Written by Baani Mehandru, Chehak Sehdev, Srijaa Chatterjee, Nitya Khirwar, Unnathi Kumar
Edited by Aarushi Bansal
Designed by Khusshi Arora
Love is a forever evolving concept, an emotion rather than a feeling, differing for each person with our perception of love imbibed within us, entwined in our thoughts, portrayed in our actions. But your version of love can be extremely polar to mine, and in lieu of Valentine’s Day, we chose to delve deeper into our emotions and explore the significance of love in our lives. Because without love, who are we save for empty shells?
Love, to me, is the will for you to become a better person for the person that you “love.” This doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to romantic relationships: a parent can want to be a better person for the sake of their child or a pet owner can want to be a better person for the sake of their pet. Instead of hackneyed presents like flowers or chocolates, try providing space and conduciveness to the people that you love, and allow them to become better people, both personally and professionally, this Valentine’s Day.
- Unnathi Kumar
The defining feature of love is its ability to be dynamic. While love adheres to no rules, it can’t be considered genuine unless each involved is willing to accommodate the other’s interests and needs without denigrating or neglecting their own. As these change over time, one must often change one’s practices in order to cater to them. One such practice, of course, is the celebration of Valentine’s Day. While this day is as dynamic as love itself, some needs and interests are highly unlikely to change over time, so one must accept them as they are. For me, that would be The Sound of Music, waltzes, and cheese platters.
- Nitya Khirwar
Love is what makes us complete, the feeling of infiniteness, in a world where everything is temporary. The people I’m with, those who keep me tethered. You make me feel permanent in a constantly changing atmosphere because to me, falling in love has no romantic strings attached: falling in love is knowing the person heightens your sense of happiness to unimaginable extents, that when they leave, you would be empty without them. Love me for who I am, and my heart’s unlocked for you. The key you hold, my soul in your hand, the way I light up every time you run through my head. All I hope for, with my entire being, that perhaps you think of me, and you smile with my memories keeping you warm.
- Srijaa Chatterjee
Love, a word hard to define, yet something so commonly experienced. Love isn’t limited to just a romantic feeling you may feel for a possible significant other; love is open to all things animate and inanimate. You can love anything that brings you happiness, that makes you feel like the luckiest person alive just by experiencing or being around this thing. There may be different types of love: love you may have for a sibling or your parents, love you may have for your partner or your pet, or even the little stuff toy you’ve had since you were six. But regardless of who it is for, love is the most powerful force present amongst us. Love isn’t something physical, but it’s something that’s felt in the smile that is brought to your lips by the thought of them, the way that memories of them keep replaying in your head as you find yourself staring into space— memories that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Love is remembering the little things about them, and surprising them for absolutely no reason at all— just to put a smile on their face. Love is all these combined, and yet something so vast that cannot be explained just felt. It’s something that we, as humans, are bound to feel. Love is beautiful.
- Chehak Sehdev
Does ‘true-love’ exist or is it just a masked reality that's portrayed in the movies? Is there a soulmate destined for everyone or is it just a word used to comfort someone when they’re not coping too well in the ‘love sphere’ of their life? The weird thing about love is that it’s open to interpretation; everyone has their own way to define love and even its relevance in their life. A friendly smile, a kind gesture, a prolonged hug, or even an understanding nod, love encompasses all these actions. It comes in very different forms and is seen through very different perspectives. It may not be for just that one person but also for your close ones be it your friends, family, or even yourself. It makes your troubles vanish, makes your helplessness go away, makes your worries disappear, and allows you to be vulnerable. You give yourself the chance to build yourself again and release all fears, insecurities, and doubts. But, as life is, everything doesn't always run smoothly, there are troubles, turmoil, and difficulties that ironically bind you more. The concept of love isn't often understood completely solely due to its complexity. But, the hardest part of love— the longing hope that it never leaves our side.
- Baani Mehandru
But most importantly, pyaar dosti hai.
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