Love and the Bharatiya Culture By Tomazinho Cardozo
I came across a pamphlet reportedly circulated by Sanathan Sanstha. The pamphlet was circulated in schools and other educational institutions. The pamphlet contains thoughts of protest against the celebrations of Valentine's Day. It states: "14th February is known as 'Valentine's Day'. Boys and girls present flowers and gifts to each other on this day as a symbol of love. Many a time they engage in indecent activities in the name of 'Valentine's Day'. Such degradation of the young generation has become a great danger to Bharatiya culture, which promotes ethical conduct."
Is love not a part of the Bharatiya culture? Is it a crime to express love? Does this happen only on Valentine's Day? Throughout the 365 days of the year the expression of love contributes to the well being of the whole human society. Indian society, including the Hindu society, cannot be an exception to this universal fact. Why then this hypocrisy about love? Yes, there is no doubt that 'indecent activities' in the name of Valentine's Day need to be prevented. Not only on 'Valentine's Day' but also on all other days of the year. Let us take measures to prevent such acts among children. No force and no compulsion can be productive in preventing the so-called 'indecent activities'. The only solution is to strengthen our value system.
The pamphlet talks about the so-called 'great danger to Bharatiya culture, which promotes ethical conduct'. Do we have a moral right to say that the celebration of Valentine's Day leads to the 'degradation of Bharatiya culture which promotes ethical conduct'? The whole country is divided on the basis of caste. We consider some castes untouchables. Is this inhuman act an ethical one? Rapes and molestation are on the rise. Women are not secure in many parts of the country. The Indian men are responsible for these cruel acts. Are these acts a part of the Bharatiya culture? Corruption is rampant in this country. The rich and the politically influential are denying justice to the poor and downtrodden. The recent riot in Mumbai is one such example. Do such acts fit into the definition of the 'Bharatiya culture, which promotes ethical conduct?' Our Bharatiya culture is degraded by our own acts. We are responsible for destroying the ethical fabric of our society. Then why point to the celebration of 'Valentine's Day' as being responsible for degradation of our culture?
The pamphlet attempts to give a false and distorted story on the legend of Saint Valentine. It is malicious in nature. It says, "In the third century AD, the king of Rome and Saint Claudius (2nd) declared, 'Youngsters should join the army, then get married.' Saint Valentine revolted against the declaration. He was sentenced to death. While undergoing imprisonment he was attracted towards the daughter of the jailor and had an affair with her. For a priest it is a sin to have a love affair. Why should the people of Bharat, where Hindus are in majority and have respect for ethics, cherish the memory of a so-called Christian sinner priest?" The legend of Saint Valentine has been intentionally and maliciously re-scripted to achieve a certain goal - to corrupt the minds of the youths in a negative direction. We forget that negativity has no place in the balanced growth of children. Only a positive attitude of the mind can create a healthy society. We cannot dissuade the present generation from celebrating 'Valentine's Day' by maligning the legend of Saint Valentine. Today's children are far more advanced than our so-called 'moral' police. They have access to various sources from where they can find out the truth. In this age, only a positive mind-set towards any culture can be instrumental in preserving our own culture. Therefore, it will be advisable create a positive mind-set in our children over any issue that we feel is a threat to our Bharatiya culture.
The pamphlet circulated by Sanathan Sanstha also talks of other issues such as celebrating Gudipadva as the 'New Year' instead of January 1, calculating time based on the Bharatiya culture instead of using Christian Era (AD) and celebrating "Teachers Day" on Gurupournima instead of on September 5, which is the birth anniversary of the former president Dr Radhakrishna. There is a conspicuous communal element in these observations and it does not make sense in a secular country like India. There are many educational institutions, which celebrate Gudipadva, Gurupournima, etc. Nobody is against it or stops it. As a headmaster, I myself have celebrated these days in the school. I am afraid that such demands can only raise communal feelings in the students, which can be dangerous to the secular social fabric of this country.
Let us dwell a little over the attitude of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, towards different cultures. He desired all cultures to flow through his house. He wanted us to take care that we are not blown away by any foreign culture. Therefore, he wished our feet to be strongly rooted in our own soil. A positive mind-set indeed! Only this attitude can preserve and promote a balanced cultural growth in our youth in this modern and advanced age.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=021731
