Valentines Day celebrations were somewhat subdued this year on television,mercy be. In previous years,the news channels behaved like they were falling in love with love. This year,February 14 was the day after the bomb blast in Pune and on Sunday morning most of us were in the mood for anything but love. Intentionally or otherwise,the newsrooms reflected this: they were rather sombre.
At Star News,hearts were palpitating almost visibly but,you could tell by the raised voices,it wasnt with love. A gentleman from the extreme right both of the screen and of persuasion was shouting at the women to his extreme left. He said as impolitely as he could that they were destroying Indian cultural values. They suggested,with astonishing indelicacy,that he should take off his trousers. On the double. Anchor Deepak Chaurasia looked as if he might enjoy a striptease but our gentleman friend was in no mood to oblige the women. Lest you misunderstand,they wanted him to give up Western clothing and climb into a dhoti before he lectured them on Indian values.
Rakhi Sawant was prepared to be foolish. And news channels were ready to oblige her. I saw promos of her appearance on Aap Ki Adalat (India TV) but before that could materialise,she was on a Hindi news channel (sorry,forget which one) cavorting with more hearts than there are in a pack of playing cards. You have to hand it to Rakhi: she can flirt with anything,even heart-shaped gas balloons. They bounced about excitedly at her coquettish eyelash flutters. At the end of this news feature,she told the TV reporter she loved him. Cant remember if he returned her feelings but he certainly blushed.
This then,is what Valentines Day has come to: R. Sawant romancing balloons. It is enough to persuade you to join the gentleman on Star News in his pants (thats if he was wearing them in the first place. Couldnt tell since the camera never descended below his neck). It is enough to convince you that,next year,news channels should refrain from Valentines Day discussions,celebrations and balloons. If only.
Love,actually was celebrated with many tugs at the heartstrings on the movies channels,Hindi and English. You could have watched Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (you can watch it every weekend),or Sense and Sensibility and what about Jab We Met? For sure.
The one place Valentines Day was not celebrated is on our TV serials. Or not so youd notice. This is extremely unusual since soap operas celebrate everything else birth,birthdays,engagements,weddings,Ganesh Chaturthi,Diwali,Holi with tremendous élan,sometimes over an entire week. Perhaps its because romantic love is the one ingredient entirely missing from our TV serials or so frowned upon that it always ends badly. Watch Bairi Piya (Colors) where the protagonist,Amoli,is trying so hard to convince her husband that he must not forsake their love and force her to be married to the maalik. Watch Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo (Zee) where romantic love has forced the lovers to live as outcasts. And watch the latest new show,Behenein (Star Plus) where a loving mother and father have died within the first few episodes so that their four daughters can act out the tragedy of being orphans,abused and mistreated by their Bua,the one and only Ketaki ara-ra-ra Dave in the role of the big bad wolf.
No Valentines Day for them.
