Whether it was serenading in parks or in restaurants of the city, or even — as is in vogue in the online age — messages on social networking sites, Valentine's Day had indeed marked its presence among Bangaloreans.
Traders, hotels and florists were pulling all stocks to attract the smitten into their stores. Even mobile phone operators took advantage of the increased volume of amorous messages. Private mobile operators suspended their free SMS schemes for the day and announced that local messages would cost the sender a cool Rs. 1 per message.
Hotels too
It was not just the couples who were in high spirits on Tuesday. With hotels across the city seeing a rise in business, Vasudev Adiga, president, of the Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Owners' Association, said the day was an important business opportunity.
“Valentine's sees an increase in business of about 20 per cent in hotels, with most customers being couples,” he said. Mr. Adiga added that restaurants sought to woo lovebirds by creating a romantic ambience, with heart-shaped balloons and dreamy music being part of the package.
Politics of love
Though the ‘politics of love' may be muddled at best, couples across the State received a shot in the arm with Karnataka Chaluvali Vatal Paksha president Vatal Nagaraj extending his “full support” to Valentine's Day. He did not stop there and even asked for February 14 to be declared a national holiday, and Rs. 50,000 be given to every couple who got hitched on the day.
Love for humanity
For some, the occasion was more than a mere business opportunity. Clutching heart-shaped balloons, a large number of people participated in the voluntary blood donation drive organised by Fortune Park JP Celestial and the Lions Blood Bank.
