There is debate over whether the Valentine’s Day celebration is against our culture and values? This debate has been further escalated by the recent incident that took place in Mangalore where few men belonging to Sri Ram Sene beat women going to a pub. This debate is not about our culture but I feel it is about our mindset and thinking. I personally don’t feel there is no need of a day to symbolise or show affection or express love. But then I have no problems with the people who like celebrating Valentine’s Day.

India is an independent country with a democratic setup and in this country you are free to do whatever you want unless and until you are breaking a law or causing harm to some one. If few people have a problem with the younger generation celebrating the day, then they have all the right to oppose but within the limits of law. These hooligans are not the custodians of our Constitution and nor do they have any right to take law in their own hands. I also feel that this whole fuss about the culture is nothing but the frustration of few individuals who just cannot see women getting equal rights in our country.

Somewhere, it is clearly linked to gender equality. Our Constitution clearly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of the sex of the people. If they really feel that our cultural values are being degraded then let me tell all of them that culture is one thing that is never stagnant. It changes with the poeple and time. It is this change, which shows that the society is progressive or not. If these concierge of culture are so worried then I have few questions to them:

Wasn’t Sati and forcing widow to wear white also a culture of India few hundred years back? There were violent protest against the social reform movement, which voiced against Sati but then that was abolished.

Which culture says that you have rights to beat a woman. Is this a show of masculinity?

You have problems when women smoke or drink but not men, why?

This bunch of hooligans who beat the people wear pants and shirts. Since when has this attire become the part of our culture.

Lastly, what do they mean when they say the word culture?

As I understand, culture does change with the times. We have changed the way we celebrate our festivals today. We have changed the way we dress. We have changed the way women were perceived or given rights in our society some 50 years back. We have added few more festivals or days such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. Our social structure has changed. We have also changed the way we pray to God. We have undergone some changes with our thinking and thus have pushed for so many reforms within the society.

There is a saying that change is inevitable. If we want India to prosper then it is very essential that we change our mindset. We cannot live in India of 21st century with the mindset of 18th century. The younger generation of this country thinks differently and thinks positively for the future of this nation. We need to give them wings to fly. It will be great if these people who are out to create futile troubles channelise their energy into constructive works. As far as the debate is concerned, let us leave it to individuals to decide whether it is right or wrong. These jokers have no right to decide what we should do and what we should not!