Madanotsav v/s Valentines Day

Among some of the favorite topics of poets one is ‘Spring’. John Keats credited for the depiction of beauty has ‘Spring’ as one of the best composition of English literature. In one of the hindi poetries spring has been personified as a priest, ‘Aaye Mahant Vasant’. In India spring season is being celebrated as Madanotsav or Kamotsav since the Vedic age. We can call this Madanotsav as the festival of love. Under the impact of westernization we forgot our Madanotsav, and started following Valentines’s day. One hand this day started bringing a big business on the other hand it raised the brews of well wishers of Indian culture. They declared Valentine’s day as a danger to Indian culture. This reminds of famous line of poet Iqbal which says: ‘‘Kuch baat hai ki hasti mitatii nahi hamari, Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-jahan hamara’’.

      This is a big fact that there is no danger to Indian culture. It is interesting to note that Valentine’s Day is celebrated only one day whereas Madanotsav is for one complete month. Madanotsav is the welcome note to the changing mood of the season. The winters affect the entre life style. Nature has planned in such a way that the cold blooded animals go for a long hibernation period. Our body metabolism also works to maintain the balance with the falling temperature. As soon as the winters are over the hibernation ends, everything gets fresh. Secretion of hormones gets activated and a new enthusiasm is seen everywhere.

Cupid v/s Kamdev :

There is a lot of similarity between Kamdev and Cupid. Both symbolize love and circulate the feelings of love in everyone’s heart. Both have a bow and arrow of flowers.

      According to Roman mythological stories Cupid is the deity of love and beauty. The meaning of Cupid is desire. According to these stories Cupid is the son of Venus and Mercury. Venus is the Goddess of love and Mercury the God of message. Cupid’s mother had envy feelings for a princess named Psyche. Venus ordered Cupid to make Psyche love the ugliest man. Cohen Cupid saw Psyche; he himself fell in love with her. After some problems they got married and had a daughter named voluptas which means pleasure.

      Kamdev is believed to be the incarnation of lord Krishna’s son Praduymna. Kamdev has been picturized as a very attractive youth whose bow is of sugarcane and honeybees whereas arrow is of five types of flowers.

Yellow color and Spring:

Yellow color is deeply associated with spring. Yellow clothes are worn on Vasant Panchmi. Yellow color is kept in the category of warm colour. Although red is also a warm color yet yellow is preferred as it soothes also.

      So, we find that both are the same. Valentine’s is not different from what we celebrates as Madanotsav.