The region rolled out red carpet for lovers, Cupid was only too happy to shoot, but his arrows had to pass through fortified police barricades to hit his targets. Here are some vignettes from Valentine’s Day
Chandigarh
Love in the time of barricades
If love conquers all, it clearly hasn’t met the heavy barricading along Chandigarh’s famed Geri Route. With police deployment across Sectors lining the stretch, and additional checks on Madhya Marg and Udyan Path, Cupid’s arrows are passing through more checkpoints than usual this year.
Traffic regulation measures have turned romantic drives into slow-motion parades, as couples carefully navigate diversions to reach their dinner dates. Reaching popular restaurants and clubs feels less like a date and more like a treasure hunt, minus the map. “We left early for romance, but arrived late due to barricades,” laughed one youngster, stuck between cones and compliance.
Meanwhile, the city’s hospitality scene is in full bloom. Most clubs were booked well in advance, with DJ nights, themed décor and curated Valentine’s Day dinner experiences promising candlelight, cuisine and curated playlists. For many, it’s a night to splurge, sparkle and celebrate — provided they can first decode the traffic puzzle.
This Valentine’s Day, in Chandigarh, love may be in the air, but patience is definitely on the road. — Sheetal
 
Panchkula
‘Palat …Palat…Palat’
When someone says ‘love’, we hear Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Romance. Valentine’s Day reminds us of love in the mustard fields of Punjab, with little yellow flowers and Simran running towards Raj. To celebrate this love, Sunset Cinema Club organised Valentine’s Week, with an outdoor-screening the one-and-only Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge on February 14 and 50 First Dates on February 15 at Bella Vista, Sector 5, Panchkula. — Radhika Sharma
 
Ludhiana
In search of a soulmate
Photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Most educational institutions, especially the all-girls’ colleges, witnessed thin attendance today as youngsters chose to spend Valentine’s Day with their loved ones. Soaked in the Valentine spirit, many students bunked classes to celebrate the occasion with friends, companions and soulmates.
Namita (name changed), a BBA student of a reputed college, said she went to the campus but did not attend classes. Instead, she and her group of four friends went on a long drive. “Had we told our families that we were stepping out to celebrate, we would never have been allowed. So, we made a plan, went for a long drive, had lunch at Haveli near Jalandhar and returned,” she said.
Jasdeep Bindra from Ombré restaurant said their specially designed menu reflected a distinct Valentine vibe. “We had the menu cards printed exclusively for the occasion,” he said.
Meanwhile, police patrolling was intensified outside leading colleges to keep a check on eve-teasing.
Youngsters were seen thronging markets and malls, watching movies and enjoying meals at restaurants. Several Valentine-themed parties were organised across the city. Keesha Live, along with her band, performed at Sutlej Club. Many restaurants and marketplaces arranged live music performances to attract crowds.
At Yellow Chilli, every table was offered a complimentary cake on Valentine’s Day. Satinder Singh, the owner, said the offer was valid for every walk-in customer.
Vinit, a resident of Sarabha Nagar, said she never misses celebrating Valentine’s Day. “I am going for a quiet dinner with my better half today, even though we have been married for 28 years. Age is just a number,” she said. — Shivani Bhakoo
Shimla
High tea for lovebirds
Photo: Lalit Kumar
To make Valentine’s Day special, The Heritage Trial Café-Sweet Sensations hosted a special Valentine’s Day themed High Tea, specially designed for lovebirds who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day by enjoying delicious desserts.
Prakriti Jain, who owns the café along with her mother Anchal Jain, said, “Valentine’s Day is very special and popular amongst the people as it gives an opportunity to lovers to express their deep admiration to each other. Keeping this in mind, we here decided to offer a special Valentine’s Day High Tea in which we are offering special tea along with desserts. Roses and special table decorations have also been available on demand.”
“Along with this, we are also offering special digital gift cards, designed especially for those couples who are not able to celebrate Valentine’s Day together” said Jain. — Navneet Rathore

Jalandhar
Making memories
Photo: Sarabjit Singh
February is the month of love and it has been visibly so in Jalandhar. Having celebrated many themed days throughout the week — Kiss Day, Hug Day, Chocolate Day and Propose Day, the finale came today with the couples dressed in their best formals, partying and making memories together on the Valentine’s Day.
Almost all cafes, restaurants and hotels in the city arranged the best settings for the day to make the couples get that romantic, fairy tale ambience as they spend quality time with one another. A popular hangout in Urban Estate – Mizani created a dreamy canopies with flowing red drapes. Live music added charm for the perfect date. Aarti, manager, said, “The burgers and the pasta that we are offering today is not in our regular menu. We have Sundried Tomato Risotto pasta and Katsu Mushroom Burget. To add to some sweetness, there is Ruby Chocolate Pull Up Cake”.
Several restaurants also had an option of offering small gifts or hampers to the couple making advance table booking. A photo booth and selfie frames too were other option for making memories of that perfect date.
Another popular hangout – Notorious – had options like Love Elixir Mocktail, Margaretta Napoli Pizza, Baked Cheese Cake, Truffle Edamame and Cream Cheese Dimsums as its special V-Day menu. — Deepkamal Kaur
Amritsar
Words of love

A candlelight, a quiet corner, coffee and conversation. Nothing like a soft, quiet expression of love. On Valentine’s Day, 20 individuals, from all age groups, came together at Kaffiene, a coffee and culture space in Amritsar to share and show some love to books.
A silent reading party hosted by Timeless Amritsar and Kaffiene was an absolute expression of love, one for self and for literature.
The readers brought their own books, a good number of them centered on the love story of Amrita Pritam and Imroz, some were offered books by the cafe.
“There are so many ways to express love and what better way than to bring people together for the love of literature. Another purpose of these silent reading parties was to encourage young authors and writers from Amritsar to connect with readers, build a vibrant community of readers,” said Davinder Singh, Founder, Timeless Amritsar.
There was another catch, two young authors -Rohit Narang and Tania Khurana- who shared with readers, how they fell in love with words. “I feel that such events offer a chance for a shared experience, a collective stillness, a love for knowledge. Just like your first time in love with a person, a book too offers excitement, curiosity and ultimately a sense of belonging,” said Rohit, who authored bestseller, Gift of Confidence. Tania, felt that an hour an half of reading in solitude while still in presence of others builds a connection that can only come with love. — Neha Saini