In Jharkand, saffronists have hit upon a new way of ‘encouraging’ marriage: shotgun (or, in this case, lathi stick) weddings. But raksha bandhan is months away:
Hindu right-wing activists in Jharkhand claimed to have married off five romancing couples on Valentine’s Day Tuesday, saying they were celebrating the day even though it was against Indian culture… At the rock garden, three couples were spotted. Two of them were made to move around a banyan tree and take an oath of marriage – in a symbolic wedding…Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) even forced a couple to tie the symbolic brother-sister thread of rakhi when they refused to get married. [Link]
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p style=”margin-right: 0px”>Some students were flippant about it:
The move is now being welcomed by courting couples, who are thanking the moral police for adding velocity to Cupid’s arrows. “It is indeed good news. We must thank them for being concerned about our marriages,” said Ruchika, a student of a management institute in this Jharkhand capital. “My parents will finally come to know about my love.”
Priya, an engineering student, echoed similar sentiments, saying: “I hope they stick to their word and ensure my marriage with my boyfriend…” [Link]
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p style=”margin-right: 0px”>But the saffronists couldn’t even stay consistent:
… even Saamna, the [Shiv] Sena’s mouthpiece, could not resist cashing in on the spirit of love by publishing an article on possible gifts to buy your beloved today. [Link]
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p>In Delhi and Srinagar, more political theater, yawn. Funny how the saffronists are a mirror image of Muslim fundamentalists:
About 50 Hindu activists wearing holy saffron-coloured scarves held a noisy protest in a popular market near the Delhi University campus… They burnt greeting cards which they were carrying and shouted “Down with Valentine’s Day”. [Link]About two dozen women separatists, veiled in black from head to toe, rummaged shops and burnt Valentine’s Day cards in Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital… “Valentine’s Day spreads immorality among the youth,” Asiya Andrabi of the Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of the Muslim Faith), a group of women separatists, said in a statement. [Link]
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p>In Palika Bazaar, Jai Arjun Singh wonders what it would be like to prowl for porn. It’s for his ‘phrend’ only:
The owner is unsuitably avuncular, he wears thick glasses, has a warm, open smile and this starts to feel awkward, like buying condoms from the friendly neighborhood chemist you’ve known since you were a child. But then he opens his mouth to speak. “You want combination, single, Asian, schoolgirl, kitty aunties, frontside, backside, oral, multiple? All varieties available. Full one-and-a-half hour. Rs 150 only.” [Link via Escaping Flatland]
In large Indian cities, Barista serves up more than just coffee:
While growing up in India, it was difficult for a couple to get together (even in Mumbai – friends have been harassed in Bandra Beach and Chowpatty) in a place one’s parents did not know of. In Delhi, Archie’s and Nirula’s filled this gap for the middle class. In recent times, Barista and Café Coffee Day serve this purpose. For those from the lower middle class, who can’t afford Rs 50 cups of coffee, a public park is a more convenient spot. [Link]
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p>In the U.S., Tushar Singh makes confession:
Yes, uncles and aunties… those “good kids” like yours who swear to Vishnu they don’t have sex, they are dry-humping, which is… the same thing with carpet burn. [Link]
Interesting behaviour from the saffronists. Some of the Indian satellite/cable news channels have also been running stories on the topic during the past few days.
I may be wrong, but India must be the only non-Muslim country in the world where people become so irate about the whole topic of dating and Valentine’s Day. (At least with regards to using religion and “culture” to justify their somewhat neurotic attitudes).
If we played the drinking game on Valentine’s day – 1 shot every time you hear how Valentine’s day is corrupting today’s youth, we may not live to take our sweetheart out for dinner because of alcohol poisoning.
I see this as an opportunity for religious fundies and rational people to join together in solidarity.
It’s the interface between prudery, fears of modern Indian youth sexuality and all that ensues with women and men breaking the bonds of their caste-religion-family protectorate that this represents, the sexually suppressed trying to supress others, and the inferiority complexes and neurosis inherent in the religious nationalism nastiness of these small brained unsexy horrible saffron tea-bags (pure virginal chaste Hindus being defiled by the debauched gora customs) Funny how they are so similar to their Islamist cousins in this respect, always chewing their fingernails in frieght at the thought of boys and girls having a bit of flirtation and romance and fun.
Horrible bitter old hags.
Nina, have you seen Down With Love?
Isn’t marriage without parental approval also subversive? I’d think they would want to break couples up, not force them together. Maybe this is a cheap way to avoid a dowry, just make out in front of their office while holding up a hallmark card.
i think one of the major reasons for the thing is that if everyone was free to have romantic relationships, we’d be like brasil. and god forbid we be as fun as brasilians! and could we do without all the intrigue and deception of indian marriage?? what would people do for fun if they weren’t worried about so and so and so and so and if so and so loves so and so. they’d have to act like brasilians! and also it would make things way too simple and all the mystery of if you’re significant other loves you or is in it for the social status would be gone! nah, can’t have that…
Look at you, so quick to pounce and condemn!! Losing all sense of propertion and elementary logic. aagaey bandar band bajaney!! You are not just wrong: also abysmally ignorant and obnoxious.
ThePoorIndianVillager: Aap bade chutiya kissim kay aadmi hain 🙂
Look at you, so quick to pounce and condemn!! Losing all sense of propertion and elementary logic. aagaey bandar band bajaney!! You are not just wrong: also abysmally ignorant and obnoxious.
ThePoorIndianVillager: Aap bade chutiya kissim kay aadmi hain 🙂
Ok, had no other place to put this, but the site decorations for v. day, especially the lgo are just too cool. I see this as an opportunity for religious fundies and rational people to join together in solidarity.
agreed, nina.
the whole thing about v-day is that what we have come to know it as, and what it was orginally celebrated are two different things (no, i know it’s not the only one), and it’s the one day of the year, that has become focused on sex, sex, sex, and ‘romance’, which has become sex costumed in a pretty lace doily. society chooses too often not to stress that it’s love for all, not just the ‘get it on with your honey’ holiday.
Down With Love
shudders.
anyhoo……
dances happily at the the sight of the logo. toooo cool. wayyyy too cool. and cute. ingenious.
another good one! i think the entire country of india needs to go to Latin America and have some kind of beverage, dance some kind of dance, and just get a little more loose. shake those hips, no thrust, shake!
Yeah…..India needs to become like Brazil….
Isn’t Goa a little like that?
It is so unfair to see Indian media’s (even SM for long time) shameless silence over the cartoon outrage by Muslims all over the world, while a few Hindu fundamentalists get instant headlines.
another good one! i think the entire country of india needs to go to Latin America and have some kind of beverage, dance some kind of dance, and just get a little more loose. shake those hips, no thrust, shake!
I’d rather go to punjab and have fun with the bhangra dancers.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) used to be a bunch of thugs (“goondas”) when I was in undergrad in India. ABVP is the prep-school for getting into the rough electoral politics of India.
As Nina_P pointed out this topic can be that missing link between hindu and muslim fundies 🙂
I think this is same frivilous issue as the “Christmans under attack in America” issue.
But then “Being under attack… Being under assault” is a calling card for all fundies all over the world, no matter which religion.
Duuuuhhh….where have you been for the last week?
That is the truth!
Do Brazilians have fundies?
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) used to be a bunch of thugs (“goondas”) when I was in undergrad in India. ABVP is the prep-school for getting into the rough electoral politics of India.
Arnt all the movers and shakers of BJP like Vajpayee/Advani former ABVP members?
Probably one of the few times when both Hindu and Muslim fundamentalists are on the same side of a protest. Who would have thought that a chubby cherub and chocolates would bring otherwise warring factions together… there is still hope for this world. 😉
ben there done that, they need to learn salsa
Cartoonwalle bhai, LOL!! ka karein? Chutiyon ke liye chutiyapan he samaj mein aayegee. woh ka kahat hein ? “dumbing it down” karna padthaa hey. Sadaa Depraved and Debauched rehna!! Jai Shiri Raam
Aap bahut such boltey hain
Takbeer! Allah-hu-Akbar
How is valetine day in punjab. Do they celabrate it there.
Hey Pattie Kaur
I’m from a sikh family, but I’m clean shaven so I guessing you won’t be my valentine.
Hey Pattie Kaur
I’m from a sikh family, but I’m clean shaven so I guessing you won’t be my valentine.
as long as you’re intellegent, and hav a good soul, sure ya can! (though i prefer fuzz, i don’t hate non fuzzies…look at amitabh, he’s not always fuzzy, and he’s..well…so there ya go!)
ben there done that, they need to learn salsa
salsa’s been done too much. now, polka, that’s something new. polka in lungis! woohhoo!
Singling out ABVP is not fair. In the south, I remember PDSU and all their other communist brethren were even more thuggish. Most of the PDSU guys got into colleges under some “affirmative action” scheme and knew that they will get into a government job once they graduate and did not care much for colleges. I think ABVP just has to keep up.
🙂 yeah i’m done with that
oops down with that
oops down with that
awww…such is life.
🙂 yeah i’m done with that
or, for a real challenge do the cossack in lungis. now that would be some entertaining stuff.
Nina, you almost made me spew juice all over my computer monitor when I read that. 😀
I think this is correct. Vajpayee came out of ABVP.
But its not fair to call Vajpayee a “goonda” because he came from ABVP. When Vajpayee was young (and a student) ABVP was just born and I am sure must be a lot more ideallistic (change the world type) and nationalistic (as those who started must have grown up under British occupation). Same for the student branch of Congress party. Now the idealism is gone and just pure politics has remained. All parties in India recruit student leaders from campuses and majority of these student leaders come from somewhat “goonda” type background. (Unless they come from Gandhi family)
I hate to make such a blanket statement, and I sincerely hope that I am wrong. But my experience in college in India is what I based my statement from.
Oh my…I remember growing in India (till 9th grade) we’d have the school “supply rakhis” to the kids (hormonal 14 year olds who were into all kinds of stuff you won’t believe) and make all the girls tie rakhis to the boys in class!! Oh yeah. That stopped them from doing all the unbelieveable stuff with eachother!! Wink Wink. Good lord…when are we ever going to evolve??????
Wow…like “Angelina Jolie” and “James Haven”, that is pretty forward for ABVP.
“Oh my…I remember growing in India (till 9th grade) we’d have the school “supply rakhis” to the kids (hormonal 14 year olds who were into all kinds of stuff you won’t believe) and make all the girls tie rakhis to the boys in class!! Oh yeah. That stopped them from doing all the unbelieveable stuff with eachother!! Wink Wink. Good lord…when are we ever going to evolve??????”
The rakhi thing in schools is news to me as I went to school in Tamil Nadu where it was not celebrated. Am curious; did the school make you do this or did the students themselves want to celebrate Rakhi?
Student thugs come in many forms in India including this one and can be found here too and have their apologists as well but can’t care to pay heed to what is exactly happening. Do Thackeray’s thugs realise that their dear leader bears an Anglicised family name and not the original Thakre?
I went to school in Mumbai and we are talking the late 80s (at the risk of dating myself :-)). The school teachers advocated this more than the students. Most students were willing, but it was a targeted audience. The kids who were fooling around with eachother and were caught or seen at some point or the other by the teachers were the ones that were made to go first!! It was very systematic.
Forget his name man, the leader of “Maharastrian virtues” is banging his DIL. Hello!!
Pattie, I meant “down” as in I am all for polka in lungis.
I’m sure there was a lot of dating ones self going on amongst students then 😉
He always says she is like his child.
Bal = child in Marathi Thokrey = bang ’em
That also explains his fascination with Wacko Jacko.
Uh huh…she’s the biggest socialite in Bollywood. And I grew up across the street from the man. Not everything is bad about him. Thanx to him when Mumbai was burning our neighborhood did not get burnt (wasn’t there then).
It doesnt matter anyway. All love is fraud. You’re all hypocrites. Love is just sexual obsession. We’re all going to die one day, anyway, what does it matter?
What can I say? In the late 70s, he warned my father and grandfather (and all South Indians in general) to get out of Mumbai or face the consequences.
Pattie, I meant “down” as in I am all for polka in lungis.
ooh ok! thanks dear, sorry! then it’s cool! i’m not used to the latest verbal trends, so forgive me!
Janeofalltrades, thanks for explaining about rakhi in your school.
What if your family/friends had not lived in Bal Thackeray’s neighbourhood, and they had to deal with Mumbai burning? Would you still think he was not so bad?
Pattie,
no worries, its all cool!
or in punjabj….koi gall ne, sab teek 🙂
Oh my someone needs a hug. XOXO
I was being scarcastic about the not bad thing. I know how much shit he’s caused for people in Mumbai. Our families are close just cause we have been neighbors. Mumbai buring was bad period for everyone.
Pattie,
no worries, its all cool!
or in punjabj….koi gall ne, sab teek 🙂
awww! you’re expanding my vocab! too cool! HUG! thanks!
i am STILL dying to know where the heart shaped sardar pic came from for the logo!
OMG PK I’ve been think that since this morning….I mean this is SM’s height of cheesiness lol. Love it.
OMG PK I’ve been think that since this morning….I mean this is SM’s height of cheesiness lol. Love it.
LMAO! i almost SHAT myself when i saw that! oh, shat and drooled! then i tought, there must be one hell of a mind behind it! sure do love it!
now, for us inquiring minds, a link to the pic or words to type for a google search would be awesome! 😉
It’s from Sikh Pioneers.