Love is in the air

I had never imagined Indians as hopeless romantics. Wooing never used to be a skill found in a many Indian men. Women were too shy and reserved when it came to matters of the heart.

With the advent of Valentines day in India, all of this has changed. This year, I was struck by the fact that Valentines Day, which was virtually unknown 20 years ago has now become one of the major Indian “festivals”. There is absolute media frenzy around the day of the cupid. Almost every major restaurant in town offered a special Valentines Day package for couples and was booked solid weeks in advance. For the retailer, this has created another opportunity to create shopping hysteria in a country where there is a high percentage of under-25 men and women with high disposable income. This festival has also brought a boom for florists!