Valentine's Day blossoms in India, former protesters have change of heart
Valentine's Day blossoms in India, former protesters have change of heart on Business Standard. It might take a while for the love breeze from the upscale streets of south Bombay to travel to the interiors of Madhya Pradesh, but you cannot deny a new wind is blowing in India this Valentine's Day
Latest News As India gears up to mark Valentine’s Day today, erstwhile protesters to this 'horrible import from the West'- appear to have turned neutral, and even sympathetic, to the idea of Valentine's Day. While it might take a while for the love breeze from the upscale streets of south Bombay to travel to the interiors of Madhya Pradesh, you cannot deny a new wind is blowing in India this Valentine's Day. When you are not sure if something is right or not, you are in a moral dilemma. When you are not sure if you are fighting something or not, you could call it a quarrel dilemma. That is what some Hindu rightwing groups seem to be in as India prepares to celebrate Valentine's Day, which, in the thoughts of protest groups, is a horrible import from the West to corrupt the nation's youngsters. But winds of change are blowing, as erstwhile protesters – at least some of them -- have turned neutral, and even sympathetic, to the idea of Valentine's Day. This has understandably caused dissensions and cracks in the ranks of those who in the past seem to have rejected the saying by American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, "All the world loves a lover�. Those who had tried to stop couples from saying it with chocolates, flowers and romantic dates in the parks, universities and shopping malls of India are having a change of heart, at least in parts.
Mumbai-headquartered Shiv Sena is now a pale yellow version of its former saffron self. It has clarified the party will not oppose Valentine's Day and pointed out that a man leading protests against the annual kootchie-kooing festival in UP had been expelled by the party. In fact, Aditya Thackeray, the latest scion of the dynastically inclined party, has asserted it is "absolutely not party line" to oppose VDay.
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