India Insight

Love is in the air for Indians as V-Day police keep away

Diksha Madhok

Feb 14, 2012 06:49 EST

Conservative right-wing activists in India have their own version of how Valentine’s Day should be celebrated, if at all.

For them, couples found kissing, dancing and snuggling need to be humiliated publicly or beaten, especially if this behaviour is exhibited on the “day of lust and shame”.

For more than a decade, images of couples being chased by radicals or flogged by police had become as routine on Valentine’s Day as pink hearts and roses. This was a way of protecting Indian culture from being corrupted by Western influence.

Fortunately, not many paid heed. Indians have embraced this day of love with much gusto, and their resilience has paid off. This year, many of the self-appointed custodians of Indian culture have decided to go easy on romancing couples.

“What is the use or point. We cannot stop them from celebrating, and we are getting a bad reputation,” Om Dutt Sharma, a member of prominent right-wing group Shiv Sena told local media.

This resignation could be a result of the gradual depletion of media interest in their annual antics or a sign of an increasingly assertive Indian youth, who spent millions of rupees last year on Valentine’s Day — and are now using the internet to both register their discontent and also to reclaim the day.

Writer and literary critic Nilanjana S. Roy has organised a #flashreads event using social media. In an effort to “take back the day” and “protest against the rising intolerance that has spread across India”, protesters are encouraged to read works by banned writers in public areas on February 14.

Moral brigade, media trials and law

In what is being seen as a significant judgement, India’s apex court recently dismissed all charges against south Indian actress Khushboo for her alleged remarks on pre-marital sex in a 2005 magazine interview.

The Supreme Court said her comments were her personal view and that she was entitled to express them.

Many in the country believe the verdict heralds a welcome but a difficult and slow change. Nevertheless, it reinforces our claim to democracy, secularism and above all freedom of speech and expression, of course with its riders.

But an offshoot of the same verdict also highlights prevalence of two active groups in the country which are substantially contributing to its brand and image.

One is media which drives to act as a facilitator of democracy, welcoming the evolution of society and bringing about changes. Other is the moral brigade which claims to be the preservers of rigid cultures and ethos and refuses to embrace any change.

In its judgement copy of the Khushboo verdict while quashing all 22 criminal cases and denouncing litigators’ plea, the apex court criticises media as well.

The judgement text says the three-judge bench in the Khushboo case was misquoted by electronic and print media on live-in relationships, and that there was no such observation made.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea on V-Day

Rituparna Bhowmik

Feb 14, 2009 09:42 EST

Never before have Indian lovers found themselves in such a situation.    Accustomed to being chased by patrolling policemen from behind clumps of rose bushes at parks, I wonder if they are not a little bemused by the sheer number of people who have turned protector of young love.   They find themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Hindu hardliners with a mandate to protect Indian culture from Western influence and anti-moral policing groups bent on helping them keep dates on Valentine’s Day.   Several citizen and political groups have spoken out against plans by the Sri Ram Sena, a little-known Hindu group, to stop couples canoodling on Valentine’s Day saying it went against Indian culture.   I know the lovers have always had it tough, but dating on V-Day this year might not prove to be easier.   If preparations are anything to go by, then one would think India was at war.   A concerned overseas friend, already jittery following a series of militant attacks in India, heard about the additional police deployment in parts of the country and called up. “Is everything all right? Why the additional security?”

I had no option but to reply sheepishly “Oh we are gearing up for Valentine’s Day.”   With Hindu groups determined to continue their campaign against couples romancing in public and their opponents fiercely protective of the rights of those who do, yes, I am guessing it’s going to be an interesting day to take out your partner for that quiet, romantic date you always wanted.   Vatal Nagaraj, a former member of the Karnataka state assembly, has planned to mobilise a fleet of cars named  ‘Prema Vahanas’ (Love Vehicles) on Valentine’s Day even as a “consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women”, founded by four Indian women on social networking website Facebook has vowed to send cartons of pink panties to the Ram Sena.   Blogger Namrata Kotwani, whose website http://www.avalentineforindia.blogspot.com has attracted media attention, plans to hold a protest meet on V-Day in the national capital.     The Ram Sena, which shot into the limelight after it assaulted women in a pub in Mangalore, have cautioned shops, pubs and restaurants in Karnataka against marking Valentine’s Day.   Karnataka police took into custody its chief and scores of activists ahead of February 14 to prevent unwanted trouble.   In a situation such as this, I wonder if it would be much less trouble to stay put at home and enjoy a delightfully boring but perfectly peaceful Valentine’s Day with your partner.