Women embrace Galentine’s Day as social phenomenon

Pune: What began as a throwaway joke on TV show "Parks and Recreation" in 2010 has now evolved into a deliberate feminist recalibration of what love and support look like in urban India. Galentine's Day, celebrated on Feb 13, is increasingly being claimed by women as a rebuttal to a culture that treats romantic coupling as the primary marker of fulfilment. In cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru, it is not about pink décor and cute cupcakes, but about reclaiming female friendship as a primary emotional support system.Last year, Instagram posts tagged #GalentinesDay crossed 1.5 million. Globally, demand for platonic Valentine's cards rose by about 30%, according to Moonpig, an online greeting card retailer, with nearly one in five cards now exchanged between friends rather than partners. Restaurants, spas, and lifestyle brands followed, rolling out women-only group offers.At Lune Cafe and Patisserie in Koregaon Park, co-owner Anuja Patil began to notice the shift in the most ordinary way. "We started our cafe last year and did a special Valentine's Day menu with heart-themed decor, but we noticed many groups of women coming in too. It made us realise as business owners that Valentine's Day is not just for romantic couples, but rather a day you celebrate with people you love, friends included," said Patil.This year, the cafe leaned into it. "As our decor is quite ‘Pinteresty', we wanted to do something special for Galentine's Day. Even this year, we got a lot of calls for table bookings for groups of women on Feb 13. One of the things on our special menu is a rose dessert with white chocolate and raspberry compote that can be shared among a group of four," Patil added.Surbhi Rathod, a dance instructor at Stepify Studio on Gangadham-Kondhwa Road, is organising a Galentine's Day workshop for the first time. "We always celebrated Friendship Day through our workshops, but this time we wanted to do something that specifically celebrates the bond women share. The idea is not perfection, it's connection," she said.Rathod said female friendships provide a safe space built on comfort, honesty, and strength. "No matter the age, there's an unspoken understanding of what the other might be going through. Taking out time to celebrate that bond is important. It's a way of expressing gratitude and love for the women who constantly support you," she said.For many, the appeal is both political and personal. "I'm newly single and exhausted by the pressure to ‘move on'. Celebrating Galentine's Day with my girl gang feels like a reminder that my life is full, even without a romantic plus one," said Rhea Mehta, a 37 year-old marketing professional.Corporate lawyer Nalini Ramnath is organising a dinner with her women colleagues. "We all face similar issues in life and work, be it safety while travelling or casual sexism thrown our way by oblivious male colleagues. We held each other through appraisals, break-ups, miscarriages, and promotions. In a world that constantly tells women to shrink or adjust, we are choosing to back each other loudly and without compromise," said Ramnath.The science to support the sentiment includes studies that show that strong female friendships lower stress, boost emotional resilience, and improve long-term health.