Florist business boom on Valentine's Day eve
by Sarika Sharma

     New Delhi: If you think Valentine's Day is just meant for lovers, school or college-goers, think again. Far away from anyone's notice, it is the florists, especially the wholesalers, who wait for February 14. For them, the countdown to the D-day means money and more money as the flowers are high in demand. With rates of the priced blooms touching a market price, double than the normal days', what else can any businessman wish for? The flower wholesalers say the piece de resistance of the V-day, are Red roses that bring them the maximum profit. Roses were retailing at a wholesale rate of nearly half a dollar at a wholesale flower market in New Delhi on Monday (February 13). It is double of what they were selling barely two days ago.

    "Normally, the rates increase 8-10 days before Valentine's Day but this year, it increased 15 days in advance. Exports have also been good this year from India and domestic rates are also up. Rates have gone up more than two to three times," says Vinod Tomar, a wholesaler. The sellers are expecting roses to be retailed at almost a dollar on D-day, and still expect to make a profit out of it with no shortage of buyers. Despite being exorbitantly priced, roses and other flowers are in great demand. "Now there are a variety of fancy packaging materials that are available like glitter, piping etc in which you can decorate even single roses. These are times when style make all the difference. The customers are only looking for good quality and better presentations and if you can give them that, they don't refuse paying a higher price," says Abhishek, a wholesale buyer. But many sellers blamed the recent cold wave that gripped Delhi and its surrounding areas for the relatively low crop of roses this season. It has affected supply to an extent. Yet, while this was more than made up for by regular imports from other states, the prices are considerably higher than what prevailed last year. India's annual flower production is an estimated 1,000 tonnes.

Beware of Valentine's faux pas syndrome

     London: Imagine what would happen if your mushy Valentine's Day message to your concubine ends up with your wife? And though it may seem straight out of a horror movie, it is actually very real, as a survey has found that more text messages reach the wrong recipients, than senders would be ready to bargain for. And with Valentine's day round the corner, love messages texters have been asked to be cautious against dispatching their messages to the wrong person. A survey appearing in the mirror showed that one in four steamy message or photo sent in a hustle ended up with the boss, colleague, friend or ex by mistake. The survey of 3,000 adults for dot mobile found that six out of 10 admitted to "text cheating" but claimed it was just "harmless fun". But for a fifth, the flirting grew into a full affair. In a worst case scenario, texts to a secret flame could end up in a current partner's inbox.

Shiv Sena protests ahead of Valentine's Day

    Ludhiana/Varanasi: Activists from the Shiv Sena burned Valentine's Day cards on the eve of the year's most romantic day and warned couples across India against getting too amorous over a "foreign" celebration that corrupts traditional values. Saint Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in India in recent years, a trend led by retailers who do healthy business selling heart-shaped balloons and fluffy teddy bears. But the growing popularity of the day has also sparked protests, which have sometimes turned violent. In Ludhiana, Shiv Sena activists vandalized a gift shop and set fire to bundles of cards in a warning to shop owners and young lovers.

   Elsewhere, dozens of Shiv Sena activists used loudspeakers in Varanasi to ask couples to stay indoors on Tuesday. Activists shouted slogans condemning the day's celebrations as against Hinduism and said their team will visit parks frequented by boys and girls and teach them lessons. "If we see anyone indulging in immoral or indecent activities tomorrow in the name of Valentine's Day, which corrupts our culture, we'll catch hold of them and ask them the true definition of love. We'll also call their family members and if they agree, the girls and boys will be married then and there. Otherwise, they'll be mounted atop donkeys with tonsured heads and will be taken around the city," said Gulshan Kapur, President of the Varanasi Unit of Shiv Sena party. The activists said they would also target hotels and restaurants that offered special romantic deals on Tuesday. In Jharkhand, activists have announced that they would patrol the streets of the capital, Ranchi, and force any couple found cozying up in public to get married. Groups like the Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena are part of a growing tribe of cultural vigilantes opposed to what they see as increasing mimicry of the West, especially by teenagers. Such groups have in the past stopped the screening of controversial films dealing with homosexuality and the plight of widows forced into prostitution, saying they denigrated India's ancient traditions.

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