Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and former Union minister Smriti Irani shared messages on Valentine’s Day, the run-up to which was marked by some people barging into a private university in Indore and allegedly disrupting an event on Friday.
Banerjee quoted Rabindranath Tagore's poem Ananta Prem to express enduring, selfless love for the people, while Irani used Instagram to highlight the importance of self-love and inner peace.
Banerjee wrote, "Tomarei jeno bhalobashiyachi shoto rupe shotobar/ Jonome jonome juge juge onibar [I seem to have loved you in a hundred forms, a hundred times, In every birth, in every age, unceasingly]."
Valentine’s Day, the chief minister said, is a celebration of love in all its forms and manifestations, in its widest and noblest sense; love that transcends caste, creed, class, and religion.
"It is this spirit of love that has guided my journey in public service. A love for the people strong enough to withstand storms, patient enough to listen, and bold enough to fight for justice and dignity. Happy Valentine's Day! May love be long-lasting," she wrote.
Irani shared her thoughts on Instagram, focusing on self-love. She highlighted the importance of quiet, personal love in a world that often measures it with tangible symbols.
Posting a candid selfie, Smriti wrote: "In a world that measures love in decibels in roses that promise forever, in candlelight that flickers like borrowed devotion, in greeting cards that say what the heart sometimes cannot…choose a quieter romance."
She reflected on finding validation within oneself.
"Love yourself -without the audience, without the applause. Center your soul so deeply that no storm can drag you to the ocean floor of your own despair. Become your own safe place. Your own steady pulse. Your own home. For when you find yourself, love will not feel like something to chase. It will feel like peace," she wrote.
University ruckus over Valentine’s Day
“Activists of Hindu organisations” on Thursday entered a private university, the NMIMS University, in Indore and allegedly vandalised property after claiming an obscene programme linked to Valentine's Day was being organised on campus, according to a PTI report quoting deputy commissioner of police Shrikrishna Lalchandani.
The university asserted that an "unauthorised group" damaged infrastructure and disrupted a student-led event aimed at developing professional skills.
"An investigation is underway based on video footage. We are speaking to both sides and appropriate legal action will be taken," the DCP said.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad Samrasta Department's local convener Tannu Sharma alleged obscenity was being promoted among students in the name of a Valentine's Day event on campus.