Hyderabad: Right-wing organisations shock foreign students on Valentine’s Day

From: New Indian Express


VHP threat scares off foreigners

By Yunus Lasania | ENS - HYDERABAD

15th February 2013 08:46 AM

While Hyderabadis may be used to the hullabulloo usually made by right-wing organisations on Valentine’s Day, it was a first for many foreign students studying in the city.

They were in for a rude shock when they were advised not to venture out with their special ones on Thursday because threats had been made by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal that any couple who express their love openly would be made to marry.

R Noori, an Afghanistani student studying in the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), was looking forward to spending the day with his girlfriend, but was dissuaded at the last minute. “Even in Afghanistan you will find a lot of couples out on this day. No one told me about this until Thursday, else I would have made alternative plans,” he fumed. Melina Luis, a student from Peru, said she had never heard of such threats in her country.

“This is absurd. I thought Indian society was democratic and open. This is more like censorship in the guise of culture,” she said.

Others echoed similar views. Saif Safar, a student of mass communication from Tajikistan at EFLU, said that Feb 14 is a special day in his country. “In 1989-90, when the Soviet Union officially disbanded and my country attained freedom, there was a lot of bloodshed. The day is celebrated as a day of love and remembrance,” he explained, adding in his country, people do not take offence to couples celebrating V-day.

“Since there were a lot of Russians in my country earlier, their culture always remained. But this sort of moral policing is totally uncalled for. Everyone should be able to go out if they want to,” he said.

Lu Xiang, a Chinese student studying in OU, found it funny that Indians, who try to westernise themselves in so many ways, take offence to people celebrating Valentine’s Day. “My friend told me that some people harass couples on Valentine’s Day because they feel it is offensive to Indian culture,” she said.