Kartik Krushna Paksh Saptami, Kaliyug Varsh 5116
There is a new movement in rage these days. They call it Kiss of Love. I am told that some news-channel (owned by Indian National Congress – the political party that was ruthlessly evicted out of power in recent national elections) showed video clips of some people who ‘vandalized’ a cafe in Kerala where people were hugging, kissing or doing something else. The Kerala Police also was supposedly against the kissers, huggers and ‘something else doers’ and sided with the ‘vandals’.
Struggle for Fundamental (Hormonal) Rights begins!
So the “oppressed” decided “enough is enough”. How long can they suppress their natural urge to kiss, hug, undress, excrete or do something else in public? After all, who can refute that these are the strongest urges known to humankind? (Yes, we will ignore non-hormonal urge of hunger among poor and urge for selfless sacrifices among legends because only “Sangh Pariwar” hypes about them!)
Inspiration from Karl Marx was easy to borrow for these ‘hormonally oppressed’ ones because Kerala is among the rare endangered habitats where communism still survives on earth. The proletariats thus decided to stand up and launch a protest movement to claim their most fundamental rights.
Even a dog on the street also has the right to roam without clothes, or excrete as per will, or do “something more” driven by hormones. Then who are some official and unofficial ‘moral policeman’ to prevent “humans” – the most privileged creation of nature – from exercising the most innate right of every organism?
The rebels finally got an ‘apparition’ cause to fight for! That itself is a big achievement in a world where incentives to be a famed ‘rebel without cause’ is pretty high. After all, this is the era of innumerable 24 hours TV Channels hungry for high TRP items, a brutally battered ex-ruling party desperate for revenge and potential of any post of yours to get viral to make you an overnight celebrity.
This cause of standing for ‘fundamental (hormonal) rights’ was truly destined for success. They were rebelling for those urges that drive billions of dollars of revenue for companies. Right from deodorant ads to cheer-leaders in IPL, the popularity index of the cause is well obvious. If I were a profit-seeking TV Channel or Newspaper editor, I would see immense TRP in covering this cause. We are so eagerly yearning for some fresh news-masala as there is enough of “Modi Modi” for more than a year now. And no one takes Kejriwal seriously or Shehzaade jokingly anymore.
Search for enemy begins
The next step was a big challenge – whom do we rebel against? This is where the real dark humor began. Since the protest was triggered by those who lost deposits in recent elections, they decided to target the Prime Minister of the new party in power. And since the new Prime Minister is proud of his roots in Sangh Pariwar, the choice of the enemy became simple.
The “revolutionaries” declared that Sangh Pariwar is the real culprit. It didn’t matter that Kerala is still ruled by Congress and Sangh Pariwar has negligible political clout in the state. It also did not matter that real “culprits” – if at all – were Kerala Police who took a clear stand against allowing same privileges to humans that even dogs have.
It also does not matter that none of the protestors even know what comprises Sangh Pariwar. Who cares! For them, everyone who respects Indian culture, is proud to be Hindu, considers Ram to be a role model and Babur to be an invading terrorist is Sangh Pariwar or Saffron Terrorist or a Moral Policeman or a Gunda.
So they decided to launch an all-India protest against this Sangh Pariwar. They protested in front of RSS Headquarters in Delhi and host of other places. They booed the Prime Minister for his RSS roots. They presented a picture that there is a Sangh Pariwar comprising a variety of organizations led by RSS who want to unleash a reign of terror in name of moral policing. These medievalistic RSS goons are the cause of all the tortures and rapes and gender-abuse and violation of human rights that happen in India. These are the real threats to progress of India and freedom of individuals in the country.
This is where we stand today. Rebels have identified the cause and created the enemy. The fight has begun. The desperate ones are finally getting an opportunity that they were deprived of for long. To give a “Kiss of Death” to Sangh Pariwar “terrorists”! And satisfy hormonal urge in the process.
The protests continue.
The debates and arguments and fights between the “Kiss Lovers” and “Sangh Lovers” intensify.
The dark humor goes on.
But hereafter humor gets lesser and lesser. Darkness gets deeper and deeper.
And when one reviews this pseudo-rebellion in context of the bigger picture of challenges we face as a nation and humanity today, ‘dark humor’ turns out to be an extremely ‘cruel irony’.
Kiss of Love is trampling the Call of Duty.
Let me make very clear. I am no way in favor of or against any moral policing. I simply don’t care what one does or does not do in public or private. I don’t have the spare time to analyze what others are doing and pass judgment on the same. I am too busy justifying my own existence. The probability of having born as a human and an Indian is next to zero in this vast universe. So I better focus fully on making the best of the rare opportunity I have got!
I am neither in favor of nor against ‘Kiss of Love’ or ‘Discharge of Urge’ or anything else that people should or should not do in public. I simply don’t care.
But yes, I do care about my nation and humanity. I care about them more than anything else. And hence I do feel compelled to express my anguish at this colossal waste of youthful energy in an irrationally conceived misguided pseudo-rebellion against a non-existent enemy. Especially when the imminent need of hour is to stand against the real dangerous enemy troubling my country and planet.
Let me add details to explain out why this movement is painfully irrational and colossal waste.
The fake enemy
The enemy identified is Sangh Pariwar. I have had close associations with Sangh Pariwar. The best I can say about Sangh Pariwar is that they are the victims rather than culprits.
1. Yes, Sangh Pariwar has a stand on this issue. It believes that human-rights and dog-rights need not necessarily be same. Dogs are not bound by duties unlike humans, have a different physiology and hence need not be equated with humans in matters of rights and duties. Yes, I fully concur with them. One may choose to agree or disagree with us, but we too possess the fundamental right of have their own opinion. And one must respect difference of opinion.
2. I have never seen Sangh Pariwar to showcase any intention to forcibly push down their ideology down anyone’s throat. I never saw any statement issuing from Jhandewalan (RSS Headquarters) urging people to take law in hands to enforce the Sangh ideology. Yes, they write about it, speak about it as they do on many other issues. But since when did freedom of expression became a crime?
3. And why Sangh Pariwar? Overwhelming majority of Indians believe exactly in same principles that Sangh Pariwar believes in. That is why (thankfully) dogs and humans behave dissimilarly on Indian streets in this aspect. One can, by all means, debate and argue whether majority is right or wrong on this issue. But it would be intolerant and foolish to term the entire India as bunch of goons just because they follow certain code of conduct which don’t comply with any kisser’s hormonal needs.
4. All that Sangh Pariwar is good in is peaceful humanitarian activities. The Sangh Pariwar mascot of today – Prime Minister Narendra Modi – initiates cleanliness drive in name of Mahatma Gandhi. They are among the first ones to offer voluntary service whenever any manmade or natural disaster hits the nation. They don’t even conduct any propaganda about themselves. I bet, 99% of “Sangh Haters” don’t even know about 99% of activities of Sangh Pariwar. In my mind, Sangh Pariwar is the worst victim of prejudice in this nation. They silently do majority of humanitarian work in India today and yet painted as inhuman by kissers and spitters.
5. One may argue that some individuals alleging alliance to Sangh Pariwar indulge in vandalism. Hence Sangh Pariwar is to be blamed. This argument is height of irrationality. The same individuals are also from Kerala (refer to vandalism that happened in Kerala), they are also males, they owe allegience to India. Do we start protesting against all males in Kerala? Or against all Indians? You could protest against Sangh Pariwar if Sangh Pariwar officially endorsed any acts of vandalism. But on contrary Sangh Pariwar has always maintained that they believe in democratic ways and do not support any vandalism. Why then create a fake enemy out of nowhere and start a match of shadow-boxing? Does it not amount to vandalism to go in front of home of peaceful people and deliberately conduct acts which offend their sentiments? Why not simply respect difference of opinion? And what about host of other organizations that concur with Sangh Pariwar on this issue? Why no protest against them?
6. If one has to protest, protest against the actual people who performed acts of vandalism. File police case against them. Pressurize police to search them out and take action. Stand against the government machinery if justice is not served. There are innumerable ways in democracy to ensure justice without taking law in hand. Sangh Pariwar neither runs the government in Kerala nor has supported any act of vandalism. Then why create an enemy from nowhere?
7. Doing certain acts in public are prohibited as per Indian Penal Code. The Sangh Pariwar did not create the Penal Code. If one has to fight, fight against the law and its interpretation. Why bring Sangh into picture!
8. The government in center today has MPs from all walks of lives – including films and entertainment. If Sangh Pariwar was so fanatically against “Kiss of Love”, why would it allow the government to have such members? The reason is foundation of Indian culture – that there would always be difference in opinions among people. But that should not deter us to respect the differences and unite for common good cause. Sangh has its opinion on the subject. You have yours. I have mine. Argue, debate if you want to. But why carve a villain out of your opponent?
Where does it end?
Just introspect – where would these madness end? Today there is a movement to allow kissing. Tomorrow the demonstrations would be to roam naked in public. Then perhaps demonstrate more intimate acts of passion in public. Then excrete and do innumerable other stupid things. What purpose does it solve? Where do you draw a line? Typically each society draws an unwritten line depending upon its social and cultural context. These automatically evolve from time to time. Our dressing has changed over years, our food has changed, our approach to life has changed – and no protest movement was ever needed. Are we so deprived of relevant issues or have solved all our other issues to completion that we now find such imaginary causes against non-existent enemies to keep ourselves busy? Or do we consider ourselves to be so useless and idle that we can think of nothing better to do?
The Indian culture argument
The Sangh lovers and overwhelming majority of Indians claim that public display of certain emotions is against Indian culture. The Kiss lovers counter-argue that Kamasutra forms the bedrock of Indian culture. When one can kiss and undress in US and Europe, why not in India whose culture lies in nudity and kissing and “something more”?
The debate gets as stupid as it can get when people who have not flipped a single page of Indian cultural heritage ever suddenly become “culture champions” because they can’t resist the flow of hormones!
First of all, Kamasutra has never been considered a cultural or spiritual text ever in India. Before Francis Burton wrote a translation of Kamasutra in 1883, rarely anybody even knew of existence of the book. Every other gurukul of India teaches Vedas and Upanishads. Every other Indian household has a copy of Ramayan. But I am yet to find Kamasutra being taught or kept, except in drawing rooms of “Kiss Lovers”! I hear chants of Ramayan, Hanuman Chalisa, Gita, Vishnu Sahsranam and hundreds of other texts. But am yet to find anyone chanting Kamasutra in any household or temple of India. To claim Kamasutra to be bedrock of Indian culture because it is written in Sanskrit is as foolish as claiming Ghalib’s poems to be basis of Islam because it is written in Urdu or “Lady Chatterley’s Lovers” as foundation of Christianity because it is written in English!!
Secondly, India is India. It is neither US nor Europe nor Afghanistan. It has its own unique cultural ways driven by spirituality. Respect them if you can. Indeed it is extremely precious and beneficial. But if you disagree, disagree respectfully.
Finally, Indian culture is not at all about assuming whatever happened in past to be foundation of Indian culture. Hundreds of people may have done hundreds of things in hundreds of situations and social contexts in past. They may have written texts, build idols or done anything else. We don’t even know the situations properly. Who cares whether they were right or wrong! Indian culture is not about justifying everything of past.
Indian culture is about being relevant to need of the hour. Gita is not about doing Hanuman Chalisa in battlefield. Yes, take inspiration from Hanuman in morning. But when in battlefield, it is about becoming an actual Hanuman to fight the terrorists because nation demands so. The need of hour is to fight the real enemies. To stand for those deprived urges which lead to lifelong subjugation, death and fear for millions.
Keep your “Illustrated Kamasutra” at your bedside in night if you so desire. No one is keen to regulate your private life. But utilize your public life for constructive and meaningful causes. At least don’t be destructive. If you have to indeed fight, stop shadow-boxing and fight the real enemy.
There are stress-relieving punching toys available in market. They say that, if you have a boss you hate, buy one such dummy toy and hit him hard whenever you are angry with your boss. Curse him, abuse him, do whatever you want. The toy would silently bear it all and relieve you of your stress hormones. But please realize that Sangh Pariwar and other lovers of Indian culture are humans – not toys. Don’t punch them just because you are scared to hit out at the real enemies of freedom.
The real enemy
1. There are extremely dangerous forces getting stronger and stronger in present day who thrive on intolerance. I would support any ‘Kiss of Love’ protest or something even more extreme if conducted against the real fanatics. It would, however, be criminal to ignore the real culprits and beat up an innocent next-door just because he is harmless.
2. I list out the real big goons who go miles ahead of “Moral Policing” and promise my full support to those who show the guts to hold “Kiss of Love” protests against these. Ironically, even when the whole world knows that these forces form the real threats to freedom of expression, the “Kiss of Love” protests have suspiciously been totally silent against these.
- The Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of Jama Masjid, Delhi clearly stated that those women who do not wear burqa are against Islam. He abused Shabana Azmi as “nachne gane wali aurat” (a lowly woman who dances and sings) when she raised her voice against burqa (the face veil). The Imam had the chutzpah to invite Prime Minister of Pakistan for dastaarbandi ceremony but refused to invite the Prime Minister of India. The Imam also believes that those who do not follow Islam will go to Hell and idol-worshippers are greatest sinners. Needless to say, his views on “Kiss of Love” is more fanatic and more damaging for crores of Muslim women than opinions of Sangh Pariwar. Why no protest in front of Jama Masjid?
- Why not create a “Kiss of Love” movement in Kashmir where the views on women liberation and freedom of expression is more apalling than any other state in country? Additionally a vast number of them are brainwashed to consider “Jai Hind” as an abuse.
- Why spare ISIS who openly enslaves and sells Kurdish and Yezid women? They would not argue and simply behead you if you dare to demonstrate “Kiss of Love”
- In Saudi Arab and many other countries, if you hold hand of a woman in public, you would be lashed to death. If you kiss, God only knows the hell that awaits you. Why no word of protest against them and so many in India who consider Saudi Arab to be the ideal state of the world.
- Darul Uloom Deoband school of Islam needs greatest lesssons in liberalism. It has issued fatwa forbidding women to even get into professions where they have to spend a split second alone with men. The views on divorce through SMS, and hell for non-muslims better be not discussed. Why no “Kiss of Love” protest in front of this center of regressive hatred against women and non-Muslims?
- Muslim Personal Law Board refuses to have even a single female member in its team. It gives free right to male to marry more than once without consent of wife. It also endorses triple talaq without obligation to pay for maintenance of wife. In name of religion, 15 crore Muslim women are subjugated and deprived of most basic rights of dignity. If a typical Muslim woman is seen as participating in “Kiss of Love”, she is destined to face worse than hell while on earth. Why no protest against the anti-woman Muslim Personal Law Board?
- The Aligarh Muslim University recently “explained” that it will not allow girls to enter the library because that would “attract” more boys and cause “space crunch”!! Should it not be the next ideal destination for “Kiss of Love”?
- I saw many Muslim young guys coming to participate enthusiastically in “Kiss of Love” protests. But Muslim women did not come out. No single Muslim guy stated that he would work to encourage Muslim women also to get out of home to kiss in public. This itself shows that the “Kiss of Love” protests are targeting the wrong enemies. It is like scratching the nose because the back is itching. When asked why, reply was that the hand does not reach the back. So better scratch the nose!
The real causes to fight for
1. The country has too many real causes to fight for. Humanity has much more. The real fight – for those inspired by right to freedom of expression – is against those fanatics who can kill, loot, rape, hate if you differ from them. They are ravaging the world today. Not far from India, ISIS has set up its base and is indulging in brutalities that would make a Ghazni or Aurangzeb ashamed.They have clearly articulated India as their prime target. They have recruited several jihadis from here. They are a blot in name of Islam, humanity and freedom of expression. And they are rising. The so-called Muslim leadership including Personal Law Board, Imam Bukhari, Darul Uloom Deoband, huge number of Bin Laden sympathizers, vast number of anti-woman anti-Indian Kashmiri separatists, ISIS create an ideal breeding ground for fanaticism to thrive through their reign of fatwas and subjugation of women. By raising an artificial alarm of injustice, they prompt the less-intelligent and more-emotional youth to embark on the path of terror and hatred. Lets fight against them – united and together. Lets influence and strengthen the liberal Muslim minds trapped in this web of deceit, extremism, hatred and subjugation. And bring true spirit of freedom of expression where it is most needed. Think of it – people are blasted away, shot dead or forced to live in veil forever because the fundamental rights are non-existent.
The liberal elements and women among Muslim world are today the worst victims of subjugations in name of religion or culture. The whole world is witnessing the scary outcomes of this rule of terror. The liberal Islam of APJ Abdul Kalam is under clutches of few fanatic elements of extremism and prejudices. They need our greatest support. This rise of mad elements in Islamic world is ripping off happiness of both Muslims and non-Muslims. They should be our first priority for any movement for freedom of expression.
2. India is home to largest number of hungry people in world. More than 200 million people are food-insecure as per most conservative estimates. It is a matter of shame that when the most basic urge of any living being – hunger – is not satisfied for one out of every five people in this country, how can I even think of protesting for such fancy urges for which every other place is an opportunity. And if someone is so insensitive to the real needs of millions of my brothers and sisters, I too can’t spare any sensitivity to their hormonal turbulences. If you don’t consider all Indians as your family, I refuse to consider selfish people like you as part of my family. My brothers and sisters are dying because of hunger. Don’t be so selfish. Put your energies in securing them food and dignity. At least don’t mock their genuine urge for survival by wasting your talents in pursuit of urge of hormones. Instead of “Kiss of Love”, focus on “Food for Hunger” to fight the real urges that are killing our brothers, sisters and newborns.
3. The world is changing and providing a land-mine of opportunities to transform India and make it lighthouse of world once more. A lot needs to be done. We need to become more productive, create wealth through our intellect and efforts, bring transparency in system and processes, awaken the true spirit of Indian culture and unleash the legend within each of us. Think big, act bigger. Consider what would be that one big thing that you could do to bring greatest benefits to most and greatest satisfaction to yourself that you justified the gift of life. Indulge in pursuit of that BIG. Rise above petty self. Rise up to fight for bigger and more worthy cause. This pursuit of big and bigger and even bigger is what would give true meaning to your life. Get away from the herd mentality that aims to trigger your hormones. After all you are not a dumb chemical reaction. You are a human! You have intellect! What more, you have a most marvelous gift in form of wonderful Indian cultural heritage!! And since you are so special, you have a very special responsibility – to take India to an era of prosperity, success, justice and equality. And make the entire world prosper in the process.
Don’t waste a single moment on things that belittle your potential. These silly “Kiss of Love” or “Piss of Urge” insult your potentials. Don’t waste your precious time and energy in pettiness.
Choose the real causes to fight for. And real missions to commit to. If you have real guts and indeed want to stand for real things, join Agniveer. We will together bring real changes that bring real meaning to life.
Agniveer needs you. India needs you.
We salute the legend in you. And keenly await you as leader of the real mission.
Jai Hind, Vande Mataram
Source : Agniveer
