Valentine party poopers

Valentine party poopers

An Iranian activist once told me that Valentine's Day is a hot holiday in Tehran, but is celebrated covertly as it's disallowed by the crazy mullahs. Not sure if it's too sexy, too Western, or just too un-Islamic. Today comes a story of Hindu nationalists in India torching Valentine's Day cards -- not because they're a bunch of mad singles, but because pretty pink and red hearts are too Western. And how dare we infest their culture with romance!!!

"... A group of some 30 activists from the Shiv Sena party, or Lord Shiva's Army, inspected shops across the city on Sunday before barging into one and making a pyre of snatched cards in the road outside.

'We had warned all shops in advance not to sell these cards. We are not against love but we don't want people to celebrate Valentine's Day as it's a Western concept,' a Shiv Sena official told the Hindustan Times.

Colleges in the city also warned students not to celebrate the day on campuses because of concerns of violence, according to reports.

Hindu groups have in previous years attacked shops selling Valentine's Day items.

However, newspapers are running articles on celebrating the day, adverts are promoting romantic nights out while shops in the city's malls are selling chocolates, heart-shaped trinkets and cuddly toys."

More on the fiery popularity of V-Day in India here. Good -- if they don't take a stand, the Love Grinch wins!

Still, some aren't giving in in their quest to stomp all over Valentine's Day. From Agence France-Presse:

"... In Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, Hindu activists threatened to publicly humiliate couples celebrating Valentine's Day.

'Our volunteers will monitor all the parks and restaurants. They will click the couple exchanging flowers and show the same to their parents,' Vijay Tiwari, a local Shiv Sena leader, told AFP.

'The faces of those couples not heeding our warning will be blackened and their heads tonsured,' he said.

Hindu groups were also threatening couples caught celebrating Valentine's Day with instant marriage."

Sounds like a) the little love spies have way too much time on their hands, and b) these guys would be in a better mood if they had some sweet lovin'.

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