Valentine's Day Outlawed In India?

Celebrations of Valentine’s Day in parts of India could well be banned this year if a radical group in the country has its way.

If for some reason, you had been searching for an example of Hindu religious extremism, you need not look any further than the inane moral policing currently underway in the southern states of India. As reported in the New Indian Express , a group of zealous fundamentalists known as the Sri Rama Sene, has issued an odd edict to citizens leading up to St. Valentine’s Day: leave the love at home. Public displays of affection between men and women will not be tolerated. The Sri Rama Sene, basically a squad of young vigilante thugs, spoke to the media on February 5, in Bangalore, which makes it all the more strange since the city is touted as the hub of modernity within the country. As reported, the group’s leader, Pramod Muthalik, announced, “We will ensure that there is no love in the air on Valentine’s Day.” In India, the holiday has surged in popularity over the last few years as a day for sweethearts just like it is elsewhere in other corners of the world. “We have informed and requested the city police, the Governor, the government and educational institution[al] heads to avoid [Valentine’s] celebrations.” Colleges, schools, parks, hotels, clubs, and pretty much any public place will be targeted. The group’s beef appears to be that the day is associated with the infiltration of Westernn social mores into the milieu of Hinduism. As the self-proclaimed protectors of Hindu culture, the Sri Rama Sene believe they are fighting “against the anti-Indian practices [that] youngsters are taking to.” Muthalik contended, “It is our duty and obligation to inculcate the right ideas and values into them. Our effort is to stop our youngsters from taking the wrong path.” The leader’s comments at one point suggested that the rate of suicide shoots up on this day due to resulting broken hearts. According to the New Indian Express, Sri Rama Sene issued a threat to young couples found celebrating the day. Muthalik is quoted as saying, “We have decided to force marriages between couples found dating…we will take them to the temples and get them married…” The Sri Rama Sene are not kidding. An example highlighting just how far they can go involves a number of young women who were trounced after leaving a night club recently in another large city, Mangalore (not to be confused with Bangalore). The incident received nationwide and international attention since the women had done nothing wrong. Their mere attendance at the club was enough to infuriate Sri Rama Sene members. And so, the solution was to beat them up badly. How seriously people will adhere to the calls for a ban on Valentine’s Day is not yet certain. Commentators to the paper such as social scientists like Shiv Visvanathan call Sri Rama Sene “a bully culture, philistine to [the] core, with a sense of machismo whose juices flow after assaulting ‘forward looking women’. The group is an idealogical offshoot of a larger fundamentalist party in India known as Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena have been responsible for numerous incidents of co-ordinated politically-motived violence throughout the last couple of decades. I personally recall reading in the papers four years back how the group had wanted to ban co-ed night clubs in Bombay. In a country with a religion that espouses peace and spiritual welfare, it is surprising how widely this pronouncement is so far being tolerated. Opposition from government authorities in the world’s largest democracy, whom you would expect to reject the ridiculous calls for a ban on St. Valentine’s Day have not yet been forthcoming in the Indian media. Muthalik insists that “police officials and doctors have appreciated our efforts”. Public displays of affection between man and woman in India is still somewhat taboo, perhaps less so among more affluent urban couples, but such strong violent opposition as has been reported recently is a troubling development. The taboo permeates not only Hindu culture, but also through other religious groups in the country. It’s not that Indians are incapable of affection. Familial love and warmth are exhibited; children playfully touch each other and hold hands. In addition, no one in the country seems to question the ubiquitous hand-holding and hugging and fondling that take place between men of all ages here. The double-standard is plainly obvious to outsiders. Welcome to the perverted logic of life and love in India!