So, it is that time of the year again,
when Mr. Cupid has turned into a workaholic, striking many unassuming people at
will. The week long saga of “love” culminated into the much waited (arguably)
Valentine’s Day. The couples will be lost in their oblivious bliss, the singles
will wry their hands at sights all day while the people with recent break-ups
will be in their wanton memories. In this milieu of emotions, hapless souls
often get lost, about what they really feel or think, and end up going with the
flow, only to realize it’s not where they intended to be. And the herd
mentality takes over.
Well no one can claim to be an expert
on the matters related to heart, and being a guy, clichéd as it may sound,
understanding what a girl thinks is beyond the realms of human capacities. But
the banter aside, how often do we get carried away by all these hue and cry
around us, that literally ‘markets’ love and are often compelled to take part
due to peer pressure? Riding on the motto of ‘Fortune favours the brave’, we
take the plunge, unsure of waits further. And the perpetual question of “what
if’s”? Egos and emotions surface inconspicuously.
Put all of these in a cauldron, adding a
touch of jealousy and insecurity, and we have the Valentine’s Day for majority
of the people, running around like headless chickens. Agreed that the dynamics
of heart are beyond the purview of the mind, but the least we can do is just
think about what we feel.
If we look at it from a very broad
context, humans are probably the only species that is affected by ‘pheromones.’
Call it a blessing or curse, unlike most species, which primarily come together
only for mating, humans have this urge to be with someone for emotional and
mental support. The doubling of joys and reducing of sorrows, support and the
talks over long walks, the silent nod of the head to the wink of the eyes, the
bottom line is we are gregarious creatures. We are affected by people around
us. And thus, we often get swayed by what is happening around us. That’s the
time, we just need to get a grip on ourselves, and just think calmly about what
we feel. Because deep down inside, we know the choices we have to make, we know
what we want. The only problem is accepting what lies there. And that is where
we fabricate stories and live in make believe worlds. We pretend something
else, but by the time we realize it, we have gone too far to pretend anything
else.
If anyone remember the movie Baghban,
the way Amitabh Bachchan asks Hema Malini, “Will you be my valentine?” And she
replies, “I’ve been that for 40 years.” Today, where being together for 4
months is a cause of celebration, maybe we all can just take a leaf from that.
No one exactly knows what being in love is like, then why rush into it and
loose out the moments of knowing the other person. So, maybe all we need to do
is ask ourselves before we get carried away in this swirling melodrama, is this
what we really want? Or is it love, as they say it?
©Copyright Darshil A Shastri
