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| Kiss Of Love |
I’m sure by now you must have read somewhere on the news or internet or the social media about people talking in pro or against the whole ‘Kiss of Love’ issue.
To throw some light on what is this ‘Kiss of Love’
‘Kiss of Love’ is a non-violent protest staged by the youth
of Kerala against the so called moral policing that the right wing extremist
groups have been imposing in the state from time to time. The situation of
moral policing and social bullying of the youth displaying acts of affection
towards each other in public have gone from bad to worse in the last few years.
More background…
The youth in Kerala were brewing anger since a 26 yr old was
killed in Kodiyathur, Kerala by a mob for loving a married woman followed by a
few more episodes of similar cruelty for being open and liberal about ones way
to express love. The last blow to the nail in the coffin came in when a café in
Kozhikode was vandalized for allowing a couple to hug and kiss in their
premise. The right wing extremists terms it as ‘immoral activity and attacked
the café.
The Outcry
To protest against this moral policing a group took the
matter on social media and soon attracted support from all across Kerala and
also from other parts of the nation. A non-violent movement was called on 2nd
Nov 2014 near Ernakulam Law College campus and proceed towards Marine Drive in
Kochi.
What really happened…?
The police lathi charged at the group gathered for the march
resulting in arresting 50 protestors and injuring more than a 100 of them in
the tussle. The members of the right wing parties who were also present at the
venue to prevent the movement also got along with the police in the violence.
None of the party member was arrested.
My Questions is…
What the f**k is the problem with people expressing their
affection towards each other? Don’t we accept the western culture directly or
indirectly in so many ways that we don’t even realize it? We should just stop
being a hypocritical society and accept each other the way we are. Who are
these so called right wing activists? Why don’t they get upset with rising
number of rapes with women in our country? Why doesn't the scaring number of
feticide worry them? I think these men and women of the right wing are just
like those bullies in school who have heavy biceps but very little mass in
their brains!!
So the Prime Minister appeals to the nation to embrace as
much as new technology and implement them in our lives. But for his party
workers to think beyond vandalism and moral fascism is impossible. We tolerate
men shamelessly urinating in public, we tolerate dirt and garbage dumped on
roadsides, we tolerate illegal migrants living on money of the taxpayers, and
we tolerate our future generation dying of malnutrition or begging at the
signals, we tolerate our mothers and sisters getting raped and killed and the
common man even tolerates the rising inflation. But what we cannot tolerate is
the freedom to love or express love towards each other in public.
Missing the POINT!
Unfortunately a whole lot of right wing supporters think
that the protest was to get freedom to get into a sexual act in public. That’s
where they are wrong. The whole point is, the moral police harassment has been
experienced even by those who were just sitting with friends of opposite sex in
public. Can casual hugging and holding hands be tagged sexual? Expressing
love to your dear ones need not be construed as a sexual act all the time.
I say it is time we STOP being cynical about being open and
receptive to the idea of just being ourselves. It’s time we reclaim space for
love and sexuality.
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