While the hate love brigade is largely made up of annoyed singles, several couples would also like to do away with pinks and reds on February 14u00a0u00a0

The Shiv Sena has competition. Love, read Valentine's Day, has a hate club, and it's burgeoning online. The Internet has turned into a hub for anti-Valentine's Day folk to network with their ilk, especially through social networking website Facebook, which has nearly 35 anti-love forums and more than 3,000 fans.u00a0

No Valentine, no thanks

'Valentine's Day Sucks!!' says a forum called Anti-Valentine's dayu00e2u0080u00a6 not Anti-LOVE!!. It's not against love, just the celebration of love on a particular day. The forum that was started last year, has creator Farhat Rahmatulla advising fans to go out and "blast" today.u00a0

Anti-Valentine's Day was started in 2008 and has gathered 700-odd fans. This forum believes in involving members in disturbing activities to celebrate February 14: distributing wilting flowers, handing out evil candy hearts and eviscerated teddy bears, wearing all-black and eating only bitter chocolate. It's not a pretty picture.u00a0

The most recent of all groups, again called Anti Valentine's Day. It cropped up only last month and addresses singles who are sorely reminded year-after-year of their insipid relationship status. "Aren't you always all alone on this damn day?!?" states the 'forum description' quite simply. One of the posts laments, "Wish it was on "29th February!" so won't be this painful!!!"

Online clubs range from the depressed to the violently angry to a few humourous ones that ask others to be their 'anti-Valentine'. An independent online forum compares the day to herpes ("That's why it's called VD") and states, 'This Valentine, don't say it with flowers, say it with bile.'



Overtime for shrinks

The number of singles and love-haters don't make life any easier for Mumbai-based clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Seema Hingorrany. Seema is trying hard to accommodate an increasing number of patients who are calling in to book appointments to combat love day. "Last year, we had six patients around to February 14. This time, it has doubled. I have already counselled 14 youngsters this week, and am gearing up for more," she says. Singles account for most of them, she says.

The reason she says is that Valentine's Day seems to blow up into a bigger commercial drama each passing year.