It is still fresh in my memory ….
The decked-up gift shops in Vittalwadi…
The flower shops overflowing with RED ROSES….
The cake shop racks full of HEART SHAPED cakes…
It was my first February in Hyderabad…
I was a 16-year young girl who completed her 10th grade in a town and came to stay with her maternal uncle to pursue further education.
I had no idea about the word “VALENTINE.”
I had no clue of the word “DATE.”
Whenever my brother and I had any question in mind, we asked our parents for clarification. Our parents always supported us in getting the best possible answers.
Following our regular practice, I approached my dad and expressed my doubts regarding the words “VALENTINE and DATE.”
My dad smiled and said this to me,
Valentine is that person who spreads love unconditionally. A person who takes care of people around him or her. It can be a mother, a father, a brother, a friend or any other relationship.
Date can be any person with whom we make an appointment to discuss or share our feelings of joy, happiness, anger, pleasure etcetera. We usually go out to a nice place with a prior plan.
I was extremely fascinated with these answers and immediately asked my dad, “WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?”
He smiled and said, “YES”
I hurriedly asked him, “CAN WE GO ON A DATE?”
And the answer was AAAAA…… “YES.”
My dad and I walked hand in hand to THE CAKE BANK in Himayath Nagar, (it exists today), had pastries, went to PASSIONATE gift shop, (this one exists too), bought a wonderful, HEART SHAPED GLOW IN THE DARK GIFT, that says “I LOVE YOU”, when you press it in the middle of the HEART, (I have it with me) and walked back home hand in hand.
Every year since that day, I recollect this as soon as February shows up on the calendar.
I feel ecstatic when I think that I may be the ONLY ONE on this earth, who got this opportunity to celebrate the FIRST VALENTINE DAY, went on a FIRST DATE, received the FIRST VALENTINE GIFT from the FIRST MAN of my life…MY DAD. Today, as I write this, I am thinking of celebrating my Valentine day with my dad this year too, just the two of us…reliving the memory that is still fresh…..
Written by: Anuradha Tamarisa Kandala,
