Asaram vs Archies

And if the kids thought they could do with a hasty hug of Matri and Pitra,they cant get away so easily anyway,hugs and such physical expressions of love are not on the government-approved list. The parentalisation of V day comes with the accoutrements of Hindu rituals: garlands,kumkum,arti and,not to be missed,recitation of the weepy tale of Shravan Kumar of Hindu mythology,the boy who carried his blind parents in baskets and got killed not too long after by the hunting king of Ayodhya,Dashrath. A circular has been issued,asking all government and private schools to celebrate the event in a festive-like manner. This elaborate reordering of February 14,which has the blessings of godman Asaram Bapu,is a predictable reaction to anything the Sangh Parivar suspects is remotely Western in its antecedents; and its basic instinct to paper it over with signs and symbols that it approves. It is more than a cunning erasure of Valentines Day; it is also turning schools into playgrounds for the states culture politics.

But Asaram Bapu has been long pipped by Archies. The cheesy industry of greeting cards has not one but two days devoted to parental love Mothers Day and Fathers Day and these at least have something kids dig: fun.