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In India, we care about a few specific days. The day we were born, Independence Day, and of course the big Valentine’s Day! The evolution of Valentine’s Day has been quite the roller coaster over the years. In the earlier years, it would be celebrated with cute notes, cards, and roses. And in the most recent years, couples have googled ‘sex toys for women’ without thinking twice. Every decade has its perks and we don’t judge anyone who might want to add some spice to their relationships using chocolates or masturbators or BOTH!
It Was All Innocent And Sweet!
During the 80’s couples had a more minimal approach to Valentine's Day. It wasn’t a craze around then as a lot of people didn’t know about it yet and the emotion around it. It’s safe to assume only a few groups of people from various social statuses followed it. Couples who were aware of the day would celebrate by sharing handwritten notes or letters or spending quality time together like dinner dates or strolls under the moonlight. The day itself didn’t have an impact but those who celebrated it did it in a subdued manner. Many Indians also considered it a Western holiday and hence hesitated to celebrate the occasion but with time, through various forms of exposure to the day, many started to be more open to the romantic holiday.
Every '90s Baby Had Their Moment!
By the time the 90s checked in, Valentine’s Days had been more accepting. There was a gradual awareness towards the festival and eventually handwritten notes became purchased cards. Flowers would be accompanied by teddies and other gifts. It was mostly accepted in urban areas in India. We would see roses everywhere, diamonds sold in heart shaped pendants, red cushions, you name it! It was all cheesy! In 1992, Valentine’s Day was made aware through commercial TV channels like MTV. A channel which was extremely popular amongst the youth for music and culture. There were also dedicated radio programs and love letter competitions!
It’s Y2k Time!
The 2000s is when Valentine’s Day became more mainstream and this was due to its commercialization and marketing. Capitalism always wins. Restaurants had couples swarming in due to their romantic decor and offers, romantic songs would release on Valentine’s day and countless dedications would be made. Gifts would be a lot more grander and significant others were definitely put to the test!
From 2010 Things Took a Twist!
Social media became a lot more popular from 2010 onwards. Stores would have Valentine's Day decor and TikTok would move to ‘pink’ decor immediately when February hit. From 'How to dress' on Valentine’s Day to 'male masturbator sex toys available online' everything was a Google search away. People have lists, expectations, and love. Couples would also start viral Valentine’s Day themed trends like budget gifting or time bound shopping sprees, which would make all the singles jealous while hugging their best quality vibrators and all the couples well, also jealous. Funny enough, while Valentine’s Day got extremely popular, many were also against the holiday as it promoted acts certain people did not think were decent. Many would assume folks who celebrated Valentine’s Day were immoral. Yes, a country with 1.7 billion people did not like people celebrating love.
In February 2013, multiple colleges in Hubli, Karnataka, decided to ban Valentine’s Day celebrations on campus. There had been attacks by miscreants in previous years and, instead of upping security and insisting on the rights of students to express love on this day, or any other, the college administrators decided to clamp down on non-violent students. (Source: Scroll.in)
In February 2017, “anti-Romeo” squads were formed with the support of the government in Uttar Pradesh. These squads would police young men waiting outside girl’s colleges. While safety of women could be achieved, unwanted policing was also not the best choice. That year, the commercial tone took a shift and newspapers encouraged readers to show their children love rather than their partners. (Via Scroll)
In 2018, a survey conducted by the popular matchmaking company, Shaadi.com stated that 3% of men and women look forward to Valentine’s Day. Almost 68% of people said “No” when asked if they believed in celebrating Valentine’s Day. This is a very interesting survey response as celebrations were going off the roof. 17% did say they didn’t celebrate it because it was “too crowded to step out” which is a fair response, as any holiday would have people everywhere. Even though India has seen a variety of twists and turns when it comes to Valentine’s Day, many do celebrate it in public and private. They still buy the gifts, write letters, cherish their significant others, while their online algorithm also takes them to different places for fun gift ideas.
Speaking of Fun Gift Ideas!
Gone are the days when you’ve got to spend several hours scrolling through google to find the best gifts. Gifts need to be fun, loving and practical. Get a card and get a handwritten letter. But also, get a vibrator for you lady. That way every time she misses you, she thinks of your thoughtful gift. When you care about her orgasms, she’ll give you the orgasms you deserve every other day! And don’t be shy, give your significant other the best quality vibrator sex toys! You can take your moments of sexting and dirty talking to a whole new level, regardless of whether it’s valentine’s day or not! Vibrators in India are no longer a gift idea that needs to be shed away from and neither should male masturbators be left behind because you weren’t a tab bit more creative with your gift ideas.
