Valentine’s Day has gone by and many a relations might possibly have been formed. I do not think that there is any need to explain the meaning or importance of V-day. Countless articles have been written on almost every aspect of the day dissecting it into various angles.
To some, the day is especially reserved for their sweet hearts while for those who are socially independent yet morally conservative, the day means respecting everyone who can be defined as a loved one viz., brothers, sisters, ma, pa, et al.
Whichever manner and with whatever intentions one may have celebrated Valentine’s Day, it is important to know as to why the need for a particular day to proclaim love ever rise?
In one word, if I may answer, it is Oppression. Yes, oppression lifted February 14 to where it stands today. The young love birds have only one agenda somewhere deep inside them which they call independence. Anything that tends to curb that characteristic faces a sort of revolt; a rebellion that may reach alarming proportions if timely negotiations are not made.
India has never been a narrow-minded society. Love for all, and also for that special one, is entrenched in our common psyche. Thus we have novellas, stories and folk tales depicting the importance of imparting as well as receiving love. There wouldn’t have been any Meghdootam, Abhigyanshakuntalam or even our beloved Radha and Krishna had ancient India been so conservative. There wouldn’t have been Salim-Anarkali, Heer-Ranjha and definitely, there wouldn’t have been a Taj Mahal if medieval India was so orthodox. Love was nurtured, respected and patronized by the great Kings and sages of the times. In fact, the topic of ‘love’ is so vast in itself that it can’t be explained in mere words.
Now take a look at the present day India. We have a society that takes pride in honour killing, that thinks holding hands in public is indecent, that prescribes a particular dress-code for the female gender and that loves to impose rules which they themselves do not follow. The very same society enjoys a B or C grade movie inside a dark cinema hall but wears a mask of upright moral values when it comes out in the open. I agree that sometimes the actual meaning of love is misconstrued as more physical than emotional. That is wrong but it is impossible to change the wayward nature of young lovers especially by force. Thus, instead of putting an end to this so-called ‘Western Drama’, this society has inadvertently caused the rise in sale of Valentine day stuffs. Reports indicate that an average person spends close to Rs. 5,000 on this day buying presents for his/her special one. That’s a staggering sum!
If a society or a part of it, starts framing dos and don’ts for a generation that is rebellious in love then we are bound to see fireworks. The more any self styled moral brigade tries to rein in the unbridled horses, the haughtier they turn. By-and-by for the youths, the meaning of V-day is becoming more an answer to the oppression faced by them. This might be far more threatening to the dream of a developed India because it is difficult for a country to survive a societal civil-war.