Valentine’s Day… Good things come in different packages Around this time of the year, whenever the Valentine’s Day celebrations are around, we see a lot of conservative groups protesting these celebrations. As a matter of routine, some political party or leader will emerge to make some inflammatory statement, or exhort his supporters to vandalise gift stores, pubs and damage public property. All in the name of Indian pride. In the name of upholding Indian values, neither women nor children are spared. The public are routinely warned that such traditions are cultural imports from the West and the people should stay away from them. The State’s reaction is also normally muted which does not send the right signals. To the world, it depicts a very poor picture. The ugly picture of hoodlums going into pubs and pulling women out with their hair is a very inhuman sight to say the least. And yet, this happens, year after year. In the name of Indian pride, Is all this really justified?
Most certainly not! As humans, we have always been fond of entertainment. To keep our minds pre-occupied from our workloads and otherwise routine schedules. Entertainment brings the smiles, fun and laughter on our faces. It can come in various forms but no matter which form it might come in, we have always loved it and have indulged ourselves wholly in it. It keeps us away from our tensions. Television, Music, Sports, Cinema, theatre, drama, discos and night-outs are some of the popular forms of entertainment which give us pleasure, satisfaction and delight. With different individuals having different tastes, each of us will explore the form of entertainment which suits us the most and make the best out of it Right from the earliest days of our history, varied forms of entertainment have been recorded. In primitive times when people used to live in caves, they indulged in hunting, storytelling, and even some form of art and music which they drew on the cave walls. In ancient Greece and Rome, theatre took shape. Romans entertained themselves through the circus or Sport such as gladiator fights which pitted man versus man or even man versus animals. Ancient India revelled on classical music and dance. In the darbars of the kings, there would be regular music and poetry recitals. The composer-musician Tansen was one of the jewels of Akbar's court and so many other musicians travelled from far and wide to keep the royals and their citizens entertained. Bhajans and devotional songs have been composed and sung as a popular forms of entertainment with royal and temple patronage. In the history of the human race, each tribe, each religion, each race, each Country, each State or each province has had its own unique form of entertainment and the entertainment forms which we see today have largely evolved through centuries of practises which have come from different cultures and traditions of the World. In present times, entertainment is a very huge Industry and we have a large section of the world population thriving through it. With technological advancements, the world has shrunk and the Industry is now getting more and more globalised. Many of the western festivals or traditions such as Valentine’s Day or Halloween, or exchange of cards during Father’s Day or Mother’s Day, are now observed in many parts of the World including in India, which is a potentially huge market. For many, it is their livelihood and contributes substantially to the Indian economy. India’s art and culture is itself flourishing today. Indian music and cinema have made a mark in the rest of the world. The much maligned “Padmaavat” made roaring business in Australia and also in many other countries worldwide. So too so many other films like Secret Superstar, 3 Idiots or Bahubaali. Raj Kapoor and Mithun are household names in Russia. Ravi Shankar has taken his Sitar to the West. Singers such as Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar have done so many stage shows across the world and have an unparalleled worldwide fan following. The popularity of Indian Film music in the whole world is so immense. Indian classical music has likewise carved a niche for itself in the world. Let us not forget that India is a Country with a wide cultural diversity. It is not a monolithic society. Mark Twain famously said, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition”. Today, many of the Western people are themselves adopting an Indian lifestyle, food habits, cultures and traditions. In such a scenario, opposing some form of entertainment, calling it an import of the West does not make sense. It shows our County in extremely poor light. It is ironical that on the one hand, we embrace technology that is developed in the west and object to a tradition or culture which comes from that same region. Embracing a culture that comes from elsewhere does not mean that we will forget our own. India’s culture has survived after so many conquests and invasions. Anything that is beautiful will survive, anything that is not, people will reject it on its own. Whether it is Valentine’s Day or Diwali or Navratri, people generally love to have fun, to mix and socially bond with one another. This is basic human nature. No political party or group should try to wear the hat of the moral policemen and try to take the fun out of our lives. Those who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, they should. Nobody should tell them otherwise. It is their choice. To each, their own. Happy Valentine’s Day wishes to all. (The opinion piece appeared in the recent issue of The Neutral View. The writer is Treasurer of Goa RTI Forum. Views expressed are his own.) Sandeep Heble Goa
