Make Him Say YES: Take the Leap!!

Ladies, 29^th of February, the leap year special day is believed to be an auspicious day for proposing to your man. It is also said that a man will never refuse a proposal made on this very day. This is the chance to make your man say “I DO” before you. Here are a few ways to make this day memorable, touching & fun; all at the same time.

1) A sensible way which works with most men who are in the habit of boozing- Take him to a pub he really likes, let him drink like a fish & pop the question.

2) Get a tattoo done of his name. Although in many cases this has proved to jinx the relationship.

3) Propose to him in public in front of his friends! Fun stuff!

4) Buy him something he really has been dreaming of since a long time, like his dream bike..(IF YOU’RE STINKING RICH)

5) Take him to the place of his dreams or take him for a nice, romantic ride to a jungle or some place he would appreciate..pop the fateful question.

6) Put up a billboard saying “WILL YOU MARRY ME?♥” OR set a date and hold up a placard saying the same.

7) Make a romantic original song..This one always works! Melt his soul! J

8) Do cheesy things you always hesitated to! C’mon it’s a special day!

9) You have a respectable high-paying job. Lure him into marrying you! Trust me, works! ;)

So ladies, let your hair down & let love swirl in the air this time!!

Leap Day Tradition

Leap Year has been the traditional time that women can propose marriage. In many of today's cultures, it is okay for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Society doesn't look down on such women. However, that hasn't always been the case.

When the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years. That day was February 29th. It is believed this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

It was commonly believed that in 1288 Queen Margaret of Scotland had decreed that any woman could propose to any man she liked and he could only refuse if he was already engaged.

Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves. In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring.

Why this Kolaveri Di?

Director Aishwarya Rajnikanth, music director Anirudh, actress Shruti Hassan & actor & now singer Dhanush came up with this ‘Tanglish' song with quirky, improvised lyrics which went viral and has already got about 1.5 million hits on the official page. It has been shared on social networks by hundreds, and has found fans among Bollywood celebrities and non-Tamil speaking youth from around the country and has sparked off debate on whether the song is anti-women or anti-English speakers.

One cannot miss the minimalistic and stark approach of the singer and composer. It justifies the reports that say that the lyrics were written on a spur of the moment and the music was composed in 25 minutes flat.

Kolaveri is light-hearted slang for blood thirst. So it's no surprise that the song of a jilted boy asking the girl why she did that to him has become an anthem. Apart from the obvious catchiness of the phrase ‘Why this Kolaveri di' and the simple folk-ish tune, the fact that the song had broken English lines sung with a thick local Tamil flavour might have something to do with its popularity.

With various versions of it been already made, the fever is still burning. Some of languages that have their own Kolaveri versions are English, Bengali, Gujarati & Punjabi with engineers, students & women making their own twisted versions.

Dhanush has indeed made broken English cool among some urban youth but others laugh at it, rather than with it. All told it is a simple, peppy and very hummable song. Since it is so repetitive, it is easy for everybody to sing along; maybe that is part of its charm. It is certainly worth a listen, if for nothing else, then to understand what appeals to youth. Simple, no frills, no fuss and clean fun.