Tie or Die

In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi encouraged Indians to "Do or Die". It took another 5 years of doing and dying for India to become a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. In 2009, there is a new slogan from Sri Ram Sena: "Tie or Die"!

Sri Ram Sena - a right wing Hindu group - is planning to marry off couples celebrating Valentines Day out in the public. They either have to tie the knot and become man n wife or tie a rakhi and become brother n sister!! According to Sri Ram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik, "Valentines Day is a Western concept and most often celebrated by Christians. We will try to stall the celebrations at any cost." They plan to roam around Bangalore on V-day and force dating couples to marry. In Mangalore, they have also issued a warning against women wearing noodle straps and tight jeans. There have also been attacks on couples at pubs. When asked about the pub attacks, Muthalik defended his supporters saying "Whoever has done this has done a good job. Girls going to pubs is not acceptable. So, whatever the Sena members did was right." Sri Ram Sena feels that they need to put a check on all activities they classify as "anti-Indian" practices.

Seriously??! How much more ridiculous can moral policing get? India is a democracy and Indians have a right to live their life in whatever way they choose. There are laws in this country and if you do not abide by it, you suffer the consequences. No other individual organization has any right to decide what is allowed and what is not, or try to police people. Our constitution states that we have liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. So who is Muthalik to say what to believe or express. Even if V-day were a Christian celebration, why should it not be allowed in India? No one seems to have any issues with a holiday on Christmas!!

And while we are on the topic, I was just wondering... what if
- a couple who are married (not to each other but someone else)
- a couple of homosexuals
are caught by Sri Ram Sena celebrating Valentines Day? Will they also be forced to marry? As far as I am aware, Indian judiciary criminalises polygamy and also "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

Update (Feb 10, 2009):
And janta decided to react... The Pink chaddi response from Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women. This is inane! What do they expect to accomplish by this (other than disposing off old chaddis)?