Indian Politics and St. Valentine

What about the teens, romantics, and poets views on V-Day? Do they already treat every day as special?:)

Jo,
Be it Communists, right wing groups of Islam - Hindutva, the intelligentsia or the businesses , at the heart of it all is them getting their 15 minutes of fame and serving their causes.

Confused about your take on American Festivities..

Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims had beaten the odds, built homes , raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long winter and more importantly : they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. As an act of gratitude,the Thanksgiving meal was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

It has come a long way since then, but how does that apply to us desis ? We share little in that story sans the sentiment and the good intent. I'm sure we do not realize the significance of many Indian festivals, when that's the case, we need to start celebrating Thanksgiving ?

If you are talking of it as a 'Harvest Festival', it makes sense. But Harvest festivals and 'thanksgiving' celebrations have been held for ages by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, the Egyptians and of course Indians(East) : Sankranthi, Baisakhi, Pongal, Onam etc.

Halloween
Same as above for Halloween. We have little in common with Halloween's Celtic-Samhain-Pomonian origins. If we are referring to it as just 'Celtic festival of the dead..', we do celebrate-mourn the dead in various rituals-festivals-occasions. I will spare you the list ....

Yes the fun aspect for kids (and young at heart) in Halloween is a big factor in its current day form. But you guess the lobbies you mention above will show restraint if we institute these 'new' celebrations ? And does India need any more festivals ? Seriously..

Love is universal. In India, with all the shackles attributed to this rather basic feeling, select opportunities like Valentine's day or a Rose day in college is a big deal for youngsters. Let the teen be teens. As long as they are not making a scene of public indecency or resorting to a crime, just let the lovebirds coo.

Good thing about Valentine's day and love is, despite all the hoopla by these groups, the fact of the matter is, no one can stop a person from handing a card and a flower. If they do try to stop, it will only get worse..

>> Aaman: Teens and Romantics - Not sure, but I think they are all ga-ga for a V-Day. Well, its the age, right? :-)

>> Anupallavi: [very musical name :-)] I'm not worried that V-Day is going to destory the Indian culture or so, but I do not find any meaning in celebrating Valentines Day. When did people in India started celebraing it? 6 years? or more or less? I haven't heard about it in my pre-degree time (in 1996) in the college. It is something promoted by the greeting card companies and later adopted by many other businesses. Also the part of television channels like M-Tv or Channel-V in promoting such days should be noticed.

In the Indian context, teens or youngsters had such fun of exchanging cards or flowers even before V-Day came here. The occassions were College Day, Annual Day, Arts Day etc. It had its little surprises. Love doesn't need a V-Day to celebrate. But now its like Media or businessed telling them "this is the perfect time to show your love" and it becomes a setup.

My comment about Halloween and Thanks Giving was to mention the stupidity in adopting such foreign celebrations without any thought or knowing anything about it.

The general concept of Thanksgiving as a day to pause and appreciate what has passed in the year before, and to thank friends, and family, and society for bountiful mercies, would be one that could be borrowed with little alien connotation, methinks.

In the globalized world, is there really such a thing as 'foreign'?

As for me, I am just waiting to see the day when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, Halloween and so on. When everyday becomes a special day, we will learn the importance of living a normal life.

I dont like it either, Jo. Sighs, you have no idea how much of a pain it is!, add "guys" to the group who hate this! :)

cheers

bd

I really don't see anything wrong with Valentine's Day other than the gift-giving pressure. But that can be worked out by the people involved in the giving-taking part of it. I think the major problems Indians have with V-day is that it feels like a manufactured holiday - and for good reason because it is. It's like Hallmark's "Admin Asst Day" or "Boss's Day". We celebrate far more frivolous holidays and we celebrate it in ways that have since lost their meaning. But there is an associated comfort because it has sprung from mythology and handed down to us over the years.

>> Aaman: In the countries like US, where family get-together is a rare thing, Thanks Giving Day might be of importance but in India we haven't reached to that level yet, I believe. Except for the metros. But I like the "Thanks" giving idea.

Since globalization has not been 'global' yet and only a few of the world is benefitting from it, there are still things 'foreign'. :-)

>> Anupallavi: Its just that it doesn't make any sense to me. :-)

>> bd: LOL!! So true! :-))

>> Aspi:

I think the major problems Indians have with V-day is that it feels like a manufactured holiday - and for good reason because it is.

We celebrate far more frivolous holidays and we celebrate it in ways that have since lost their meaning.

True.

It is highly deplorable that Desicritics chose to use its website to promote an alien tradition in Indsia such as the Valentines day on its web site. I fully support Bal thackarey in his stand against Valentines day. It is perfectly peacefull to purchase valentines day cards and burn them on the streets. No one gets hurt in this process. And it sends a powerfull message that Indians in India want to remain the Indians they remained for tens of thousands of years before. I see this struggle as a result of pride in India. If you lack pride of being Indian, you would celebrate Valentines day and maybe still call yourself Indian. The Indians in India must retain their identity. This Indian identity includes, as an essential character, not celebrating a festival of the type that Valentines day really is. So do you see how celebrating Valentines day will do damage to India and this world?? The world is a diverse place. If one does not want to preserve this diversity, then I only call such a person intolerant. A person that cannot imagine an India where Valentines day is not celebrated is essentially an Intolerant person. There is a campaign in the Indian media to promote Valentines day. There has to be a counter propaganda to resist this attempt to impose changes to our national character. It is the absence of this resistance in the Indian media that has prompted the Shiv Sena to adopt this stand on 14th february. I have only praise of this leader from Mumbai. He has takes very good stands on several important issues. Future generations will remember him for his efforts

SweetSanjay, one more copy pasting of the same comment and it will be treated as spam.

Deepti, someone is on a date with Ctrl+C,Ctrl+V as a part of V day celebration ;)

lol...good one Tanay

LOL Tanay! :-)

I think there's a discussion to be had here with SweetSanjay about something that's always confounded me. Remember when we tested those nuclear missiles several years ago and most of the country went happy bonkers? It puzzled me back then that not only were we adapting something conceived in the Western hemisphere, but something truly destructive and we were calling it our own and associating it with nationalistic pride.

there are few other places it exists, mate such as :

1. in the minds of most of the muslim organisations, ranging from official political organisations such as the OIC/AL to social organisations, to what have you.

2. in the minds of the media, both left and right, muslim and non muslim

3. In the quran itself, where (tbs can provide the sura name) it is given that all muslims are brothers and they have to stick together and work together, etc., or words to that effect and since its the literal word of god, it works like that

and and and.

Multiple identities, agreed. May not be the most important one, agreed. But it doesnt exist? disagree. It occurs and is becoming more and more important as time goes on. Good or bad, again is not the q :)

>> Aspi: I believe it's all part of pseudo-nationalism.