That thing called LOVE

As the big V day approaches, I've been doing some of my own thinking

about love, or rather the process of falling in love, that initial

feeling of falling in love. In this age of speed and consumerism,

everyone wants to fall in love quickly, they want to be accepted

quickly, they want to feel the heart skip a beat, only as lovers feel

when their eyes meet, but they want quickly. They have no time, they

don't want to wait.

But falling in love takes its own sweet time. It's like wine, you

can't rush it to age, it. You have to let it be, letting the compounds

intermingle gently and modify the aromas to yield a sweet and complex

mix of flavors, all in its own stillness and time.

Whatever happened to falling in love slowly? Letting yourself sink

into it, without offering any resistance? Enjoying and savoring every

moment? After all, knowing each other doesn't happen overnight. It

takes days, nay years, revealing characteristics and nuances ever so

slowly, just like the wine that releases its heady flavors ever so

slowly

.

The beginning is always beautiful, because it holds promises untold.

We imagine a life together, traveling, having children, building our

nest. We tend to magnify all the great qualities of our lover, maybe

the way 'she made me feel' or 'the way he cracks me up' or the way 'he

always makes me feel so secure'. The power of love enables you to

choose and feel chosen. It makes you feel special, unique, wanted; it

makes you make someone feel special. It complements you and protects

you from feeling alone.

So I'd like to advise the lovers out there, don't be in a rush. Enjoy

the first slow decent into this madness called love, because it is

indeed a little bit fou, as the French would say. ''There is always

some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness"

said Friedrich Nietzsche, or as the Spanish poet and dramatist once

said, "Love that is not madness is not love."

It's this slow pace that will help create a deep bond and a strong

root, holding you in good stead in tougher times, times when maybe you

won't be able to even tolerate each other, because indeed such times

will come. Then, you can lean back and take sustenance from this

resilient bond that binds you, no matter what, because this bond was

created slowly, over time, in the days that you first fell in love

with each other. Slowly.

Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

Feels go to be on a National daily. Thank you to everyone!

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article5657915.ece

Make the connection

PREETI ZACHARIAH

Nandini Nawle of Marrygold helps bring today’s urban, educated, travelled man and woman together

Make me a perfect matchNandini Nawle

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play,” once crooned the Beatles. Easy or not, people continue to want to play this game according to Nandini Nawle of Marrygold, a matchmaking service for today’s Indian. “They want to fall in love because the act of choosing and being chosen is given to you,” she says.

Matchmaking is something that Nandini, a former HR professional and self-confessed people lover has always enjoyed doing, “I’ve been doing it unofficially for a long time now, “she says. People would ask me to introduce them to someone interesting and I would do so,” she says adding, “I love people and find them fascinating. I’ve always enjoyed observing them and because I’m intuitive it doesn’t take me long to understand them which makes it easy for me to get together like minded ones.”

She started Marrygold in 2006, “The name comes from the flower marigold, which is an integral part of the Indian wedding,”she remarks. “And it is such a bright, positive symbol, isn’t it?”

Marrygold, a personalized, offline, matchmaking service carters particularly to today’s urban, educated, travelled Indian, “We are a very niche website that goes beyond caste, language, community, history, or horoscope. Instead we spend time with our clients, understand them as a human being and try to bring like minded ones together. You need to be able to open up and share life on the grounds important to you,” she says.

Recently Marrygold has also started organizing events for singles in which singletons with similar interests are encouraged to meet over interesting activities, “Bangalore is a small city and there are few platforms for people to come out and meet. Events such as these help bring people together and this may lead to something interesting,” says Nandini.

In addition to pairing single people, Nandini is a certified yoga teacher, inner child therapist, massage therapist, practices holistic reflexology and uses these skills to better the service she offers. On future plans, she says, “I want to take this to other cities such as Bombay, Delhi and Chennai. I want more people to be open to coming out and meeting more people. I am also trying to introduce the concept of slow romance. People need to be able to spent quality time and understand each other better before jumping into a commitment.”

Marrygold Matchmake