Its red all over the place

CHENNAI: It’s red and it’s everywhere. It’s slightly difficult not to spot specks of red hearts everywhere from the Internet to clothing retail chains, theatres, malls and god knows where else, in our ostensibly ‘conservative’ city. And in case you’ve missed all the excessive cupid-ities, there’s little doubt that Google will come up with a customised logo that will welcome you when you log into your computer, first thing today.Also, one can rest assured that people will be switching their computers on, considering it’s a Tuesday – Valentine’s Day or not. Getting a day off soon after the week begins is almost impossible, according to the PYPs (Pretty Young Professionals) we spoke to. “Maybe, they should consider making it like Deepavali,” suggests Ruchira G, a systems analyst. “So that Valentine’s Day can be declared on the weekend that’s close to February 14 every year. This way, we don’t have to keep killing a grandmother every year to get time off, in order to keep our boyfriends happy,” she adds. There’s a silver lining here though for the BPO-ites who work night shifts.  “We get almost the whole day off, so a romantic meal-cum-movie date is possible,” says R Dharan, “As long as we wake up!”A whole host of Valentine’s Day gift-and-card shops have been keeping their fingers crossed. “So far, the sales has been better than Christmas for the first time. If it keeps up tomorrow, then all will be well,” beams Sampath, who works at a major gift chain. Hotels, resorts and pubs are also waiting for the city’s verdict with bated breath. “Reservations are far and between at the moment. But it’s usually that way and somehow at least older couples come in and keep the tables busy,” says a F&B Manager at a star hotel in the city.But for most people, it’s bound to be just another day. Unless you have kids aged between 13 and 26 years, that is. “I’m very close to my daughter,” says Sheila Rao, a homemaker and mother of a first-year psychology student. “But I always get little uncomfortable when she’s out with a male ‘friend’ around Valentine’s Day. So I usually make sure we set up shopping dates or family outings for three days around that time to avoid any problems,” she admits. While the thought of their child, male or female, celebrating ‘lover’s day’ with a boy/girl friend, is beginning to gain some manner of acceptance in the city, very few parents are sans reservations. “It’s the most nervous day of the year for me,” says Amrita Vasanthy. “My daughter is 19 now and she has been going out with her friends since she was 13. I always make her swear that she’s not going out alone with a boyfriend, before she sets out on this day,” she adds.Perhaps it’s the fact that she met her husband at a concert before they fell in love or just that she has two sons, that allows Irene Davidson from Perambur to stay without an ounce of worry. “Why would I worry? My boys talk about their love lives at the dinner table. When we are that comfortable, what is there to worry about?” she says. However, she confesses to one worry though, “I just hope they don’t get pinched (arrested) by the cops for something!”So is love in the air this Valentine’s Day in Chennai? That depends on where you  decide to stick your nose and take a sniff.