DC Debate: Till marriage do us part
==========================
Ratan Lal Vs Baba Nand Kishore Mishra
==========================
Ratan Lal: Don’t need custodians of morality
Such militant action or statements are nothing but a deliberate attempt to evade the real problems of Indian society, where poverty, caste and gender inequality have been perennial problems.
Every year in the run-up to the Valentine’s Day, the Hindu Mahasabha issues a threat. This time it says it will force couples to marry on Valentine’s Day. But does anybody have the right to dictate to people how they should celebrate a particular day? The celebration of a particular occasion is a matter of personal choice. Our Constitution as well as social norms are guidance enough to alert to anything that may be wrong. By issuing a threat against the celebration of Valentine’s Day, the Hindu Mahasabha is trying to present itself as the “custodian” of our morality and an “extraconstitutional authority”. But, the same Hindu Mahasabha remains silent when upper-caste men rape dalit women.
By issuing bizarre threats, the organisation is trying to protect their age-old patriarchical and Brahmanical dominance. Such militant action or statements are nothing but a deliberate attempt to evade the real problems of Indian society, where poverty, caste and gender inequality have been perennial problems. It seems that the Hindu Mahasabha has the explicit support of the BJP-led NDA government. That is why the party leaders have not even made formal statement against this unconstitutional act, forget about taking punitive actions. India is a multilingual, multicultural, multi-religious and pluralistic society. Our history shows that all draconian, authoritative and dictatorial regimes have been resented. That is why even the mighty Mughal and the British empires were not able to control the entire subcontinent.
One should not forget what happened to Indira Gandhi in 1977 and what has happened to the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections. The NDA government’s silence over such issues has been one of the important reasons for its massive defeat in Delhi. In 1947, two nations were born: India and Pakistan. While India has recorded unprecedented growth, Pakistan lags behind. The reason for this lies in the social and political culture of both of these countries. Pakistan has been in the hands of religious fundamentalists, but India’s leaders were more visionary and gave us a democracy with a Constitution. Do we want India to become another Pakistan? If organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha are given a free hand to thrive, then we are surely going in the wrong direction. The government and civil society must take notice of this and take a stern action against those who are encroaching upon others’ personal space. It is a paradox that on one hand the government is offering the red carpet to multinationals of the world and inviting the Americans and the Western countries to invest in India, while on the other hand it allows the Hindu Mahasabha to issue such undemocratic threats.
This is an era of globalisation. National boundaries are withering away and people of entire globe are coming closer. Businesses are not only a financial transaction but also a transaction of ideas and culture. It is a package deal. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated in his several speeches that India is the youngest country in the world due to the highest percentage of youth in India. The youth have their own aspirations, agenda, symbols, and worldview. Can a democratic society or government afford to have such diktats from this kind of ultra-right political groups? Certainly not. Organisation turns itself into a joke. India is a democratic country and there is no place for such coercive tactics.
Ratan Lal is an associate professor, University of Delhi
======================================================
Baba Nand Kishore Mishra: Valentine’s Day is not our culture
While the Mahasabha supports pure love, it is often seen that in the name of Valentine’s Day, young couples indulge in vulgar display of love, and that is not a part of our tradition and culture.
Why blame a group or groups working to preserve our rich and old Hindu culture? It’s the corporate groups and followers of Western culture who are responsible for making a mockery of the Valentine’s Day celebration by commercialising it. We, at the Hindu Mahasabha, are not against love, but we oppose vulgar display of love in public. Valentine’s Day is not a part of the Indian culture or tradition. The Hindu culture always talks about love and it can be in many different forms. While the Hindu Mahasabha always supports pure love, it is often seen that in the name of Valentine’s Day, young couples indulge in vulgar display of love and that is definitely not a part of our tradition and culture.
Can the celebration of true love remain hostage to a single day? Indian culture has a number of festivals that express love towards each other and these deep-rooted bonds of love are an integral part of our lifestyle.
By opposing Valentine’s Day, we try to stop youngsters from practicing “Western traditions” and “commercialisation”. We are only working to preserve our centuries old tradition. We are doing all this to inculcate Indian culture and traditions. Love is not something that needs to be celebrated on one particular day. In our country, 365 days of the year are meant for love, but it should not be displayed on the streets and in parks. Display of love should be confined within the four walls of one’s home.
Western culture provides for placing parents in “old age homes” and then superficially celebrates Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Westerners are trying to break up the Indian family system. Giving flowers on streets, showing affection in public, showering kisses in full public view to celebrate Valentine’s Day is wrong. Else, what will be the difference between us and animals? In Hindu culture, love makes way for sacrifice, while in the concept of Valentine’s Day love is market-driven. Such market-driven love leads to violence and crime against women. Youngsters studying in schools and colleges are falling prey to this alien cultural and express their “love” for each other by exchanging greeting cards and expensive gifts. In reality, what they experience at this tender and immature age is not love but a mere superficial attraction to the opposite sex. On many occasions young girls are duped or lured in the name of love.
Valentine’s Day is definitely not a past of the Indian culture. This Western celebration of love is different from our Hindu culture and is corrupting the minds of young teenagers. It is a form of “cultural pollution” by Western countries to destroy Hindu culture and we will not allow that at any cost. The way our younger generation celebrates Valentine’s Day shows that love is limited to physical attraction. Love is present in sacred relationships. For example, love between a guru and his disciples, between brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and even towards one’s motherland.
By opposing Valentine’s Day celebrations, we made a call to harness the power of our youth and turn it towards the defence of the country and Hindu dharma. Parents should also support us to protect culture and tradition of Hindu dharma.
(As told to Shashi Bhushan)
Baba Nand Kishore Mishra is the working president of Akhil Baratiya Hindu Mahasabha
