There is always drama and romance on Valentine’s Day. This year, however, the Hindu Mahasabha had threatened to marry off couples seen getting intimate or cosy with each other on this popular western festival of love. We asked college students from Chennai about what thought of this threat.

I think India is a very ‘parental’ nation. Everyone wants to be someone’s parent. They want to police you, dumb you down, have opinions on your morality and how you get married. Ask them to pay our college fees and our other expenses and then we will take them seriously. What if I decide to kiss my mother in public on Valentine’s Day?

Don’t we often say, with pride, that India is a democracy? Then how is it that we don’t have the right to express our love? Since when has love become a social evil? I think the whole emotion has been grossly misunderstood. If it were wrong to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I’m sure the courts would have banned it by now. Our country has enough problems to deal with, and adding this to them isn’t going to make things better. Marriage is a decision that has to be made by two individuals, and no one else must interfere in it.

Isn’t it ironic that in the country that has the greatest symbol of love, the Taj Mahal, celebrating Valentine’s Day is frowned upon and couples are even threatened with marriage? Celebrating any day is an individual’s decision and I don’t think anyone has the right to interfere or force someone not to celebrate it. Instead, they could use the manpower required to carry out these threats to do something constructive for the country.

Getting people married on Valentine’s day is like providing unnecessary advice. Although it could come as a secret boon to those who are finding ways to get married, what about the rest? Infringing on someone’s individual rights sends out a wrong message about the ideals of the country.