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Articles: TP Features | Valentine, new global agent
- Mr. Nagarjuna Atluri
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Few people in India knew about St. Valentine's day, A.K.A. 'lovers day' before the advent of satellite television. After the introduction of foreign satellite channels and their national, regional clones, the festival gained popularity, and a few pockets of society, acceptance too. The day has its origins in 270 A.D. when Roman emperor Claudius II proscribed love and romance and even marriages to prepare the country for massive empire building. Many men and women were caught struck by cupid and were severely punished for committing natural' crime'.
Then emerged a savior in the form of Bishop Valentine, Christian preacher, who challenged the ban and plunged himself into the task of facilitation of love, romance and marriage between men and women. Enraged over these' violations' Claudius had Fr. Valentine incarcerated and later executed. His death being a catalyst for the movement by Christians to lift the ban on love and marriages, which took place ultimately. Fr. Valentine was later conferred with sainthood upon which he came to be known as St. Valentine. His day of execution is celebrated every year as lovers day in the west, when lovers exchange gifts and vows.
India has a festival which remotely resembles lovers day in HOLl or vasantha pournami, during which people of all ages in general and youth in particular, enjoy themselves by splashing paints on one another. This festival is said to be the residue of some more elaborate rites which are perhaps not acceptable in developed social milieu. However lovers day is hardly comparable with HOLl, which is chiefly social festival, whereas the former has personal undertones.
One wonders whether the sudden advent of these 'days' such as mothers' day, women's day, fathers' day and lovers day are not known to Indians before, but the aggressive way in which these' days' are promoted by entertainment firms- from roadside bouquet sellers to TV. channels- drives home a single point: These cultural gate crashing have commercial value.
Major TV. channels, for instance, never tire to remind you that some 'day' is approaching and you are going to be treated to so and so fare.
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