Valentines Day in India gives people plenty to look forward to, as it has witnessed sharp criticism from self proclaimed defenders of Indian culture. In the past couples have been beaten up in public spaces by volunteers out for moral policing, couples were even married where they were spotted on V-day by some organisations.
This year a collector in Madhya Pradesh did something completely different and told young people how they should celebrate Valentines Day, because telling people what to wear and what to eat is too mainstream even for sanskari people.
The unnamed collector issued a notice asking young boys and girls to pay respects and express love to their parents, hence making Valentines Day into a “Matra Pitra Pujya Divas”.
Although the idea of loving one’s parents is a noble one, but a notice that asked villages, towns and public institutions to organise functions for it seems too much. Twitterati too didn’t take this well and lashed out at the collector.
@ANI_news sanskari collector ?
— Simhachala (@Arya_777) February 10, 2017
@I_RimjhimR @ANI_news if you are better informed about the duties and responsibilities of a collector then you must not have said this...
— anup (@anupatkare) February 10, 2017
There were even those who backed the initiative
@ANI_news #ParentsWorshipDay is really a great initiative.Salute to Chhindwara collector!
— Amol Kulkarni (@kulkarniamold) February 10, 2017
With Valentines Day approaching, it will be interesting to see what the moral police will be coming up with this year.
