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We, bring to you a Special Feature on the Valentine’s Day. Arindam thanks the Managing Editor, Anumita, all writers and poets, and the DT Team for making this a wonderful Special Feature. Hope you enjoy the exclusive package to celebrate Love in Different Truths.
Love, in its various forms, has been a part of our humanising process. Though all religions talk about love, Buddhism and Christianity, made it the very core of their theological narratives. Both Buddha and Christ, in different eras, spoke of Prem (Love) and Karuna (Compassion). Buddhism championed the cause of non-violence too and decried cruelty against animals. A Prince, who left the palace, his wife and newborn son, in the wee hours of the night to attain enlightenment as The Buddha was to enlighten the world. Much later, Christ, born in a stable, was also to speak about the same guiding principles.
At another point in history, we find St. Valentine, who worked for the cause of love and compassion.
Love and celebration are commitments. We choose to love and to be happy. We have the celestial lovers, Radha-Krishna, and their Leela (Cosmic game). An entire repertoire of songs, dances, theatrical performances and rituals have been created, with all its interpolations, over a period of time. In fact, social and ceremonial lives of people crisscross. And we have celebrations.
But, the Valentine’s Day, as we know today, is a product of the market economy. The crass commercialisation and gross display of carnal love is not what the saint had in mind. We cannot wish the world to be different. We accept it, as is, with all its blemishes and celebrate love.
We, in Different Truths, celebrate the Spring Festival of love and bring to you a special issue, spread over two days, Feb 13 (Sunday) and Feb 14 (Monday).
Curtain Raiser of Valentine’s Day Special Feature
Day One: Feb 13, 2022
The two-day Special Feature is primarily a reminiscence of past issues in Different Truths, except the lead article, on Sunday, by Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein, our Special Correspondent from Bangladesh. In her article, Valentine’s Day: Respecting all Love Relationships , she argues in favour of the LGBTQ community, particularly on Valentine’s Day, when all love relationships are celebrated. Sadly, the Third Gender continues to be secuted.
Ram Krishna Sinha critiques the meanings of couple and marriage, in Valentine’s Day – On Being a Couple: Sociology, Science and Sensibility!. He explores the layers of sociology, science, and sensibility. He examines the institution of marriage, deepening Tabassum’s point of view.
Ruchira Adhikari Ghosh, in her article, Of Desi Valentine’s Day and Spring Festivals , narrates the tale of Valentine’s Day and talks of Holi and Saraswati Puja, the two desi Spring festivals. All three have the common root of fertility worship.
Shernaz Wadia collects quotes on love from writers, poets, scientists, satirists, comedians, actors, singers, artists with gratitude to internet sources. We see the myriad shades of love in the closing piece on Day One, in Love: What They Say!
Day Two: Feb 14, 2022
Mamta Joshi’s tongue-in-cheek piece, Cupid on the Assembly Line, adds another dimension to the festival of love. The author tells us that everyone is loving in the same conformist manner. It appears as if Love is on the assembly line with the same packing, the same shape, coming with an expiry date. Valentine’s Day has grabbed the eyeballs of the Indian nation, with a sizeable youthful population. It’s our lead article on Valentine’s Day.
Our Managing Editor, Anumita Roy, pens an enchanting tragicomedy, My Gift of Valentine!Life is strange. It gives and snatches away many things. The sensuous short story sensitively portrays the invaluable gift of Valentine for the protagonist, Josna. We have an open-end love story with several possibilities.
Soumya Mukherjee, in his humourous first-hand account, Valentine-Day Blues! shares a fictionalised story of his daughter, Medha, and her Valentine’s Day blues.
A Mini-Anthology of Poems on V-Day brings six poems from India and Mauritius, showing many colours of love in verse.
Hope you enjoyed the Special Feature on the Valentine’s Day.
Happy Reading!
Visuals from Different Truths, Picture Design: Anumita Roy
