An all-male singles’ club meets every Valentine’s Day in the city
DEV SHARAN SAMS
It’s not just the more romantic couples in our city who celebrate Valentine’sDay. Over the last three years, six of an all-male lonely hearts club have been meeting for dinner at fast food joints on V-Day to avoid that lonely stag feeling. And they are going to do it this year too.
Even as shopping centres and restaurants are a riot of pink and white heart-shaped balloons and the entire city gets dotted with couples hanging out in the warmth of Cupid’slove, this group always meets for a quiet dinner on V-Day –making the spirit of friendship bring about all that joy and happiness. The Mirror Squad caught up with them beforethe festival of love and asked them to answer a few questions straight from the heart.
Are they lonesome because they are rejects as far as Cupid is concerned? The guys, quite a few of them good-looking folks with pleasing personalities,reply in the negative and say it’s because education and family comes first for them.
“It’s not like we don’t know what love is; some of us have even had relationships.But none of us want to get deeply involved and go on aroller coaster ride of emotions that could affect our studies.You understand, most of us are doing serious courses like engineering, management and medicine,” said one ofthe youngsters on the condition of anonymity.
Most of the time, love flourishes in school or PUC-levelcollege and reaches its peak at the degree or post-graduate stage, said another member,adding: “You become particularly vulnerable to love at coed institutions, where the proximity of pretty young girls turns out to be the perfect trigger for romance. But we know what we want… there is a timefor all this, but it’s not now.”
Another group member was all for family values: “I love my family and they trust me.Romance generally causes family upheavals. I don’t want to hurt them. Of course I would love to love, but not at the cost of pain.”
His friend nodded his headin agreement. “Even though my family is quite liberal, this is not the time to search forlove. Look at Sabeer Bhatia – he waited for so long and made the right choice,” he said.
One member, the most obvious flirt in the group, asked,”Are we really missing out on something… knowing what girls are really like these days?”
A friend of his, who seemed to be rather cynical about theentire concept, said, “My current projects and internal assessment examinations leave me no time for the Valentine proposals I have received.When I see other guys wasting their time and money on worldly-wise women, I feel sorry for them. These guys are the real losers, according to me.“
While two of the group members said they could manage both love and studies at the same time, they would not want to go ahead looking for a Valentine just yet. One of the others, however, said he may not remain in the group for too long. Glancing at the messages in his mobile phone, he said, “I may have to leave this group soon. Wish me luck…”
Stating that though they were not averse to love and would accept it if it comes, thegroup members said their first priority – as of now – is to pursue higher studies in India or abroad and then settle down. “Also, the more mature you are, the better you can handle a relationship. Why worry about stuff like this now? Such things should not be rushed,”said a particularly sensible lookingmember.
However, while this singles’ group feels that there are more important things to do than sacrificing everything to get the momentary thrill of having a girl on the arm on V-day, others feel that it’s just a put-on.”They have formed this group just because they are unlucky in love,” joked a youngster,who seems to have a hot date lined up for this Valentine’s.
The Mirror Squad 