Valentine
day, 14th July this year was also marked by the
acts of intolerance, violence by the 'Moral Police'
of Shiv Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and ABVP. In
Lucknow some boys and girls who had met to celebrate
the day were beaten up. Similar and related violence
including the attacks on shops selling Valentine
and other mementoes were also reported. On the eve
of the Valentine day and on the day itself one is
watching in utter disgust the action of this moral
police (MP) in vandalizing the events of the day.
Valentine day has come to be synonymous with the
exchange of messages of love all over the world.
To keep company with 'our' own MP similar groups
in Saudi Arabia are also on the rampage. Many a
functions planned for this day had to be cancelled
and many others just did not dare to plan any function
in the light of experience of vandalism of previous
years.
The ground on which these MP are operating holds
no water. It is being said that such an open expression
of love is 'un-Indian', this celebration is not
in keeping with Indian culture, multinationals are
promoting 'nude revolution' etc. Real reasons for
this intolerant behavior have to be looked for in
their overall agenda to curtail liberalism, pluralism
and to constrain the democratic ethos of the country.
The circumstances under which this day came to
become a memorable one, are very interesting and
have a deep message. Valentine Day has an ancient
legacy. It seems that the early Christian Church
had at least two saints bearing this name. As per
one story Roman emperor Claudius II forbade young
men to marry in the year 200's A.D., as he had strong
military ambitions and he thought that single men
made better soldiers (As 'our own' RSS believes
that single men make better Pracharaks (Propagators)
for Hindu Rashtra, and accordingly one can not be
a RSS pracharak if one not a 'bachelor boy'). A
priest by the name Valentine protested and disobeyed
the orders of the King by solemnizing the marriage
of young couple's. According to another legend,
Valentine was an early Christian who was very affectionate
to young children. He refused to worship Roman Gods
and on that count was imprisoned. Children missed
his affection and love and tossed the notes containing
love messages across the prison bars. According
to many a stories he was executed on 14th February.
This day in due course came to be celebrated in
his memory, as a tribute to his courage in defying
the inhuman orders of the ruling kings and people
started sending greetings and messages of love to
their loved one's. The origin of the customs is
slightly shrouded due to its being very ancient.
Also these customs started taking local hue in different
countries wherever this day began to be celebrated.
So why is the Hindutva brigade opposed to Valentine
day, which is symbolic of love? Is it because the
multinationals are involved in the card trade? We
do remember the enthusiasm of Shiv Sena-BJP combine
few years ago to dump the Enron in the Arabian sea
as an electoral promise, but after coming to power
they not only ratified the same but approved the
further stage of the project as well! The BJP led
coalition at center has been surrendering to one
Multinational after the other in quick succession.
So aversion to multinational corporations is not
the real reason. Is it because this day smacks of
immorality and our 'moral brigade' cannot tolerate
this exchange of symbols of love, which is obnoxious
according to them? We do recall here that one of
their ilk; B.L. Sharma had termed the rape of nuns
as an act of Patriotism! So what are these scales
of morality? As far the event being an un-Indian
one, let's just give a thought to the process of
evolution of the customs, traditions and culture.
With the world being reduced to a global village
there is a percolation of different festivals and
events across the globe. We have seen that even
in Indian context in medieval times there was a
thick intermingling of cultures and people of the
society imbibed the one's coming from different
parts of the continent. People belonging to different
religions overcame the boundaries to celebrate each
other's festivals and customs. The average people
of the society, those who do not have vested interests
celebrate diversity and enjoy it thoroughly. Muslims
participating in Holi, Hindus participating in Tazia
processions are some very few examples from the
vast cultural interaction, which was the norm of
the times, before the rise and institutionalization
of communal politics. 
Strangely those practicing politics in the name
of religion seem to be averse to this basic human
longing of love, friendship and sisterhood/brotherhood.
While asserting that they are open minded and believe
in Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam (Whole World is my family),
or 'Aa No Bhadra Kratvo yanto Vishwtah!' (Let the
noble thoughts come to us from all the universe)
for the sake of arguments, these Religious Nationalists
are most close-minded and permit the customs and
other cultural symbols as per their political convenience.
The similarities between 'our' own fundamentalists
(RSS progeny and associates) and those across the
border and slightly far away are very striking.
Taliban regime had imposed similar codes for the
people in general and for women in particular. Who
will wear what color of dress, what type of dress
etc. everything is dictated. The Hindutva bandwagon
has been drumming up the 'patriotism' by various
dictates. One remembers this brigade's attacks on
films (Water, Fire), their attacks on Gazal concerts
(Gulam Ali), painting exhibitions (M.F.Husain) from
the recent past. BJP's Mr. Rajnath Singh, the Chief
Minister of UP, had passed the fatwa, well endorsed
by his patriarch organization RSS, which told couples
not to go for honeymoon, which opposed cutting birthday
cakes and burning candles etc.
The Sangh Parivar volunteers in the past have opposed
the wearing of jeans by girls. The fanatic MP brigade,
belonging to most religions is especially watchful
of the 'women's conduct' or whatever can affect
that. As the protectors of 'their' women, on whose
back the community identity and all the baggage
is loaded, are especial target. It is by dictating
women that the 'real' traditions are preserved and
percolated in this scheme of things. One cannot
miss the type of issues, which those playing politics
in the name of religion undertake. All the issues
they take for ramming the society have to do with
emotional cords and spread of hatred against some
'other'. The real issues pertaining to the material
lives, human rights of the weaker sections etc.
don't mean a thing for these self proclaimed 'super
patriots', whose patriotism gets manifested only
in burning books, cards, and in intimidating whosoever
violates their fatwas. Nothing surprising, again
this is in tune with what Mullahs do in some so-called
'Islamic republics'.
All this goes against the democracy and plural
ethos of our country. Those working for Hindu Rashtra
mercilessly trample on people's choices about various
things in their lives. Their wavelength does match
with those who are imposing 'Islamic state' in many
Middle East countries or even with Mullahs across
the border. This moral policing by the followers
of Thackeray and Golwalkar derives cheers from the
Talibans of yesteryears. They do have company of
the Mullahs in Saudi Arabia even today. In this
intimidating game where the vandals of these outfits
take the law in their hands, the 'sympathetic' BJP
govt. smiles in its sleeves with silent approval.
In a way incidents like this are a test of our democratic
principles, how far we can and will uphold them?
How much this MP will dictate our social and political
lives remains to be seen. It is at one level not
just a question of burning of Valentine cards, the
issue has do with the choices of average people,
women in particular. Can the people at large have
the democratic freedom to live their lives as they
please or do they have to take approval from the
self appointed guardians of Religion, morality,
culture etc. breathing down our neck in our personal,
social and political life?
(The writer works with EKTA, Committee for Communal
Amity, Mumbai)
