Be My Valentine... Or Else! Don't... Or Else!

In a curious twist to the usual Valentine's day activities, Lucknow University yesterday witnessed an assault by a 'wanna-be Valentine'. As Times of India reports, "the student reportedly tried to corner a girl student forcing her to accept his friendship and when she refused, he turned violent." (details here). The report later goes on to mention that the aforementioned student had been expelled for being an anti- social element; which in UK terms would be a yob with an ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour Order).

So, was it just a case of assault by a confirmed hoodlum? If yes, deplorable as it may be, there is not much unusual there. Or was it also a matter of lack of understanding what Valentine's day is about? Quite likely, yes. This is what makes this incident different from what may happen in London. London too witnesses assaults on women; not as frequently as may be the case in Lucknow and mostly after binge- drinking sessions. But it is unlikely that in London a wanna-be Valentine would think of such a forceful approach to the lady's heart.

Prima facie, such a lack of understanding arises because Valentine's day is a cultural import into India from the western world.

Indeed, that is what a few moral vigilantes in India think. The 'Don't... or Else' part of the title refers to Madhya Pradesh Bajrang Dal's ban on Valentine's Day (full story here).

The article quotes the BD district president, Mr. Purohit - forgive me, I must say Shri Purohit ere I offend - as ,“We will oppose it tooth and nail because the concept of Valentine's Day has come from the West and through it an attempt is being made to spoil Indian culture. ... We have prepared our weapons (sic), by worshipping them, and will use them against the people who will promote western culture by celebrating the Day. ... Our teams will visit all hotels and restaurants and stop the celebrations. The teams will also visit parks frequented by boys and girls”.

I can't resist a s(n)ide remark: Bravo! I am deeply impressed by BD's adherence to traditions in worshipping the weapons!!

Ok, now onto the essential matters.

First, does the practice of Valentine's Day spoil the Indian culture? While we may or may not agree whether it militates against the traditions, I doubt whether it spoils the culture. Culture is a living, dynamic thing. It is subject to change and indeed should be. Also, culture is usually much more robust than we give it credit for. Present day Indian culture has developed by embracing different thoughts, faiths, creeds and sub- cultures: Whether it as commingling of the Aryan and Dravidian cultures five thousand ago, Islamic influences a thousand years ago, British influence a couple of centuries ago or the Western (read American) influences in the recent past. Through all these years, the Indian culture has evolved by embracing and synthesising these diverse influences. If anything, this genius for synthesis has allowed Indian culture to survive and thrive rather than get subjugated and lose its identity. Embracing change and synthesising past and present influences is a strength and not a sign of weakness or rot.

Second, how do we react when we disagree? Is force the answer? Are assault, ban and weapons are the right tools? For me, this is the common theme between the two stories. Whether it was our 'road- side romeo' assaulting the object of his affection or a moral fuhrer talking about the use of weapons to enforce a ban, they both think alike: Do as I say ... Or Else!! And this happens in the so- called land of non- violence.

While we dream of past glories of our five thousand year old civilisation, let's also note what we, the present day Indians, contribute to that heritage. Do we let the lumpens hijack our culture and civilisation?