Valentine day police in India patrolling the streets

Valentine day is glorified in the West and elsewhere because it is very profitable for businesses (such as restaurants, cinemas, stores, florists, bakeries and others). The biggest harm is perhaps only to your wallet/purse and stress level if you are in a relationship with these sort of expectations.

I’m not really into things that are very superficial so I’m completely indifferent to the idea of having a day for your loved ones, not saying that only people who are superficial celebrate this day. Everyone may have their own thinking style and motive for whatever it is that they do for themselves. However, one thing we can all perhaps agree on is that if you don’t celebrate or treat Valentine day as something special then why would you care what others are doing on this day?

Blind faith and fanaticism is very dangerous. Religions unfortunately promote both by boxing you inside a belief system that is always against everything else without providing a good explanation and reasoning as to why approach A is better than approach B.

I’m reading this news article about a group of hardcore Hindu fanatics being obsessed about what others are doing of February 14.

Right-wing Hindus in India are offering white roses, free counselling and a chance to get married for couples caught kissing or hugging in public places on Valentine's Day.

Roving three-person teams of volunteers from the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha will fan out across India on Feb. 14, scanning parks and public spaces for couples exhibiting "inappropriate behaviour."

"We'll explain the meaning of love to them," said Chander Prakash Kaushik, the group's president. "We are against any vulgarity, not against love."

"Suhaag raat should be in the bedroom, not on roads," he said, using the Hindi term for the consummation of a marriage.

Wait a second. Isn’t this the country (India) that mass produce and release massive amount of cheesy movies, almost every single one centered or revolves around love and relationship with very silly plots?

Kaushik said the Hindu Mahasabha volunteers would distribute white roses to signify they come in peace, and then advise the couples to get married if they are really in love.

This guy doesn’t seem to get it. Love is free buddy, marriage is a very expensive business.

The Hindu Mahasabha, which is not affiliated to the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, is among groups seen as self-appointed moral guardians of younger Indians who increasingly seek the right to choose their own partner, independent of caste and other traditional rules.

Public displays of love and live-in relationships are viewed as a cultural threat in India, where conservative attitudes coexist with high rates of violence against women.

Reference
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/india-valentine-idINKBN0LH1QK20150213

Fanatical Hindu groups on a force conversion mission

I’m reading this news from India

Indian opposition MPs have protested in parliament against Hindu nationalist groups for converting religious minorities to Hinduism. In recent weeks, a number of religious ceremonies have been organised in different parts of India by Hindu hardline groups, close to Mr Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and there have been allegations that they involved force, fraud or inducement

Generally it’s very rare to have the whole family converting to a new faith. One or two person from a family I can understand but not when this sort of large-scale family conversion…

Earlier this month, more than 50 Muslim families were reportedly converted to Hinduism against their will in the town of Agra. At the weekend, it was reported that about 100 Christians had converted to Hinduism in the western state of Gujarat while 30 Christians were converted in the southern state of Kerala.

So, who’s behind this?

Hardline Hindu groups like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), Bajrang Dal, VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and others say that Indian Muslims and Christians were all Hindus who have converted to other faiths over the last few centuries. These groups regularly hold ceremonies which they call "ghar vapasi" - or returning home - to allow Christians and Muslims to return to their "original religion". At the weekend, the head of India's most powerful Hindu group, the RSS, vowed to continue with the conversions.

"We will bring back those who have lost their way. They did not go on their own... They were lured into leaving," he said.
Recently, a row broke out after government minister Niranjan Jyoti used an abusive term to refer to non-Hindus, by asking people at a public rally to choose between Ramzada (children of the Hindu God Ram) and Haramzada (bastards). Mr Modi said he disapproved of her language but refused to sack her.

India is turning into a scary place for religious minorities. And here we all thought only Islam has fanatical followers…..

Reference
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30573796