Galentine’s Day: How single women plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Is it a celebration of love or a marketing gimmick? People around the globe may have held divisive views about Valentine's Day for long, but there is no undermining the socio-cultural significance of the day. As the day approaches and businesses push their varied set of products and experiences for couples to consume, dread looms large over singletons. Fuelled by the media's ideas of over-romanticism, this day can invoke a vast range of emotions and responses. While some seek new prospects, many dedicate the day to spending time with their platonic loved ones. Mid-day.com spoke to independent single women across the country, who choose to mark the day with self-care, girlfriends, work, and much more.

Malayka Shirazi, 26
Video Editor

A fan of K-pop (Korean pop), Malayka Shirazi will be spending the day watching a K-pop idol's live with two of her best friends whom she met on the internet. "I've been friends with these two people for years (one of them for over a decade) without having ever met them. We talk almost every day. We joined the same fandoms so we enjoy sharing content and reading and writing fanfiction with each other."

Emphasising the importance of celebrating the love we share with our friends, the New-Delhi resident says, "We hype each other up and share our joys and work woes - we even have movie and soju nights! They just happen across a screen. Since they helped me come out of a toxic work situation this year, it seems like the perfect time to tell them how much I enjoy their company and that they're my Galentines. I'm planning on sending both of them curated playlists with songs I think they'll like, and all three of us are going to spend the day on call watching an online concert together. Some soju will most definitely be involved."

Karthika Aiyer, 28
Photographer and artist

"I've been single for a while. Every year on Valentine's Day, there are numerous events and parties that people look forward to. Though I couldn't care less about celebrating the day, I found this as an opportunity to bring a smile to those who did. Inspired by Secret Santa, I decided to host an online Secret Valentine through my Instagram", shares Karthika Aiyer.

The Goa-based artist adds, "Contrary to my expectations, I got a good response and took it upon myself to prepare chits and assign every participant a Secret Valentine so everyone could receive a gift on February 14. The process might have been painful but the result has been extremely gratifying. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the day of love than spreading it all around."

Jigyasa Agarwal, 25,
Journalist

Jigyasa Agarwal likens Valentine's Day to a fantasy. "Over the years I've had a social stigma for celebrating Valentine's. The idea of it being a perfect day with someone perfect, and every year beating myself up because it couldn't match up the standards set by Bollywood and everything social media caters to. So much so that in the name of Valentine's and self-love, I piled up roses and chocolates to make myself feel loved."

Sharing her renewed plans for this year, she shares, "I plan on doing something completely different this time around. I will get on my day as usual, work from 9 to 5 and get a coffee after. I plan to write a journal later in the evening to mark what I am willing to offer when it comes to relationships, rather than writing what I expect from a partner. And to end my monotonous usual day, I plan to sit in and watch Netflix with yet again, a coffee, and a bucket full of fries. Wine is too overrated anyway."

Purva Desai, 39
PR professional

No single day can be enough for love according to Purva Desai. "Ever since I was in college, I have seen Valentine's Day being celebrated, and I honestly feel there should be no one particular day to express your love."

"For me, it's just another day because the most important thing is to prioritise yourself on a daily basis because the most important romantic relationship you can have is with yourself. If I'm in a celebratory mood, I'd love to spend this day with my girlfriends, celebrating Galentine's and laughing over some good food, and watching a movie together," concludes the Mumbai resident.

Also Read: Indian daters could meet 41 potential 'The Ones' on average: Study