Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Valentine's Day

Celebrating love, romance, and friendship is not evil; only the organisations and individuals opposed to it are. Acts such as burning cards, roughing up youngsters, and attacking gift shops on Valentine's Day are an intrusion into the private lives of the people. The need of the hour is peace, which can be established only by sharing love and friendship. The practice of celebrating Valentine's Day might have originated in the West but when it brings about a positive attitude, why not encourage it?

Sarah Anne,
Bangalore

The sight of the self-proclaimed cultural police beating up youngsters, and reports of their leaders describing Valentine's Day as a Western phenomenon that corrupts the youth are unfortunate. Why do they look for a speck in the eyes of others and pay no attention to the beam in their own eye?

John Prasad,
Thiruvalla

Prosperity and development, it seems, are limited to a 9 per cent increase in the GDP. Virtues of love and brotherhood are no longer of any importance. Some parties and outfits pose a major obstacle to the youth who crave for modernisation and want to come out of the shadows of orthodox belief. With parties that fail to represent and establish links with the people, India still has a long way to go before becoming a developed nation.

Surachita Majumdar,
New Delhi

Valentine's Day is an occasion to celebrate with chocolates, cards, gifts, and joy for the young. But for some political parties, it is an opportunity to create trouble. The belief that the young are influenced by the West and do not care for their culture is misplaced. All they want is some fun. We forget that almost all of us buy foreign goods and want to visit foreign countries.

Nikhil Teggi,
Thiruvananthapuram

With globalisation, every aspect of Western life — its thoughts, values, and culture — has penetrated our living rooms. What was once considered taboo is now subject of discussion. Valentine's Day is marked as an important event in the calendar. From hotels and resorts to shops around the corner, all stock suitable goods to cater to the demands of the occasion. While we can adopt distinct values from other cultures, we should not trade them for our own.

Yasmin Banu,
Abu Dhabi

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Safe despite legal setback
Cord blood in public banks
Looking beyond the traditional domain
Exchange Siachen confrontation for peace
A strategic key to tackle global challenges
Hamas and Fatah unity can pave way for peace
Animal welfare doubts over Sochi Winter Olympics
Blog backlash hits Democrat hopeful
Corrections and Clarifications
Delayed justice
Powers for Lok Pal
`No' to Parzania
Valentine's Day
Keep tracks clean

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu