakash’s idea of Valentine’s as he confidently says, “I will share a cup of tea with her, like I do everyday. Even without a rose, if I can turn our life rosy, that’s love for me.” <br /></p>
<p>A shower of rose petals, the violins playing a magical note in the background and the lovebirds dancing to its lilting tunes in surreal locations --- seems like an idea borrowed from Karan Johar’s ‘Ishq wala love’ generation. (The dry brown leaves of <br />Mohabbatein are passé, aren’t they?) <br /><br /></p>.<p>With the arrival of Valentine’s week, and the entire <br />rigmarole of celebrating ‘rose day’, ‘propose day’, ‘hug day’, and a sundry other mushy days, the exotic cinematic experience seems to be playing out live in broad daylight! <br /><br />Whether you are single ready to mingle, lovelorn or just happy being lonesome ownsome, you cannot escape the rush of mushiness in the air--- courtesy your mailbox! <br /><br />It’s hilarious, isn’t it how a note in your mailbox looks so ‘personalised’ as if an online portal is the only real friend you have! That inanimate portal reminds you ever so often even to the extent of pushing you into ‘showing him that you really care! Buy him a Valentine gift from our Super Duper romantic series’ and crashing that lovely, friendly banter by adding: ‘click this link to buy all what your love wants’! Demystified, this basically means chip in your credit cards’ password and pay for exaggeratedly priced gifts! <br /><br />Serenading your woman with an exclusive composition or letting e-retailers take care of your beau’s needs, Metrolife checks out what fancies Delhiites more? <br />“There’s nothing like school-time romance,” <br />exclaims Akansha Singh. <br /><br />“That is when you are actually barred from behaving romantically. And that is perhaps when love strikes you for the first time. I remember making little gifts, days in advance for my boyfriend.” <br /><br />And what does she have in mind for Valentine ’s Day <br />this year?<br /><br />“In the last eight years, we have grown up, so has our relationship. We are not in that ‘madly-in-love’ phase like teenagers. We understand each other better. So, exchanging gifts doesn’t hold any significance now. But I have to confess, his first gift to me, his match-winning cricket ball which he gave me because he had run out of ideas to present something unique, is still very special to me,” shares Akansha, blushingly.<br /><br />At first blush, a romantic affair can throw up so many questions: How to behave in each other’s company, what to wear for the first proper date and what not to do to blow off your chances of being together? But, what about the <br />experienced ones? <br /><br />A septuagenarian, Surinder Bajaj evades the question initially but reveals, “It’s absurd to celebrate your love publically, if you ask people of my generation.” He however concedes that “our behaviour mirrors the prevalent norms in the society at a certain point of time. Maybe it is okay for youngsters these days to celebrate it openly. We used to cherish love, but away from the public gaze. A flower, a pin, anything that puts a smile on your wife’s face was our way to celebrate our love.” <br /><br />While a few of us put picture collages up on social media, declaring our love almost globally, there are others who prefer romantic candlelight dinners (You may call it standard, but it’s tried and tested) or share an adventure by travelling together. What we endorse is Chander Prakash’s idea of Valentine’s as he confidently says, “I will share a cup of tea with her, like I do everyday. Even without a rose, if I can turn our life rosy, that’s love for me.” <br /></p>
