Mussoorie (Uttarakhand): Valentine's Day -- celebrated every year on February 14 across the world -- may have its own history for the world, but for India, this day marks the beginning of a story of two lovers in the hills of Mussoorie in British India. As informed by Gopal Bhardwaj, a noted historian in Mussoorie, 'Letter of a Mussoorie Merchant', a book written by Mauger Fitzugh Monk holds special mention about how people began celebrating Valentine's Day in our country.
In conversation with ETV Bharat, Gopal said, "Monk was an England-born Latin language teacher at John Menon's Barloganj school in Mussoorie and lived here from 1828- 1849. He used to write two letters every month to his sister in England. Here, Monk fell in love with one English girl named Elizabeth Luene. On February 14, 1843, Monk wrote a letter to his sister in England describing his feelings for Elizabeth. And that he wanted to marry her."
Showing the letter from the book, Gopal said, "This letter that Monk wrote to his sister in England on Valentine's Day mentions his love for Elizabeth and how he is happy to have found her." It could be said that the first mention of Valentine's Day in India originates from Mussoorie dating back to over 150 years ago, the historian added.
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"Valentine's Day is the Day of Love. St Valentine gave the message to love everything around you nearly 2000 years ago. This day is not just for lovers but for everyone. This day should not be confined to the love between a couple," he added.
Additionally, some sources added that there are numerous stories linked to the origin of Valentine's Day. According to one of them, the first Valentine's Day started with a roman festival that was first celebrated in 496 AD and gradually spread over to the rest of the world. The story of the letters written by Mauger Fitzugh Monk came to the fore nearly 150 years ago after his relative Andrew Margan mentioned them in public domain.
