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Well spring of love
Romancing the Valentine’s Day
PACESETTER Ramji Kaushik
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Well spring of love
The
Valentine’s Day has, indeed, become the celebration of love around the world. Call it a global culture or a festival perpetuated by the greeting card manufacturers to boost their sales; the Valentine’s Day is celebrated in every corner of the world with a lot of ardour. It is a time when the sales of not just cards but allied paraphernalia like teddy bears, heart-shaped pillows, balloons and chocolates burgeons as well. The blatant commercialisation of the festival did not begin until the 20th century. Before then, love-notes were the norm and these later gave way to cheap, mass produced greeting cards. The belief in aphrodisiac effects of chocolate linked it to the celebrations of love. Roses and confectionary were replaced with heart-shaped chocolates and cakes. Personalised cards and gifts have started becoming very popular, as are indulgent gifts like exotic holidays and jewellery. It has come to a point where the stress is not on the celebration of love but on proving love with the most ostentatious gifts.
The Indian festival of love
In India, too, the Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a big way with greeting card and merchandise companies raking in good profits. But what everyone seems to completely forget are our own traditions and customs of love. India has its own love festival, Madan utsav (Madan being another name for Kamadev) or Basant, celebrated on the fifth day of the shukal paksh of the Hindu month of Magh. This year it happens to coincide with the Valentine’s Day. While for Basant celebrations, the focus is on Saraswati puja, for Madan utsav celebrations, Kamadev, the god of love in Indian mythology, is worshipped. According to a legend, Kamadev comes down to earth on this day with his consort, Rati, the Goddess of Passion, and his friend Basant, who provides the perfect whiff of spring for love to blossom. Represented as having green skin and with a parrot as his mount, Kamadev wields his bow of sugarcane and stretches the string of honeybees, striking his victims with arrows, afflicting them with love. The legend of Love God
Kama is said to be the first thing that Lord Brahma, the supreme creator, is said to have created as the wave of consciousness. Another legend says he is the son of Goddess Sri. One of the most popular tales about Kama and Rati revolves around Shiva who was mourning for his lost love, Sati. Brahma
told Kama that the only way demon Tarakasur could be stopped from troubling the gods was having the son of Shiva and Parvati, a reincarnation of Sati, slay him. Kama shot his love arrow into Shiva’s heart to drive him out of his self-imposed asceticism, but Shiva was enraged at having been disturbed from his meditation. Kama was burned to ashes when Shiva opened his third eye and is known as Madana-Bhasma. At the same time Shiva glanced at Parvati and fell in love with her. Heeding to Parvati’s plea, Shiva returned Kama’s life to him but without his physical form. So, from that day onward, Kama roams the world without a body and is known as Atanu, the one without a body.
Romancing traditional festivities
The celebrations that worship Kamadeva focus on dancing and singing. In ancient times, dancing girls would dress in dotted ghaghara choli or saree in pink or saffron colour. They were accompanied by musicians like dhol players and would entertain the royals. There is a special significance of mango blossoms and Ashoka trees due to their connection with the Kama’s arrows of love. Nowadays, kites are flown and sweets are prepared.
Other love festivals
Around the world, different countries have varied traditions revolving around love. One of the most popular is the Qixi festival in China, celebrated to mark the legend of a cowherd and weaver girl who were banished to opposite sides of the silver river, the milky way. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, meeting of the two lovers is celebrated as a bridge forms over the silver river. Tanabata in Japan and Chilseok in Korea are believed to have originated from the Chinese Qixi festival. Tu B’Av in Israel is celebrated as the day of love and is thought of as a good day to get married. It is celebrated on a day of full moon of the Hebrew month of Av. In Verona, Italy, the festival of Verona in Love is celebrated. During this event, the streets are full of heart-shaped, red lanterns and love notes. A carnival is also held where people from around the world come to participate and there is also a synchronised mass-kiss. Vietnam’s Khau Vai Love Market festival is where lovers flock to celebrate love. On 27th of every lunar March, lovers meet in this place. The interesting thing is that many of them are ex-lovers who could not get married for some reason or the other. Ivana Kupala in Ukraine is celebrated by young men and women who kiss each other during this festival of love which is otherwise prohibited. They jump over flames to prove their love and failure to do so may result in separation.
Celebration time
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Romancing the Valentine’s Day
For
an event that has gained popularity in India just a couple of decades ago, Valentine’s Day has created a space of its own in the minds of the young. Today an increasing number of urban youth look upon it as a day to celebrate the idea of love and an occasion to seal bonds of close friendship. Gifts are exchanged, promises made of everlasting devotion to each other even as leading companies lay out a panoply of gifting options that symbolise love for anyone you value as a friend or a life partner or, contrary to common perception, it could even be for a sibling or a parent. On this day, love is all-encompassing signifying in the true sense a dove-like purity.
Colours of love Gifting companies like Archies, Frazer and Haws, Hallmark and a host of others have extended the options to bouquets of orchids and red roses to cuddly teddy bears, chocolates, perfumes, photoframes, heart-shaped trinkets and jewellery and greeting cards in hues of pink and red — the colours of love. Over time, the symbols of expressing love have changed, and so have the venues of exchanging these. In this day and age, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in discs, pubs, hookah bars, shopping malls, Imaxes and PVRs and other hangout joints of the young. The festival has survived a string of protests from fringe elements, who see it as a pernicious influence of the western culture. There have been attempts to thwart it with violence and intimidation but it has survived all such threats and emerged as an occasion that transcends boundaries and cuts across age and religion. “Valentine’s Day is a universal event and should be celebrated by all. It is just an expression of love and should neither be politicised nor anyone read any hidden motives for celebrating the day,” says Shruti, a second year student of a Delhi college. “It is just another occasion to meet and be happy.”
Though for some it may be an occasion to exchange expensive gifts like watches and high-end perfumes, for most, the price tag is not important. It is just trinkets or a few red roses but what is important is time spent together that brings out the essence of the day. For others, like Amit and Rashi, Valentine’s Day has been a life-changing event. Cupid struck these two classmates of a leading architecture college in Delhi six years ago. Today they are not just successful independent professionals but are tying the bond later this year. “We wanted to get married on the Valentine Day this year but Rashi’s brother, who is in the Army, couldn’t get leave. Now our marriage has been fixed for July,” says Amit. However, in this era of bubblegum romance not every relationship has such a fairytale ending. Many young people are re-defining the meaning of love. For them, no-strings-attached ties are easy and comfortable. “Long-term affairs are boring. Relationships have to be sweet and short,” says Sakshi, a third year student of Elphinstone College in Mumbai. Movies & pubbing According to another student Rohini, “Commitment” means movies, pubbing, partying and generally chilling out. Marriage is nowhere in the picture and anyway, life is too short to be tied down to one person." But for Shailja and her husband Tarun, who have spent three Valentine’s Days after their marriage, the one place best suited for the occasion is their home. “You don’t have to go out to a restaurant or a hotel to make it a special event as these places usually lack the warmth your home can provide,” says Shailja, who is planning to cook a special Italian meal with a bottle of vintage wine. Husband Tarun, too, is responding with a special gift. He has ordered a bouquet of fresh roses and will be making a quick trip to a mall where he plans to buy her an expensive gift like a top-of-the line perfume from Sephora or an expensive dress from Burberry Brit, which she liked a lot but didn’t want to splurge. “I knew instantly she wanted the dress but decided against it when she saw the price tag of Rs 12,000. I made a mental of note of that and decided to surprise her on the Valentine’s Day,” says Tarun. Such outpourings of affection are becoming quite common among urban young people. Valentine’s Day has come to symbolise not just gift-giving and taking but the underlying sentiment of the buyers is all about love and friendship.
BRING CHEER TO KITCHEN Price: Starts from
Rs 40,000
SCENT OF LOVE Price:
Rs 2,600
BAG IT Price:
Rs 600
LIGHTER Price:
Rs 2,250 onwards
scent of a man Price:
Rs 3,500
BEJEWELLED Price:
Rs 8,000 onwards
DIVINE HORSE COLLECTION COLOUR ME RED Price: Ranging between
Rs 700 and Rs 2,750
GIFTING COLLECTION ADD DEPTH TO MUSIC Price:
Rs 8,990
TYPEWRITER CARD TEDDY LOVE Price:
Rs 900 to Rs 8,500
WATCH OUT
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The courage to ‘build’ his dream A common man, an agriculturist of humble origins he dared to dream beyond his means and achieve it Mriganka Dadwal When
Ramji Kaushik, a middle class boy from an agriculturist family of Alwar, decided to buy a dilapidated fort on the outskirts of Alwar city, his friends thought he had lost his sanity. Neither the hilltop fort nor the Dadhikar village at its foothill had water or electric supplies. There was no road leading up to the ruins of the once-fortified haveli. In 2007, Kaushik bought the fort from the heir of King Chand for Rs 50 lakh. “Everybody else saw it as the derelict structure that was devoid of amenities but I envisioned it as a getaway far from city life, with a breathtaking view,” he reminisces. A hotel management graduate, and the son of a Sanskrit professor, Kaushik did not have savings to buy the property so he took a bank loan. “I always had a keen interest in restoration so I researched on what the original fort must have looked like,” he says. He recycled the stones from rubble, hunted down retired masons who could work with old style of limestone construction, trained young labourers from the Dadhikar village itself. Imperial looking wooden gates were custom made from Jodhpur, janglas sourced from Shekhawati and the entire fort was furnished like an antiquated and fortified haveli. Not only did he renovate The Dadhikar Fort but also generated employment for the villagers. Today, the Dadhikar Fort has become popular as a weekend getaway among young couples, families and NRIs. Nestled in Aravalli hills, it is valued at around Rs 20 crore. It is visited by almost 400-500 tourists per month. Kaushik, 38, says he avoids noisy corporate parties because he wants his guests to remember Dadhikar as a serene retreat .“On weekends, we have local artists performing to keep our guests entertained,”says the man who personally greets the guests on their arrival. With 18 rooms, including budget accommodation, suites, a sky palace and three tents, the fort can house up to 70 persons. It has also come up as a wedding destination, adds Kaushik, who recently planned a French wedding at Dadhikar. “We provide everything right from the venue and décor to priest, fireworks, band and a ghori. It doesn’t have to cause a big dent in your pocket,” he adds. One can plan a destination wedding at Dadhikar at a starting price of Rs 6 lakh. On what inspired this humble man to dream so big and achieve it, Kaushik says, “I always wondered why a common man should not aspire to think beyond his current circumstances.” He gives credit to his mother, saying she is the one who always inspired him to do something not just for himself but for society as well. “One doesn’t prosper alone. Today, the villagers also take pride that their village is known on international map. Their land prices have shot up from Rs 1 lakh a bigha to Rs 12 lakh now.” What gets him going? “It was never about money to begin with. I wanted to do something different from a run-of-the-mill job. Yes, commercial success is important but I want more and more people to enjoy the beauty of rural India.” He aims to develop similar tourist destinations in other parts of India, insisting that more and more people must be exposed to the rural culture and diversity of India.
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TIMELY WORDS
Price:
Rs 63,600 ($1050)
IT'S SHOE TIME, FOLKS
Price: Up to
Rs 9.60 lakh a pair ($16,000)
BOOKING PLEASURES GO DIGITAL
Price in
India: Rs 13,999
“RE-BUILDING” THE TAJ
Price:
Rs 1.38 lakh ($2,300)
TIME FRAMES
Price:
Rs 39,000 ($650)
CLICKING THE ULTIMATE SELFIE
Price:
Rs 24,000 ($400)
TAMING THE WAVES
Price:
Rs 10.20 lakh ($17.000)
iPHONE WITH A GOLDEN TOUCH
Price:
Rs 1.86 lakh ($3,100)
LAZY BOY iPAD STAND
Price:
Rs 12,000 ($200)
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A celebration of love is usually associated with the Valentine’s Day
but the world celebrates this wonderful emotion in myriad ways and forms
There’s love in the air as another Valentine’s Day draws near. Despite doomsayers, those in love are gearing up to celebrate this special day with an array of gifts available in the market
Mriganka Dadwal
If your Valentine is your dear wife, you can gift her the special KitchenAid Stand Mixer to bring a cheer in the kitchen. It has dozens of optional attachments and accessories that slice vegetables, knead dough, roll fresh pasta, juice fruit and grind meat for succulent kebabs. 
The Britney Spears Eau De Perfum Spray offered on www.amazon.com is one of the popular gifting ideas for this year’s Valentine’s Day. The bottle is designed in shades of pink with a heart tattoo symbol. It includes an atomiser and features the same notes as some top class perfumes.
Create a sense of mystery for someone special with Hidesign Valentine collection of totes and shoulder bags. Bold colour-blocks and sharp use of brass hardware is the highlight of the Hidesign Valentine collection this season. A new line of bag jewellery adds a glint of romance and passion. 
Here’s a delicious way to express your love from www.shopping.indiatimes.com. Choose a basket of chocolates accompanied by a beautiful red rose, which is the symbol of romantic love and enduring passion. The basket has 42 pieces of imported Kreitens brand almond drop butter toffees and a Dutch red rose.
Celebrate this Valentine's Day with a unique Valentine's Day gift of a Zippo Windproof Lighter for your Valentine. With an array of stylish designs, there's something for everyone for February 14. This classic lifestyle accessory can even be used to light candles for a cosy dinner.
This Valentine’s Day, surprise your special man with Red by Lacoste. This is a passionate, dynamic and energetic woody-spicy fragrant composition. It opens with powerful aromas of mandarin liqueur and juicy mango. It also includes acacia wood notes making it a particularly macho perfume.
Jewellery brand Mirari offers a stunning range of traditional and contemporary bangles, elegant bracelets, stylish earrings and neckpieces that will spell magic for your special Valentine. The unique designs are for those embarking on a long-term relationship on this day.
Divine, the lifestyle store, offers the Imperial Horse Collection as a gifting option for the Valentine’s Day. The figurines are symbolic as 2014 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese calendar. The horse signifies luck, power and victory and is a great gift for your special man or woman.
Lifestyle store Accents offers a range of red coloured products for this Valentine Day. The collection includes jewellery boxes, photoframes and trays accentuated by wood frames and brass handles. The collection is superimposed with antique zardozi embroidery using gold and silver.
Silverware company Frazer and Haws brings out an exclusive range of accessories especially created to complement your Valentine. The collection of sterling silver includes photoframes, candlestands, vases, cufflinks and a host of other attractive gifting options for this special day.
Audio electronic company JBL offers a gifting idea for the Valentine’s Day. Its Flip 2 bluetooth portable speaker brings rich sound to your Valentine’s lifestyle. It can be paired with a smartphone, laptop or a tablet to add depth to music and its speaker can fit in the palm of your hand.
The special Valentine’s Day Hallmark card lets you edit the message or write your very own thoughts on the card. You can also attach a photo at the back as also change the font style, colour and size. Layout options are available on the inside and back to bring the creative
best in you.
Valentine’s Day is associated with soft cuddly toys and the teddy bear symbolises love. Archies brings out a number of gifting ideas for this special day which include gift hampers, perfumes, mugs, greeting cards, chocolate boxes and a variety of huggable teddy bears for the lady.
The Miss Sixty Silver Women’s Watch available on Amazon will complement any trendy outfit your Valentine wears accentuating her glamorous appeal. The strap is designed like a charm bracelet and it features a creative dial and a silver case lending it an elegant appeal.
It's the world's first purist watch that tells the time not with hands or digits but as readable text. Clock manufacturer Biegert & Funk is taking time into a different zone with QLock Two wristwatch. The square watch face has a uniform grid of 110 letters. When the stainless steel button is pressed, words light up in unexpected places which describe the time. The initially random order of the characters lends this wristwatch a mysterious aesthetic. Together with the time, it also displays the calendar day or seconds, making it a completely new watch concept.
Some call them shoes for the uber stylish people, others label them as footwear for dandies! But no matter which side you are on, the Ivan Crivellaro shoes will stand you out in a crowd. The highlight of these shoes are the hand-painted soles that give them a special character all their own. It isn't only the beautifully painted soles, but the amazing patinas that Ivan Crivellaro creates. That's why each pair takes about two and a half months to complete and the final touch is the Cristal champagne polish. Indeed, shoe making is a passion with this Italian who compares his skill to Switzerland's top watch designers! 
With the launch of hi-tech digital readers, the era of the e-book has truly arrived. Leading the pack is Amazon whose new Wifi plus 3-G enabled Kindle Paperwhite Touch Screen E-reader has an access to over 10 million titles that can be downloaded in seconds. It comes loaded with features like a no-glare highlight that will not strain your eyes when reading in the sunlight or in the dark. Designed in the size of a paperback, it can be easily slipped in your back pocket. A super-fast processor opens books and flips pages rapidly and an online dictionary is ready to help you with difficult words. With a capacity to hold over 1,000 books, it is a much-awaited boon for avid readers. Whether on a vacation or in bed, all you have to do is to switch on the E-reader and get lost in a virtual world of books.
It's been called the ultimate masterpiece in marble which no one has been able to re-create. But now you can actually re-build the Taj Mahal piece by piece. All you need is 5,900 pieces of Lego to make re-create this wonder of the world. But be warned, the Lego Taj Mahal is not for inexperienced builders. Though it may not require as many skills as the original one but you would need to have advanced building techniques, acute sense of colours and realistic details of architecture. That's because the amazingly detailed model features the base, minarets, domes, finials, arches, and stairs in the front. Little wonder then that this is one of the toughest Lego sets so far!
Many of us have inherited pocket watches that we don't really know what to do with. They are too precious to be discarded but not quite in fashion to be “pocketed’ with a chain attached to the jacket button. If you too face this predicament, worry not. Two US-based companies Analog/Shift and Useful Again have collaborated to give these valuable heirlooms a loving place in the house. They are converting these pocket watches into smart desk clocks by perching them on carved wooden frames so that these retro timepieces can pair beautifully with your laptops and iPhones!
It's an automatic camera clicking device that will capture the finest shots from any place of your choice. The Soloshot 2 allows users to shoot videos of themselves or others or of objects from a distance by attaching it to a tripod mounted camera pointed at the person or object. Simply attach the camera with Soloshot 2 and catch a perfect video or a still picture. It features vertical tracking, automatic zoom, and the kit even includes a tripod for you to get started. It can take pictures from a distance of up to 2,000 feet with 360 degree horizontal tracking. And it is way better than asking someone to take your pictures while on a vacation ensuring total freedom.
If you like water adventures then this is a great toy for you. The Skier-Controlled Tow Boat, marketed by online retail giant Hammacher Schlemmer, is propelled entirely by the water skier. A six-button control panel on the tow rope handle sends signals to the boat, allowing skiers to start, accelerate, decelerate, turn, or stop the vessel with slight thumb movements. The tri-hull boat made from fibreglass can generate speeds of up to 65 kmph and can even jump and do other tricks to add a dash of thrills and spills.
Swiss luxury iPhone customisation company Golden Dreams has released a set of stunning iPhone 5s that fuse leather and gold into one collection. The 50-piece limited edition collection is mirror polished and covered with 24ct gold. Each phone boasts of the know-how of Swiss jewellers and watch makers. It is available in two designs-the Gold Edition which has a golden, mirror-like surface and the Desert Edition crafted from Mississippi alligator leather. If you are an ultra luxury aficionado and don't mind blowing a small fortune to soup up your device, go ahead and take your choice! 
Ever tried to read, play games, watch movies on your iPad or Ereader in a supine position? Those who have also know the perils of doing so-head cradled in the hand and constant shifting of positions. The Rolling Bedside Stand by online mega retailer Hammacher Schlemmer is an answer to the prayers of all such harassed tablet users. This mobile stand places a tablet at the optimal position while you are lying in bed, reclining in a chair, or sitting on a sofa. The height of the swing arm is adjustable and lets you place your device at the ideal eye level. So next time you want to catch a movie on your tablet just snuggle in bed and enjoy the show hands-free.