Tehelka, 13 February 2009
'Loving' to Hate
Ram Puniyani
This Valentine day this year is also threatened by the threat of acts of intolerance, violence by the 'Moral Police' of Shiv Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shri Ram Sene and ABVP etc. Violence including the attacks on shops selling Valentine and other mementoes has been reported too often. On the eve of the Valentine day and on the day itself one is watching in utter disgust the action of this moral police 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 moral police similar groups in Saudi Arabia, and Dukhtarane millat types are also on the rampage. Many functions planned for this day have regularly been cancelled and many others just do not dare to plan any function in the light of experience of vandalism of previous years.
The ground on which these moral police operate 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 circumstance 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 high level 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 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 ones'. 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 NDA rule has seen the BJP leading the pack to bow to the multinationals, more than others. 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? •
Posted on Feb 13, 2009
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