“Where there is love, there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Yes, that is a quote by our very own Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. All the radicals out there are probably wide-mouthed at the fact that our beloved Gandhiji said the ‘L’ word. This isn’t such a shocking thought for the average Indian like you and me, but for people who attack women for the alleged ‘crime’ of going to a pub, this is a big deal.
It’s unlikely that any of you have forgotten the incident in question, where members of the Sri Ram Sena barged into a pub and attacked the women there. Yes, about 40 or so grown men beating up a handful of unarmed women in broad daylight, at around 4:30 P.M. The founder of the Sena, Pramod Muthalik, was mighty pleased at his team’s work and decided to take things further by planning to target couples celebrating Valentine’s Day, by forcing them to marry!
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Of course, other women in India weren’t going to take this lying down. In the true spirit of non violence, the Pink Chaddi Campaign was launched, where women all over India were urged to send Muthalik a Valentine’s Day gift of underwear in all shades of pink – Valentine’s Day is important, you see!!
As the recent Kiss of Love campaign goes to show, the Indian youth isn’t too fond of Muthalik and his moral policing ilk. There is enough and more of hatred in this world, and our young blood is all set to spread more love on the planet. Given the current state of affairs, Valentine’s Day has become more than a day for Archies’ cards and red roses; it’s become symbolic of a movement against atrocity, oppression of freedom, narrow mindedness, and towards overcoming all kinds of barriers.
Suggested read: Dear Ladies, 15 reasons you should celebrate your singledom this Valentine’s Day
Read on for 10 reasons why Valentine’s Day is important today more than ever.
1. Let’s send the Khap Panchayats to Mars
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India made headlines in 2014 when the Mangalyaan was successfully inserted into the Mars orbit, becoming the first Asian nation to do so, that too at a fraction of NASA’s budget for the same! But of course, this hardly matters to the wise old men of the Khap Panchayats who are over and above the Indian law and constitution. We can cross over to Mars, but young lovers over the age of majority can’t cross over to the next village. They aren’t just disowned or excommunicated; they are KILLED. Yes, murdered for something as simple and gentle as falling in love.
2. Maybe we should outsource the ‘arranging’ of our marriages
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India is one of the biggest capitals of the IT world and is home to the offices of the biggest IT companies in the world. The industry is expected to grow to $300 billion by 2020. It provides direct employment to more than 2 million people, but two people from two different states cannot get married, no matter how educated or emancipated they may be. If you don’t believe us, let us remind you of the trouble Chetan Bhagat had to go to in order to marry his sweetheart, an educated, employed girl – but from a different state.
3. Where’s the Sena that bans hate?
As of 12 February, 2014, India had surpassed China to become the world’s fastest growing economy. The latest report expects India’s economy to grow by 7.4%, higher than the RBI forecast of 5.5%. Now if only this improvement was seen in our ability to overcome barriers of all kinds. One look at the past 12 months’ worth of social media discussions will show how tribal and archaic we still are, blindly defending our communities and sects without a thought to spare for others. There’s a volcano of hate erupting everywhere, and there doesn’t seem to be any Sena to stop that. For them, only Valentine’s Day is important.
4. Not all girls are ‘items’
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Bollywood, or the Hindi film industry, is estimated to be worth Rs. 150 billion. Nearly 1000 movies are churned out every year, which is double what Hollywood produces. Hindi films have been around since before independence and are one of the greatest influencers of the general public, especially the 70% that reside in rural areas. And how does Bollywood make use of this power? Without any responsibility it appears, considering how women are being portrayed even in this day and age. It’s the very people sitting in the front seats and whistling at skimpily dressed ‘item girls’ who later come out and thrash up girls in a pub or innocent people exchanging Valentine’s cards. Sometimes I wonder how much Valentine’s Day is important to them; they probably look forward to it all year!
5. Maybe it’s because the Goddesses have weapons in their hands
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Goddesses are a part of many people’s daily lives, right from childhood. A boy stressed out by the upcoming exams invokes Goddess Saraswati’s name and begs her to ease things for him. As he grows into an adult, all financial decisions require Goddess Lakshmi’s blessings, without which he can’t proceed. And everyone knows about the grandeur of Durga Puja, for which preparations begin days in advance. But during the crowds of the celebration, no one has any hesitation in grabbing a girl’s backside or feeling her up. Oh, we can grab all we want, but we won’t let her hang around with a guy of her choice, especially if it’s on February 14th; Valentine’s Day is important!
Suggested read: 21 Valentine’s Day gifts to buy online that she would actually LOVE
6. Sex? Shhhh!!!!
If you’re a woman who’s walked the streets of India, it’s more likely than not that you’ve been called ‘sexy’ by roadside molesters. But ask them to actually talk about sex, contraception, STDs, etc., and you’ll find them shying away. After all, no one talks about sex in India. The fact that we’re 1.2 billion (and still going strong) defies logic then; are we all products of Immaculate Conception a la Virgin Mary? Falling in love, kissing, having sex are all normal, but everyone seems to be in denial about the whole thing. Suhaag Raats are legitimate opportunities for intercourse, but Valentine’s Day is something that warrants an arrest!
7. AIDS is a ‘Magically’ Transmitted Disease
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India has the world’s third largest population suffering from HIV/AIDS, and the majority of these cases have been due to unprotected sex. The main reason for this seems to be a lack of awareness and gender disparity. But how can you explain a sexually transmitted disease without explaining sex first? How is it possible when the likes of Muthalik strongly advocate the banning of sex education in Indian schools? Apparently, sex education should be thrown into the same dustbin that contains Valentine’s Day – they’re both alien to Indian culture; never mind if 2.1 million people are living with HIV in this very country.
8. You’ll have to ‘cave’ in to their demands
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Not having sex education in schools isn’t an obstacle though; one visit to the Khajuraho Temple, and you’ll learn everything you need to (perhaps even a little more). Mind you, these were actually built as religious establishments before the 12th century, and the place is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. How much closer to Indian culture can you get? I’m pretty sure that all the poor souls who sit in open parks on Valentine’s Day are not doing anything remotely similar to the art depicted in Khajuraho. Yet, they are corrupting our culture, messing with our virginal values, and they need to be stopped!! (Or married off, as the case may be!)
9. What does the Sena say about the Sutra?
If you can’t make it to Khajuraho, doesn’t matter. Just go online and order your copy of Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra. It is probably India’s most popular export to the west, second only to yoga (which is again debatable). This book is not your average erotica; it has given sex a more scientific treatment, which is commendable considering how long ago it was written. However, the sirs and madams in the Censor Board beg to differ and this explains why the subtitles in your daily TV shows come with fewer alphabets and more special characters. Don’t be surprised if you see text like V********* D**!!
Suggested read: Top 10 sites in India to buy Valentine’s Day experiences from
10. I’d like a ticket on the 10:00 AM bullock cart, please
Many of the self righteous upholders of Indian culture who are waging war on Valentine’s Day are missing out on the big picture. They say that Valentine’s Day is not something that was a part of ancient Indian culture and is an import from the west. So are pants. And vaccinations. Or even the Indian Railways for that matter, which aren’t all that ‘Indian,’ being introduced in India by the British, way back in the 1850s. Why don’t you wage separate wars on each of these?
A country’s culture is a very complex thing that evolves over the ages, and claiming that certain things belong to it or don’t is too simplistic an argument. While we agree that one shouldn’t lose one’s sense of identity, an assumption that everything ancient is right and everything new is wrong is foolish. If that were true, we’d still be burning widows and we’d still be sounding gongs in the village square to make an announcement! This world doesn’t need any more hate, the past few months have shown us that. This Valentine’s Day, live and let live; more importantly, love and let love!!
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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