Galentines' Day: Living, loving and laughing beyond your 40s

Of course you have gal pals in your 20s, but can your friendship pass the test of time? Staying connected in your 40s and beyond is where the real test of friendship comes up. Galentines for Gen Xers is rarely discussed. Our moms and aunts deserve female friendships as much as we do and celebrating a day before Valentine's is the perfect time to do that. Gen X shares their wisdom as women age gracefully surrounded by friends, celebrating life.

'Female friendships are like chai'

Finding support in friends is an incomparable comfort. Monalika Sabharwal, 45, moderator of an online community, Gurgaon Moms uses the best analogy and says, “Female friendships in my life are like nice masala chai on a rainy day! Strong yet comforting! A place where I am myself completely, understood without being judged, even when I am silent. They act as a system of strength and like an unspoken promise that I am always there.”

Singing your heart out with your girlies is a core memory no matter the age. Anisha Uppal, marketing manager at a Delhi-based cafe, who is organising a Galentines DJ and karaoke party, says, "Gen X are the girls who would relate the best and would know the lyrics to 90s and early 2000s songs word by word. It would take them to their school and early teenage days. We wanted to bring nostalgia to Galentines', including Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and let women celebrate with us with their feminine energy and beautiful girlhood."

'We have seen each other grow'

Nicky Singh, 47, who works at CII, believes girl gangs to be the most important. “We know all the secrets and actual personalities since we have grown up together, been there for the ups and downs of life. Since we have as old as 2 decade-long relationships, we are each other's fiercest supporters, strongest critics and the most brutally honest voices.” She often takes staycations with her friends and describes them as the most therapeutic time.

No matter the age, women always need their girl gang to laugh and cry with, rant and scream with, or simply exist around. The energy of female friendship is indescribable and is only felt around your best friends. “We regularly plan outings like concerts, comedy shows, movies, workshops etc together. Playing board games is our new favorite nowadays. We also are members of the same book club, yoga class and dance sessions and remain connected all the time," Sonia Sethi, 51, an educator and single mom from Punjabi Bagh, plans to go out with her friend group this weekend.

'It's important to feel empowered'

Going out with friends and often on solo dates are what keeps women feeling empowered throughout their lives. "It's important for elderly women to feel like part of a community, to be seen beyond their roles as mothers, daughters and grandmothers, and to be recognised as individuals in their own right. Heritage walks are a powerful way to encourage women to explore the city and feel more confident and empowered," notes Anoushka Jain, founder of Enroute Indian History that conducts women-only heritage walks. She notes that activities encourage women to get out of their comfort zone to try new experiences.

Beyond the conventional roles, mothers and daughters are finding friendship as well. Describing her friendship with her mother, Mudita Chauhan-Mubayi, 50, founder of QuizCraft Global, says, "My first friend, my mother, tied my first sari and also untied our bond, loosening it enough to let me fly out over newer horizons. I know now what a challenge that is, as my daughters come into their own. My girls, who are 22 and 17 years old, and I are the thickest of friends, as proven by the capybara reels we keep exchanging!" She remarks, "Lives carry on but friendship is forever on standby, and the "behen-code" is activated instinctively, when we sense the other needs it."

Women share what Galentines' means to them:

• A symbol of women empowerment and celebration of love
• Girl gangs hanging together irrespective of valentines is galentines for me
• Sisterhood and a beautiful reminder that friendship is also love and deserves its own celebration!
• The indestructible core of female friendships is how we hold space for each other to be vulnerable, to just be