ABSTRACT
Valentine’s Day celebration in India has been much debated and covered by the media in the last couple of years. In the year 2009, far right Hindu activist from Sri Ram Sena to Bajrang Dal were involved in beating up unmarried couples and blackening their faces, as mark of shame for celebrating Valentine’s Day. They claimed that the festival was a “western practice” and promotes “lust not love”. Following this other Anti- Valentine’s Day groups also expressed their views and this led to public debate about moral policing and Indian culture. However what is interesting to note is the fact how media covered. At one side media has played a big role in promoting it (for many reasons) and on the other hand it has also criticized it for …show more content…
However, leftist and liberal critiques of Valentine's Day remain strong in India. Valentine's Day has been strongly criticized from a postcolonial perspective by intellectuals from the Indian left. Many studies have shown that Valentine’s Day promotes income inequality in India and aids in creation of pseudo westernized middle class, creating gap between the rich and. (Mankekar, Purnima, ‘Screening, Culture, Viewing Politics’, 1999). They also criticize mainstream media attacks on Indians opposed to Valentine’s Day agenda.
VALENTINE’S DAY AND PRINT MEDIA
Media privatization, commercial growth and cultural heterogeneity have brought many changing patterns in the way romantic love is perceived now. In the year 2009, the Pink Chaddi Campaign (This campaign was started by the ‘Consortium of Pub going’, ‘Loose and Forward Women’ against the protesters of Valentine’s Day namely political parties like Shiv Sena and Baj Rang Dal ) brought a new wave of change in the way, Valentine’s Day was perceived in India. It was through television, blogs and print media that the issue added fervor to the movement. There were many such similar incidents in favor and against Valentine’s Day, that were covered differently by different
Valentine’s Day celebration in India has been much debated and covered by the media in the last couple of years. In the year 2009, far right Hindu activist from Sri Ram Sena to Bajrang Dal were involved in beating up unmarried couples and blackening their faces, as mark of shame for celebrating Valentine’s Day. They claimed that the festival was a “western practice” and promotes “lust not love”. Following this other Anti- Valentine’s Day groups also expressed their views and this led to public debate about moral policing and Indian culture. However what is interesting to note is the fact how media covered. At one side media has played a big role in promoting it (for many reasons) and on the other hand it has also criticized it for …show more content…
However, leftist and liberal critiques of Valentine's Day remain strong in India. Valentine's Day has been strongly criticized from a postcolonial perspective by intellectuals from the Indian left. Many studies have shown that Valentine’s Day promotes income inequality in India and aids in creation of pseudo westernized middle class, creating gap between the rich and. (Mankekar, Purnima, ‘Screening, Culture, Viewing Politics’, 1999). They also criticize mainstream media attacks on Indians opposed to Valentine’s Day agenda.
VALENTINE’S DAY AND PRINT MEDIA
Media privatization, commercial growth and cultural heterogeneity have brought many changing patterns in the way romantic love is perceived now. In the year 2009, the Pink Chaddi Campaign (This campaign was started by the ‘Consortium of Pub going’, ‘Loose and Forward Women’ against the protesters of Valentine’s Day namely political parties like Shiv Sena and Baj Rang Dal ) brought a new wave of change in the way, Valentine’s Day was perceived in India. It was through television, blogs and print media that the issue added fervor to the movement. There were many such similar incidents in favor and against Valentine’s Day, that were covered differently by different