It is not clear when love between males and females started in society but physical relations between the two have been in existence since the day life on Earth began. The purpose of love then was only for mating between two but nowadays with revolution, the meaning of love is not only restricted to conjugal activity but also has widespread application. Love is the deep affection for each other. Love is the interest that satisfies the tapestry desire of individuals and many such more type of definitions have come up in human life. Though love has a very vast dictionary meaning, here I am only concentrating on love where physical and mental attributes are the main attractions.

It has been observed since ancient times that men and women are attracted to each other in adolescence when both of them start feeling some kind of pain, anxiety, curiosity and inquisitiveness about their own body and feel that the opposite sex only can be of his/her solution and for this, they started grooming themselves to attract each other to have their company. The main attraction as found was their looks, beauty and body. If a girl has a very good look and the body curves are attractive then that lady can have very high demand amongst the menfolk and to win over that girl man also engaged himself giving the shape of his look and physique. 

At first, he tries to know the taste of the girl and if feels that girl likes to have a masculine figure then he starts to do physical work out with a strict regime and everyday assesses his improvement by measuring chest, waist, bicep, triceps and standing before mirror taking decision what course of regimented work out require to make him more attractive. Raises many questions within himself. Go back to the gym. All this he does is only to have a sweet smile from the expected girl. Similarly, the lady also tries to be more attractive by caring for herself meticulously, going to the parlour, taking aerobics, Zumba etc.

Earlier days, of course, in Indian Society, girls had no say about their liking and most of the time their beauty brought misery to them when the local rulers like landlords, zamindar and other influential people enjoyed the girls against their wishes, periled their lives and ruined them within the hut. Poor father was also seen to succumb to the pressure of moneyed businessmen to give marriage of their teen beauty to an aged groom and thus the romance of that girl was stabbed at the tender age itself. This, of course, has been changed now and girls are free to express their views due to the changing attitude of society.

Nowadays with the advancement of women's liberation, they can openly announce their choice. This is again further boldened by Valentine's Day Festival when in the conservative society, Indian girls, even the Indian boys who were earlier afraid of expressing their choice to their parents now can openly celebrate this day with joy not for a single day but for a couple of days centring 14th February, liberating themselves from the dogmatic shackles of conservativeness.

As my attempt is only to show that how romantic lives benefit from the modern outlook of Valentine's Day, the Live Together Concept even requires an elaborate discussion of why the the Indian Loved Day Festival Saraswati Puja could not bring such happiness to pairs.

Who is Saraswati?

Devi Saraswati is a revered god in the Hindu Religion and one of the three most powerful goddesses of Trishakti Tridevi. The other two gods are Devi Durga and Devi Laxmi. Though Devi Saraswati is a God of Knowledge, Culture, Art and Romantic Love even her personal life is mysterious. One Legend is that Saraswati, the exquisite beauty, is the wife of Lord Brahma, another version is that she after being released by God Vishnu as his wife again got married to Brahma while some section claims that she is a spinster. Whatever her personal life, she is depicted as a purest of pure god and lives a very simple life. She is very calm and quiet, clads in a white sari concentrates on her cultural developments and always blesses her followers and continuously enlightens them. She never quarrels with anybody and also not as restless as her sister Devi Laxmi is.

Why a God is required for development and who is God?

It is a general belief and also true in many senses that a common man needs a thrust to uncover his hidden talent and these all talents together help to form a cultured family that in turn makes a civilised society. From ancient times is seen that few learned accomplished across the world spread their vision and wisdom and made people educated which helped to eradicate or to minimise many dreaded diseases like cholera, plague etc. and made all-round improvements in food production, environment management, lifestyle development and many such other things. These improvements and development of ordinary people were further accelerated when an unknown power in the name of God was being pushed into their belief that blessing from these supreme will enhance their skills and activities. Different religions in different parts of the world brought forward such types of noble characters, formulated rules, and regulations and the well-knit design made the people worship those gods to usher their golden growth and wishes. Hindu Religion also framed many characters and developed mantras, and systems and people were imbibed with those rituals very seriously. Since the Vedic era, these were recorded in Vedas and subsequently, Puranas and other religious books scripted those pious hymns.

We found in the Hindu Religion that life is well explained through on the one hand the combined existence of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara and on the other hand Tri Shakti Tri Devi of Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati.

Legend is that time and again there was quarrel between Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadeva about their supremacy but no dispute was observed between the three devis. Courageous Durga when fought with Asura was ably supported by Laxmi and Saraswati and these two sisters also never fought over their supremacy. Laxmi, the goddess of wealth blesses her disciples with opulence while Devi Saraswati enlightens her followers with the finesse of culture. Her associate swan also has so silky feathers that no dirt can make his beauty blurred and remain pious even in the cloggy sticky pond. The sedge, silt and any other tepid thing cannot remain on the silky skin which reflects the idea that if once anyone is blessed with the teachings of Devi Saraswati he will be so pure from mind that no obstacle can put a hindrance for his upliftment thus a sweet fragrance will prevail around him and also around society.

Devi Saraswati was never found to be aggressive, never found with any arm in hand, never found herself dressed in lust but always in sober appearance. She drapes herself in a white sari, and keeps Veena in hand, sitting on spotless lotus spreading sweetness to earth and this sweet appearance of Love God encourages the young lovers to exchange their minds. Thus the love between a girl and her lover also bears a soft touch and in most cases, silent love with eye expressions and blushing faces gives a positive and rhythmic relation between the two on the other hand Valentine's love is aimed to be at the outer world.

Who is Valentine? What is Valentine's Day?

What is its importance?

One Legend speaks that Valentine, a Christian Saint living in Roman King Claudius II ruled Rome, was imprisoned, killed and buried for defying the Emperor's decree while another story reveals some other version thus creating confusion as it is happening in many historical and religious figures. There were many saints and even a Pope had the name, Valentine, so, one is not sure to whom this revered Valentine's Day is referred. But now that it is accepted that Saint Valentine who during the rule of King Claudius II performed the marriages of young couples in secret defying the king's decree is the saint to whom the entire world pays homage by celebrating it as a Lover's Day. Here the question arises why a butcher's day is celebrated every year with such high fervor. As it is known by now this saint was pained when heard that Emperor Claudius II banned the marriage of young people because the king wanted to build a strong army for the nation for which he thought that people who were not married and had no family attachment might be an ideal soldier and thus he could build a strong army for his kingdom, so, he banned the marriage of youngs in his country. The saint hearing this started defying the decree, arranged for secret marriages of many couples and thus made the king annoyed and this annoyance led the emperor to arrest the saint and put the saint to death after imprisonment. During imprisonment, as the legend speaks, he fell in love with a girl of a jailer and his letter to the girl before execution was the main source of inspiration for this festival where he ended the letter with 'From Your Valentine'.

This version is again given a different look where it has been said that Saint Valentine after healing a jailor's daughter fell in love with her and then for this was punished and written the letter ending with,' From Your Valentine' before execution.

Others speak that the same emperor Claudius II beheaded a saint named Valentine of Terni, a Bishop, outside Rome and it is that martyred saint whom we respect to this day while some historians opined that both Saint Bishop and the saint who performed secret marriage may not be a different one but the same person of whom we are discussing about.

Some said that the Bishop was responsible for secret marriage and the other saint was punished not for marriage but for falling in love with a jailor's daughter. Whichever is the truth remains a mystery but the letter ending with 'From Your Valentine' has been accepted beyond any argument.

Again some doubts surfaced regarding the celebration day and the time of this festival because February is the beginning of colourful Spring and at the same time around 14th February, a very famous festival 'Lupercalia' dedicated to the fertility God Faunus' was celebrated at Rome. The same festival, as found from the record that Pope Gelasius I replaced it by Valentine declaring Lupercalia as a Christian Festival, so the exact relation between Saint's execution and Valentine's Day celebration remains murky.

One more belief is that it is one other Saint named Valentine who helped the release of tortured Christians from Roman jails is the soul to whom this day is dedicated.

There is another probability which also cannot be ruled out regarding the selection of time as Romance Day. During the Middle Ages, the people of France and England welcomed colourful Spring observing Avian Mating in mid-February. This may sound logical and one of the strongest reasons to correlate the martyr's death with romance is to popularise the Christian Festival.

Whatever the exact reason, now Valentine's Day on 14th February made a very huge impact not only in the European Christian Community but the entire world including Indian boys and girls are celebrating by exchanging gifts, flowers and minds together. This is a very remarkable transition of conservative Indians including all sects, cults and religions of the country to the open world.

It is observed that the Greetings Cards that the lovers choose for this day are mostly heart-shaped or heart-printed or something related to the heart, even a two-winged mythical son named Love God 'Cupid' about whom many legends prevailing are also figured in the card. Today the Indian Society is celebrating the romance taking the combined lesson of culture, knowledge of Devi Saraswati and the courage, sympathy and heroic attire of Saint Valentine. Today's girls are not afraid of courtship, do not have any fear of their partner openly and at the same time maintain dignity.

It is very interesting to note that Romance festivals in both Indian and Western cultures mainly concentrate on the Spring season. The Saraswati Puja, Colour Rioting Dolyatra, a Hindu Festival of true love between Lord Krishna and Pageant beauty Radha, and the Valentine Romance are all around this colourful time when the earth is also dressed with adoring beautiful, eye-catching, eye-catching flowers. The roads glitter with rainbow colour, air carries heaven's fragrance and people are all thronging the road after wiping out the biting cold. It is again further coming to all of us that good and worthwhile literary works also making piles of poems and stories centring this wonderful couple festival which perhaps first started, as recorded, by English Poet Geoffrey Chaucer, honouring the first anniversary of Fifteen Year Old Both King Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia and most probably Court of Love first established with the letter written by Charles Duke of Orleans from jail to his wife. The lyrics and expression of both are heart-touching and so meaningful that even today people are referring to those as a part of their belongingness. 'Parliament of Fowls' written by English Poet, is a gem and a classic amongst all works available so far.

To the surprise of all of us, it is seen that even the Indian boys and girls who were earlier very shaky in expressing their minds are now addressing their loved ones with many beautiful poems and quotations. The knowledge of writing in some cases was so good that started finding a place in the vernacular literature which in the earlier days one could not even think of.

The poem 'Parliament of Fowls' written with the then available English knowledge is still continuously inspiring to all of us and also now, the poem rewritten with modern English is equally worth reading. I like to place the poem as a masterpiece that cannot be left out of this discussion.

Parliament of Fowls
Geoffrey Chaucer
For this was Saint
Valentine's day
when every bird comes
there to choose his match
Of every kind that men
may think of
And that so huge noise
they began to make
That earth and air and
tree and every lake
Was so full, that not
easily was their space
For me to stand so full
was all over the place.

Today people of all age groups are deeply engrossed in the beautiful first line of the poem, 'For this was Saint Valentine's day' which shows a great tribute to the martyred saint and teaches us the basic culture to respect the pious soul before venturing into. This is a great tribute. In the next line, Beauty is thought-provoking when he suggests 'To choose the match', which is still today very much pertinent in the volatile society. I wonder if sounding an alarm at that age is possible only by a strong visionary poet and sending a healthy message to the young to be sincere, dedicated and disciplined in their life. Similarly, if we go through the poem we find his expression of joy soaked into ecstasy and enthusiasm all around. These all things today we see when we find during this time pairs are happily moving parks, restaurants and the seniors looking at them uttering the last line of the poem,

'For me to stand - so full was all the place.'

Conclusion:

What I see today, in the context of Indian lifestyle, that blending with the teachings of Devi Saraswati and Martyard Saint Valentine, the young are very happy, can select their partners of their choice, express their feelings to each other before coming close, share their views on cultures, discuss about their thinking of family life and many other small titbit things which may cause problem afterwards. This is, I found, a very healthy sign of prosperity. Now, they can hold their hands together without any fear. Their parents also felt satisfied seeing the couple happy before riding the horse. The happiness of the children made a revolution in the society which so far was plagued by obstination but at the same time, everybody has to have the courage to fight out the fundamentalists and wipe out all superstition of orthodox people so that peace for 365 days love not shattered.

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