Our Cultural Software and the Valentine’s Day Pragmatism – Written by Boringbug

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Jeyran Main

Boringbug is a blogger, a sketch artist by hobby and a lawyer. He writes to pen his vague ideas and experiences in different forms. His blog Boringbug is a part reflection of his ideas, experiences, dialogues, thoughts and opinions.

Our Cultural Software and the Valentine’s Day Pragmatism

For a country like India that procreates prolifically, its cultural discomfort with mating is unfortunate. Marriage is India’s favorite ritual and is still seen as coming together of families. Even though the rapid urbanization and nuclearisation of the families are changing this paradigm, the idea of parents being the bride givers and the liability to be discarded with’ has deep roots.

An existence outside this framework, where single women exercise their freedom to select and/or date partners of their choice, severely challenges and threatens the patriarchal status quo.

Consensual relationships between adults in India is mostly unacceptable unless it has the stamp of socio-legal approval. Once stamped with social authority, then no matter what, if it is the source of violence, subservience, and misery, the society wouldn’t be less bothered. Our oppressive society fails to provide the generation with a chance to develop a healthy and mutual relationship. The popular culture fails to offer a sane temple of courtship.

A random sampling of our movies will allegedly suggest that stalking and sexual harassment are appropriate courtship rituals.

Love marriages have aspirational values, but in India gender segregation is ubiquitous, and punishment for intersecting castes and religious lines are petrifying. For a large segregated Indians, valentines’ day offers a decent opportunity and a rare vocabulary to express, even awkwardly, the feelings of attraction and affection. We have made valentine’s day the scapegoat for disturbingly regressive attitude towards consensual adult relationships outside the paradigm of social permissibility.

In a cultural software, where attacking an individualistic mutually approaching romance by the self-appointed moral guardians is a status quo, valentine’s day appears as a way through.

If you would like a book review click here

If you would like your book edited click here

Need help getting your book published? Contact Me.