Sunday, February 08, 2009
How I would celebrate Valentine Day?
Valentine’s Day is coming. Every year on Valentine's Day, the fundamentalists raise their voice against this day, saying this celebration would spoil Indian Culture. The Muslim fundamentalists are always against this tradition and Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have banned it. Last year Al Qaeda issued a warning to singer Asalah Nasri of Egypt not to sing on account of Valentine day's celebration. Now the Hindu fundamentalists are also raising voice against it. For last few years, the country witnessed a large campaign by Hindu fundamentalist political parties calling the celebration of Valentine’s Day be forbidden.
The right-wing political parties like BJP, Shiv Sena, Bajrang, and Ramsena have issued Taliwani Fatwa against this day. In Bihar, though both BJP and JD (U) are enjoying power jointly, but they have a rift on this day. The JD(U) youth and students' wing supported the celebrations and criticised those opposed to it. Unlike the JD(U), the BJP youth wing and ABVP are against the celebration of Valentine's Day.
But, it is ironic that now some people from the West are also raising their voice against Valentine’s Day. I have come across a blog where blogger David Penner wrote that he hated Valentine Day because, "This is just another shining example of corporate America perverting a day dedicated to a martyr into a day dedicated to the almighty dollar.” He again wrote, "It's your family for Pete's sake, you don't have a choice to love them or not. It's programmed in your genetic makeup. You have to love them.” And he further writes, “My next reason is that it reminds people who are single that they don't have anyone. Way to go Hallmark! Sometimes I wonder just how many suicides you and every other card company are responsible for on one day of the year."
Another blogger from New York, a married lady, having the screen name ‘aquamarine’ wrote in her blog that "We already know that Susan, JLB, and sometimes Belle, don't like Valentine's Day. I will say that I have nothing against the holiday, but don't feel that a lot of time, effort, and money need to go into ‘celebrating’ Valentine's Day."
Whatever their ideas are, they are. But I think this day should be celebrated as "Free Hugs Day" in India to show our love for the common man; for the common cause; and for the solidarity in the war against terrorism as the day is not meant for only couples or ‘lover one’ , but a day to admire and approve our love for mankind .
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13 comments:
Hello Sarojiniji ,That's so nice to have a India hug day to show our love and concern to all mankind rather restricting to couples.Thanks for sharing the article.
Madam,my views are like this:
In the name of Valentine's day, what the present youth is doing is never acceptable.How do you see the living together culture, which is now spread across the cities particularly in metros?
It is true that nobody can stop the change.By and large, life has been changed.Joint family has been collapsed.It is now the turn of nuclear family to be collapsed.In next few decades, the family concept will not be there.The self-centricness or so called freedom is taking us towards a dangerous direction.
Still change will come, no matter whether it is positive or negative.Culture was never a static thing.It has always been dynamic.
Many couples will be displayed in public hugging, kissing.The parks, restaurants will be crowded with them.How many of them would be in true love?
Life is all about love.But love is not just a hug or a kiss or even a sex.
We can not prevent the Indian Culture from being westernized.We can not make our half-naked girls dressed.We can not prevent our teens converting into perverts(by watching pornos on internet).These are the challenges of change.
Still something to pen.But time does not permit me.
The bitter truth is: we all(including the fundamentalis) are in crocodile tears.
Regards,
Biswabandhu
We have one solution if we broaden our outlook by considering the whole amnkind as Valentine and love each and everyone without distinction, though it seems ideological more..
But thanks for raising such an important issue among us.
regars
Shaleen
Nice idea to extend the significance of Valentine's Day to all humankind - but wouldn't it be easier to simply invent a new day? In my experience, trying to alter the meaning of something that has been a tradition for so long, is hard.
The Devil finds work for Idle Hands and empty minds. Bigots with no useful things to occupy their time and energy, will find some baseless course to follow and champanion with blind and obstinate zeal, weather it be Gay bashing, Religious Intolerance, Racial Bigotry, you name it Bigots will emerge from the dregs of our society and find blind followers, and disciples who will not use their God given intelligence to analyses and discern right from wrong. There will not be a shortage of Hitlers and George Bushes in this world. There will always be a scarcity of good men and woman of the calibre of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandala and Mother Thereas. The right of any person to celebrate any occassion whether it be a Religious festival or some commemorative day is soley their business and their right so long as it does not infringe on the right of others. These uncivilised schizophrenic bigots who go around bashing innocent people just to impose their slanted idelogies they have no place in a civilised society.
Religon is just an excuse for their violent extremism, they must go and read and study, and most important of all put into practice the Teachings as expounded in the Vedas, Upanishad and other holy scriptures. Love should be the essence of our daily living, love to be given unconditionaly to all creatures and living Beings. If valentine's day is a way of expressing Love no matter how superfical and commercial it is perceived by some, don't begrudge any individual from expressing his or her feelings. Lord Krishna in one of his favourite pastimes woed the Gopis, in a game of celestal Love. Radha being the most famous of them all was the center of Krishnas attention. Was the Love expressed by Lord Krishna Immoral? to bigots who do not understand the beauty of Love whether it is celebrated and expressed through Music, Poetry, Song and dance or Valentines Day. These bigots have never know Love from their mothers and fathers and therefore they must go and seek counselling. Sarojini you can give me a hug any day, I prefer to be hugged instead of being beaten senseless to the ground , When you beat me you not only scare my body you also scare my mind.
Love makes the world go around and a better place for you and I.
Luv
Danny Naicker
To me, there is no purpose in observing a day like this.Like ones birth day, AIDS awareness day,non-violence day or a country's independence day, -is it a thing that needs to remind people that one should love or hug his /her beloved or as you have extended its meaning to humanity as well. From the origin point of view, your interpretation does not tally with the purpose of the valentine's day.Any way your idea is good but not for a single day that we would observe this and forget...Though we are not fundamentalists but we can say with all certitude that it is alien to Indian Culture. Though in a changed time it has become inescapable to avoid such things as we are bound by the phenomenon called globalisation but we should also guadr our culture from being breached by that of the alien culture.This is my observation
hi
good article great idea.
i wanted to say who are those people to tell others that they should not eat pizza or celebrate valentines day.
2nd point is they say hindu culture,which hindu culture they want
a hindu culture where manu says females should have no independence.
a culture where female is killed before birth.
a culture where sati and dowary traditons are followed.
how many dowary deaths we have in india every day.
This is india where pandavas are born with the help of other males like sun etc
This is india where Gandharva marriages were legal.
This india where Kamsutra is born.
all this hatred we see because politicians know it this is the only way to rule and keep human kind a slave of political parties and religios leaders.
like your idea of free hug
nice blog
http://realityviews.blogspot.com/
It is sad love has been confined to that of a lover or a beloved. Hope we realise that love comes in many forms. Let's celebrate it
" wonderful words and thoughts to read..."
Regards
To celebrate Valentine Day, Free Hugs is a good idea.
I HAVE GONE THROUGH THE BLOG AND COULD FIND YOU AS THE REAL HARBINGER OF PEACE AND LOVE ON THE EARTH
K. V. DOMINIC
if nicely but not obscenely celebrated it is all good everywhere- I myself wrote articles on it in papers. But people are of varied ideas and there may be circumstances when something happens- this is applicable for both men and women- not only a feminine issue, this valentine-Good wishes,
Aju M
The blog is very interesting to me.
It reveals to us contemporary burning events.
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