Hindu
right-wingers believe that Valentine’s day has something to do with
Christianity. But, the Internet (my guru and guide) says Jesus and
His disciples did not observe Valentine’s Day nor anything close to it; Valentine’s
Day is not a biblical holiday. India’s left-of-centre folk feel this custom of
‘celebrating’ love is causing a class divide: those who don’t belong to the lip-sticked
‘muah’ crowd become more disconnected socially, politically, and geographically
from the hegemonic capitalist power structure.
How
and when did Valentine’s Day arrive in India?
Around
the time my only-Konkani-speaking great-grandfather was a young lad in Palolem,
in the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace
were produced and sold (in 1847) by one Esther Howland. She had received a
hand-made card from a business associate of her father. Intrigued with the idea
of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper
lace and floral decorations from England. (The English practice of sending
Valentine's cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in
Elizabeth Gaskell’s ‘Mr Harrison’s Confessions’ (1851): "I burst in with
my explanations: '"The valentine I know nothing about." '"It is
in your handwriting", said he coldly.)
In my mother’s generation, expressions of affection between boy and girl
weren’t promoted/ encouraged. My parents
wouldn’t allow us to glance at cinema posters where the hero was looking at the
heroine!
By the time I was in college, in the second half of the 20th century,
‘love’ had returned to the land of Khajuraho and Kamasutra. Adolescents,
teenagers and anyone in love began to express what they felt. Through letters
and cards, to begin with (I should know, the postman was my best friend through
the courtship period). The practice of exchanging cards was extended to all
manner of gifts, but mainly red roses (real, plastic, made of stiff cloth or
drawn with a sketch pen on paper), chocolates packed in a red satin,
heart-shaped box and later, stuffed bears.
Around the time my son was born, in the 1980s, the diamond industry
began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewellery.
None of
this commerce has impressed our Shiv, Ram and other senas. In past years they
have burned stacks of cards, decrying them as vulgar. No one’s ever given me a
card/ gift/ anything for Valentine’s. (After marriage, The Man in my life
doesn’t take hints or waste money on impractical stuff). So out of curiosity
(since the editor of Goa Today had asked me write this article) I browsed
through some items at a local ‘gift’ shop. Couldn’t find anything obscene or
vulgar in them. But - the words and pictures were so sickeningly sweet that I
thought they might be a danger to our prone-to-diabetes population. If for that
reason anyone wants to burn them, I’m all for it.
Though
apparently these cards/ gifts might not be burnt henceforth. One New York Times
report of a year or two ago said that the thugs who ‘patrolled streets’ in
years past might stay at home on Valentine’s Day(s). Apparently, Om Dutt
Sharma, Shiv Sena’s Delhi convenor, told NDTV, the Times noted: "What is
the use or point? We cannot stop (the young people) from celebrating, and we
are getting a bad reputation.” This refers to the fact that in spite of their
best efforts to preserve and conserve and promote what’s good for ‘us’, the
wayward majority still wants to buy, give and accept trinkets and furry toys.
Bah.
Saint Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed
on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world,
although it remains a working day in most of them. It began as a liturgical celebration
of Saint Valentine who was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who
were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted
under the Roman Empire. During his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the
daughter of his jailer, Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he
wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Today,
Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the
Lutheran Church: in fact married couples can renew their vows on that Day,
though I don’t see why one would need/ want to do so. The Eastern Orthodox
Church celebrates Saint Valentine's Day on July 6th and 30th, the
former date in honour of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter
date in honour of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern
Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de Sao Valentim is recognized on June 12.
Valentine’s Day was first associated with romantic love in
the circle of Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly
love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which
lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering
confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
There are many stories, many versions, in different parts of the world.
Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the
heart-shaped outlines, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In the UK,
just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines and around
1.3 billion pounds are spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other
gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. A pound is roughly
seventy rupees so you know how much the Day is worth. The U.S. Greeting Card
Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each
year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than
husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards
made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become
the people receiving the most valentines. The rise of Internet popularity at
the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use,
every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting
messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An
estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.
There are no statistics for India; we have special TV and radio programs,
and love letter competitions. One right wing Hindu website (which has a
grammatically challenged content provider) said: "Those who celebrate
‘Valentine’s Day’ in the present manner, do in fact insult the saint himself;
for they try to start a love-affair before their actual marriage by sending
Valentine cards to one another. Had St. Valentine supported this system, he
would not have solemnized the marriages in the first place." "Public
admission of love" is supposed to be "alien to Indian culture".
Although these protests are organized by political elites, the protesters
themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will
destroy the traditions in their society.
Despite these obstacles, Valentine's Day is becoming increasingly popular
in India. It is usually marked by a steep increase in the price of flowers,
particularly red roses, in cities and towns.
In February ’12, Subhash Chouhan
of the Bajrang Dal said "Couples cannot kiss or hug in public places. Our
activists will beat them up". He added, "We are not against love, but
we criticize vulgar exhibition of love at public places.” No one has clarified whether exchange of
cards/ stuffed toys comes under vulgar display.
I read further on the Net: ‘Does real love require this superficial display and can it be
confined to just one day?’ If I were an adolescent in love, superficial or not,
I’d want that display and that love every
day.
Apparently,
'Valentine's Day' is responsible for the propagation of western culture and
incitement of youth towards unrestrained behaviour. I agree that unrestrained
behaviour in any form is bad. People who destroy public or private property
display unrestrained behaviour.
One more
from the Net: “… this madness is taking root in our beloved Hindustan which has
the richest and most sublime culture in the world.” Whither modesty?
And
another: ‘Love is present in sacred relationships such as the Guru and the
disciple, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and even towards ones
motherland.’ Yes. Give ‘em all cards and gifts, I say, it’s good for business.
Another: ‘If
young revolutionaries, such as Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Madan Lal
Dhingra and Chapekar who sacrificed their lives in their youth, had spent their
days celebrating days such as Valentine's days then we would never be able to
enjoy freedom today.’ True. Which is why I believe that everyone who reveres
the national heroes thus must send their children or volunteer themselves to do
military duty on Siachen for a couple of years. That will help India more than
burning greeting cards. One year, a few slogan-shouting men, believed to be
members of a political party, walked into a busy fast food restaurant in New
Delhi's central Connaught Place, where they smashed potted plants, tossed a few
chairs and knocked over people's trays. I have no idea how that benefited
either the nation or its dwellers.
I read further on the Net: “The battle is
always waged in the name of protecting something called Indian values from
something called Western decadence. Nobody
can fully explain what Indian values really are, but there is clear evidence to
suggest that they have something to do with Indian girls being sober and
married while having sex.”
Whatever. Valentine’s Day has become a permanent feature on
our ever-increasing list of festivals. Newspapers
carry Valentine’s Day messages, advertisements for satin hearts and cards, and
interviews with celebrities about their thoughts on love. Restaurants offer
discounts to couples young, old and in my age bracket, too.
Now, let me find those scissors,
ribbons, cardboard bits and a pen so I can make a card to give… nope, not
telling to whom.
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