JOIN USThe first proper kiss probably took place somewhere in ancient India, say historians. The Kamasutra is said to be one of the first recorded texts about kissing, with an entire chapter dedicated to the intricacies of the art. Greeks are said to have learnt lip-locking techniques from Indians, passed it on to their neighbouring countries, making it popular throughout the world.
In 21st century India, the symbol of love has led to an amusing war of ideologies, sometimes resulting in conflict, often taking the shape of violence.
“Kissing is public is not just against Indian culture, it is against social ethics too. Today, they are talking about kiss, tomorrow they will talk about sex and who knows what happens further,” says Rohit Chahal, national secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad, the student wing of the BJP.
“There is rampant moral policing carried out by various right-wing groups in the name of Indian culture. It’s not just the RSS. Muslim and Christian fundamentalists have also joined their Hindu counterparts in a rare display of solidarity cutting across faiths. The fight is of modernism versus backwardness” says Gaurav Ghosh, one of the organisers of the Kiss of Love protest in the national capital.
“Apart from the rising religious fundamentalism in the country, the protest was also a sign of protest against Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, according to which you can be booked for spreading obscenity, as they refer to it. Also, there is no set definition of the term ‘obscenity’. So, be it kissing, reading out romantic love poetry or a simple hug, it can be banned by cops on their own whims, in the sovereign republic of India,” adds Ghosh.
Regarding the issue, there are some who believe the aggression against the protest was less about tradition, but more about curbing divergent viewpoints.
“I participated in the protest as a woman and queer rights activist, who believe that love can’t be contained just because it hurts somebody else’s sentiments,” says Priyam, a research scholar studying at Jawahar Lal Nehru University, part of the 600-strong “force of liberalisation”.
“The morality quotient is brought forth as an argument for raising questions on dresses, justifying rapes, sexual harassment and now to stop public display of affection. These are the very same people who say girl invited rapists’ attention. When somebody takes away our freedom, something had to be done, right?”, asks Priyam.
Young writer Ananya Garg, whose new romantic novel is set to soon hit the markets says that the kissing and physical touch is integral to the idea of romantic love between a man and a woman.
“It accentuates love and bonding between two people involved in a romantic relationship. While it is true that some people kiss publicly just as a mere show-off, there is no denying many just can’t resist the urge to lip-lock out of sheer affection,” she says.
“Kissing is perfectly acceptable among young urban crowd, but when you kiss in front of children or senior citizens, you are bound to get in trouble in our still predominantly traditional society,” adds Garg.
Mamta Yadav, a member of ABVP’s women cell, agrees. “The protest didn’t find much of a support from the common youth. We think it failed as this was just another attempt to bring the ruined western culture to Indian society. I don’t understand what’s the use of this obscenity.”
The protesters said they faced resistance not just from the police, religious groups, but even their families as well.“My mother was aware of me going for the protest but she did not know that I would be locking lips with my comrades to defy the moral police and show solidarity with the movement. I got photographed by the press, and I had to face her anger,” says Priyam.
However, the boundaries of traditions are currently not on the agenda of the
protesters, who say this is only the beginning. They say they have received many threats, but will not be put down by the opposition.
“One of the main organisers has received many threats. Some guys on the phone told her that she will be raped in front of her family, killed and her house burned,”
says Gourav.
“But the war is not over yet. There are more protests coming in future. It will be different this time with involvement of more people belonging to different streams.”
For the time being, we keep our lips locked and fingers crossed.