My morning started with an early morning delivery of a beautiful bouquet and chocolates. It's apparently the most romantic day of the month. Some might even say that all of a sudden all the love is in the air and the couples can't keep their hands off each other. But Hindu Mahasabha wants to get these couples, who choose to display any sort of affection, married. You ask why? The answer to that would be that they want to teach these youngsters that with love comes responsibility, you know like spiderman got responsibility with power.
Now, I have lived my entire life in India. I come from an open-minded background. My family has given me the liberty to find myself a guy and I know they will stand by me in case it tuns out otherwise. In fact, most of my friends have that liberty and their families are fine with them finding a boy for themselves, who they are in love with and would want to spend their lives with. But the Hindu Mahasabha think that finding love corrupts our "Indian Culture" and whoever is seeing be intimate should be married there and then because in the name of love they might do some activities that will ruin our "culture".
Now, I haven't read the Vedas. I have not read all the religious texts neither am I the kind to go to the temple everyday. Although as a kid I remember watching Ramayana, I loved hearing mythological tales and I was awestruck by the fact that every Hindu God had a shakti (power) with him who was portrayed as a woman, his better half and without whom he was nothing.
Now, I might not know my religious text, I might not know the shlokas. But I sure know that our "Indian Culture" that the Mahasabha talks about includes everything from out society to our spirituality. Our culture is not as rigid as they think. I would request the people of the Mahasabha to go back to our texts and see how these Goddesses have had the liberty to choose their own husbands. Janaki had the liberty to choose and there was a swayamvar for her. Sati fell in love with lord Shiva and finally immolated herself to uphold the honour of the man she chose to marry. Lord Krishna never married Radha but she was his best girl. Our own God have preached love and given it importance throughout.
Our Indian Culture that we are so proud of is not of staying away from the opposite gender but of respecting our elders, of treating our guests as Gods, of having big huge joint families, of being spiritual, of believing in the best of people, of communities and of respecting the diversities of our country. It makes me sad to see these comments passed against the show of love today. Why should the young not be allowed to do something that out own God did why should they not live our culture because our own relics have given it importance. It's time that we changed that rigid definition of the Indian Culture and embraced what India is really known for. As for today, I hope each one of you go out with your loved one. I hope each of you find the one you want to be with. And the last time I checked, India was still a free country.
Now, I have lived my entire life in India. I come from an open-minded background. My family has given me the liberty to find myself a guy and I know they will stand by me in case it tuns out otherwise. In fact, most of my friends have that liberty and their families are fine with them finding a boy for themselves, who they are in love with and would want to spend their lives with. But the Hindu Mahasabha think that finding love corrupts our "Indian Culture" and whoever is seeing be intimate should be married there and then because in the name of love they might do some activities that will ruin our "culture".
Now, I haven't read the Vedas. I have not read all the religious texts neither am I the kind to go to the temple everyday. Although as a kid I remember watching Ramayana, I loved hearing mythological tales and I was awestruck by the fact that every Hindu God had a shakti (power) with him who was portrayed as a woman, his better half and without whom he was nothing.
Now, I might not know my religious text, I might not know the shlokas. But I sure know that our "Indian Culture" that the Mahasabha talks about includes everything from out society to our spirituality. Our culture is not as rigid as they think. I would request the people of the Mahasabha to go back to our texts and see how these Goddesses have had the liberty to choose their own husbands. Janaki had the liberty to choose and there was a swayamvar for her. Sati fell in love with lord Shiva and finally immolated herself to uphold the honour of the man she chose to marry. Lord Krishna never married Radha but she was his best girl. Our own God have preached love and given it importance throughout.
Our Indian Culture that we are so proud of is not of staying away from the opposite gender but of respecting our elders, of treating our guests as Gods, of having big huge joint families, of being spiritual, of believing in the best of people, of communities and of respecting the diversities of our country. It makes me sad to see these comments passed against the show of love today. Why should the young not be allowed to do something that out own God did why should they not live our culture because our own relics have given it importance. It's time that we changed that rigid definition of the Indian Culture and embraced what India is really known for. As for today, I hope each one of you go out with your loved one. I hope each of you find the one you want to be with. And the last time I checked, India was still a free country.
