Lucknow: Saffron outfit Hindu Mahasabha has planned to oppose "western ways" of displaying affection on Valentine's Day this Saturday by floating its own traditional equivalent to celebrate the festival of love in the form of Basant Panchami.

"If there is any Hindu festival which comes close to Valentine's Day, it is Basant Panchami when new blooms add a festive hue to the atmosphere and there is a traditional way of celebrating it. "But, these celebrations are now on the wane and the youth are embracing western traditions," Hindu Mahasabha President Chandra Prakash Kaushik said.