I love…? Naah?

There is a song in the movie Khud-Daar, that translates the expression “I love you” into 4-5 languages. It is an energetic and entertaining song. Both Amitabh Bachhan and Parveen Babi really seem to love their on-screen partners there. After all, love is such a powerful feeling. When one says “I love food”, “I love my country”, or “I love my mother”, etc., there is a burst of emotions in the eyes, body language, and emotions of the speaker. Sometimes these emotions come naturally, and other times one is reminded of these views or rather fed with this thought.

It was in 2012 that I visited Amsterdam. It was a chilling night in December month. The city was alive, breathing, and welcoming. It was my first ever stay in a youth hostel as well. Since I relied mostly on my friends to plan the trip, I had little to no idea of the lifestyle and peculiar attractions of Amsterdam. Thus everything I saw and felt was fresh to me. I liked roaming around on the streets of the city, watching boats on the canals, observing cyclists moving around, and almost everything else. It was on one such night of exploration when I saw the famous red and white board of Amsterdam “I amsterdam”. The board is simple but was good enough to speak about what I was feeling. I knew I really loved Amsterdam then.

The board spoke my and thousands of others’ thoughts. I thus loved the board and its words. Moreover, it was exclusive and fresh for me to have a lasting experience.

Years later, I see this board everywhere now. One can find “I love ____” boards everywhere with a different name against the expression. The name can be Nainital, Delhi, Jodhpur, Alipurduar, even small towns like Sadri, and Madarihaat, and in fact even petrol pumps like HP, Indian Oil, etc. The board has become so redundant that it holds no importance to me anymore. It is such a clear observation of stereotyping our expressions when there is no dearth of ways in which we can express them. Some of them may be pretty, but the abundance and plethora of unoriginality speak the opposite of the boards many a time. When I saw this expressive board for the first time I was filled with affirmation that yes I do love Amsterdam, but now I am only filled with ignorance, boredom, and the expression “Do I? Naah!”