'Gimme some space'

Since college is a restricted premises for showcasing one’s love, students seem to nest themselves in a less rigid environment. Recently, at a coffee shop, a teenage couple, was sighted clearly showing off their raging hormones. This overt display of affection which prolonged over a considerable amount of time piqued the interests of others seated there. With an air of discomfort and vex, the store manager requested the couple to stop their profuse actions of fondness. As the trend seems to be building up, are students around the City considering this as an extra-curricular activity?

“Get a room!” screams of this sort are often heard when lovebirds are caught in the act of public display of affection. Other times, it’s simply quite zany and odd, reminding us that passion isn’t always poetic; it’s occasionally putrid.

Public display of affection (most often abbreviated as PDA) is the physical demonstration of fondness for another person while in the presence of others. Holding hands or kissing in public are commonly considered to be unobjectionable forms of public display of affection.

The youth of the City have surprisingly extreme views on the subject. Patricia, an 18-year-old student, who opposes PDA said, “It is not acceptable in our college and I completely agree with the being of the rule.

Even though times are changing, one must realise the concept of ‘when and where’.” On the contrary, Mathew, a student of BBM said, “Love is a universal thing, so why not show it?” In view of Louella, a parent of a teenage daughter, everything has a limit and it should not be crossed over.

With mixed opinions from youth in the City, PDA is still culturally almost unacceptable in ‘The Great Indian Society’, carrying along tales from yonder years with a tag that spells taboo.

The law in this context is still fuzzy around the edges; however, the Supreme Court of India has described PDA to be in bad taste and has defined such behaviour as unacceptable as it is considered to be a public nuisance. Individuals may also be subjected to conviction and slapped with a fine. This law has also been strongly enforced in co-ed colleges around the City.

“The law concerning the PDA has arrived after a majority agreement and hence must be abided by. It is rather futile to break the law as it only gets you into trouble and nothing else,” said 19-year-old Ethan, a law student.

So then, should the West be blamed yet again for such incisions in the youth of our society? The answer is still uncertain because of constant alterations in culture and tradition. At the end of the day, even though it’s a personal choice amongst the younger generation, law and culture will always have the upper hand and over-rule the obstacles that try to hinder it.