Valentine's Day 2023: A day for businesses to make 'money' their 'honey'

Valentine's Day2023: It's 2023, the world is still spinning on its axis, scientists are still hunting for life on Mars and Gen Z culture has taken over Millenials. Amid these changes, one thing that hasn't changed at all is the over-romanticised idea of love – an idea which holds the capacity of selling flimsy, yellow chiffon sarees to Indians visiting the snow-clad Alps in Switzerland so that they can go all "Chandni".

For those who couldn't really understand the chemistry between "Chandni" and "Switzerland", Netflix is dropping a docuseries "The Romantics", a kind of remedial class on 90's Bollywood romance. So, here's the season to sell love in all forms – flowers, food, clothes, films, travel, chocolate, jewellery and the list goes on. So the question arises: who's the one actually enjoying celebrations – lovers or those trading in love?

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Burning in love

Remember Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" which went like "Girl, girl, girl, girl, You gonna set me on fire, My brain is flaming.......I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love". Often people say that they are burning in love, but let's pause for a while and understand what is exactly burning on a Valentine's Day – a hole in your pocket? This is the season when literally everything can be sold, from a heart-shaped island to a heart-shaped  pizza and that too at an unbelievable price! Why? Because Urdu poet Jigar Moradabadi very rightly said, "ye ishq nahin asan itna hi samajh liije, ik aag ka dariya hai aur duub ke jaana hai (Understand that love is not easy, it's a river full of fire and you have to swim through it)”.

Years back, Valentine's Day was just one spend full day. Now, it's a season of seven days to buy chocolates, purchase teddies and keep the shopkeepers and online sellers happy and in glee. Flowers are the best deal these days. In Pune, people are buying Dutch roses for Rs300 a bunch, no not a bunch of 100 roses but that of a mere 15! The trend of greeting cards on birthdays, New Year and other occasions has become obsolete. But that's not the case with Valentine's. On this day, even cards work magic for shopkeepers. Poor fellows arrested in love are lured using every possible business trick to splurge their hard-earned money and help the people in business print the notes.

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Social hype, peer pressure and FOMO

Why is it so important to go on a proper date on Valentine's Day? Couples these days actually have a checklist – romantic location, nice food, champagne and stuff. But why? It's the Instagram dilemma and the peer pressure and fear of missing out (FOMO) that comes along. How can one not upload pictures on Instagram? Isn't it mandatory? Wouldn't people call it blasphemy if not done? Instagram is the perfect place to promote businesses, sell businesses and lure people to businesses. And then we have a dedicated list of "Instagram-worthy places" on Zomato. Today good food and wine don't help restaurants pull crowds, its Instagram-worthy label which makes the impossible happen.

So, this Valentine’s day, here's a congratulations to all the singles out there who have managed to save their pockets from being raided for an over-hyped emotion called "love".

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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