The Shiv Sena and
the MNS decided not to make a spectacle of themselves as they usually do during
that special time of the year. I was surprised and confused. Reading about the moral
brigade’s new initiatives and applauding their creativity is as much a part of Valentine’s
Day as Archie’s oversized teddy bears and heart-shaped balloons.
Perhaps the relatively
young Mr. Raj Thackeray has found love? He decided not to harass lovers
celebrating Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, the Shiv Sena and the MNS,
easily two of the most entertaining parties in India despite stiff competition
from their peers in Karnataka and elsewhere, made
arrangements to ensure that election campaigns don’t interfere with the
celebrations. It appears that these icons of exemplary behaviour are unable to
disentangle matters of the heart from matters of the vote.
However, other right-wing
groups across the country, eager to add to their core competency, decided to pick
up where the story was left off and adopted new
measures to combat the social evil of publicly proclaimed love. I
hardly think carrying mangalsutras
around to insist that any couple celebrating Valentine’s Day be married on the
spot is awfully bright. But I'd be a fool not to acknowledge that it does
solve the dowry problem quite neatly.
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