What is LOVE? By Prof Ir Pravin Nair

When I was 10, I had a huge crush on this girl. She was about 10 I think. I remember getting butterflies in my tummy each time I saw her. I used to get excited and hyper (I was a hyper active child back then). So I asked myself, "Is this love? So this is how love feels?" I remember watching her at the temple one day, dancing gracefully to an Indian contemporary. I stopped going to the temple after that, though. But then she left, just like that. 

Then when I was 16, again, I think I fell in love. She was 14. I asked myself, "Is this love? So this is how love feels?" She never reciprocated my feelings and I grew devastated. Being immature back then, I started to develop a slight tinge of hatred towards her. Being a teenager, I started believing that love was pure bullshit. Then, as time passed, I met others along the way. I forgot the past. Many did reciprocate it, and then at a certain point they grew tired. I don't blame them. I'm different they would say. Some were afraid to love. Some lost the ability to love. Some faked it. Again, the same question used to arise time and time again. 

What is love? What EXACTLY is love? I see quotes about it on Facebook, I read poems about it online. I see them making movies about love, songs about love, books about love. People preaching love. People making love. I see them saying love is blind. I hear them saying love makes people do stupid things. But, what is love? You know, I don't have the right answer for it. But I can tell you something though, love is beautiful. The excitement you get when you meet your loved one. The tickling feeling of butterflies in your stomach The amazing magic feeling you get when you're holding her hands. The bliss of smelling her hair. The joy in kissing her on the forehead. The pain of losing her. The longing you feel at times when you're alone. The satisfaction when you see her after a long period of time. It's worth it. 

Love, I think is a journey everyone should embark on. If you've never fell in love, then you've never lived. No one knows what love is, as I think love is unique and personal to each one. Some say that love is like a game of dice. You may lose your heart once or twice, but hey, who wins all the time?

I remember saying this once and I'll say it again; love is like skydiving. You might fall to your death, but hey enjoy the scenery whilst you're falling. I'm already out of the plane, are you?