Animal welfare division appeals to mark February 14 this 12 months not as a celebration of romance however as ‘Cow Hug Day’ to advertise Hindu values.
An enchantment by India’s animal welfare division asking residents to mark Valentine’s Day this 12 months not as a celebration of romance however as “Cow Hug Day” to higher promote Hindu values has been ridiculed on social media.
In a press release, the Animal Welfare Board of India on Wednesday stated “hugging cows will carry emotional richness and enhance particular person and collective happiness”.
Religious Hindus, who worship cows as holy, say the Western vacation goes in opposition to conventional Indian values.
I first thought it is FAKE NEWS, had archived tweets by information channels & verified handles. Seems it is true. Animal Welfare board of India needs (enchantment) you to have fun “Cow Hug Day” on Feb 14th Coz it brings “emotional richness” & enhance “particular person & collective happiness” pic.twitter.com/wPEooNaAMG
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 8, 2023
Lately, far-right Hindu teams have raided retailers in cities, burned playing cards and presents, and chased hand-holding {couples} out of eating places and parks, saying that Valentine’s Day promotes promiscuity.
Teams such because the Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal say such actions pave the way in which to reassert Hindu id.
Younger educated Indians, no matter their faith, usually spend the vacation crowding parks and eating places, exchanging presents and holding events to have fun like some other Indian pageant, particularly since India started the method of financial liberalisation within the early Nineties.
The Hindu nationalist authorities led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing a Hindu agenda, searching for supremacy of the faith on the expense of a secular nation identified for its range.
Hindus comprise practically 80 p.c of its practically 1.4 billion individuals. Muslims account for 14 p.c, whereas Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains account for many of the remaining 6 p.c.
The cow has lengthy been embedded within the Hindu psyche and is deeply revered by many as just like one’s mom. Most states in India have banned cow slaughter.
In keeping with information analytics website India Spend, not less than 45 individuals had been killed by Hindu cow vigilante teams within the nation between 2012 and 2018.
The animal welfare board’s enchantment asks individuals to exit and bodily hug cows on February 14.
More likely to be lonely on Valentine’s Day? The federal government of India advises you to hug a cow. You’ll be able to ‘decolonise’ in the identical swift motion.
Cow Hug Day, 14th February. Unclear whether or not bovine consent is required however you may discover out, little doubt. pic.twitter.com/FsRjaaekpL
— Priyamvada Gopal (@PriyamvadaGopal) February 8, 2023
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, stated the enchantment is “completely loopy and defies logic”.
“The unlucky half is that this has now official sanction,” he added. “This reveals an eraser of another line between the state and faith, which may be very miserable. Now the state is doing what political and spiritual teams have been campaigning to do.”
In a satiric column in The Indian Specific, journalist Aakash Joshi questioned if the federal government’s bovine deification can also serve an financial perform.
“Since there’s little signal of India main the march on new tech, maybe we are able to all discover gigs as cow hug facilitators or domesticated animal safari guides,” he wrote.
The federal government’s Valentine’s Day enchantment has been broadly ridiculed. Pattern some tweets:
Can’t determine which ‘cow’ to hug on 14 February.
— Adrija Bose (@adrijabose) February 9, 2023
Have the cows gotten the memo about Cow Hug Day on 14th Feb? I am keen to do it, however please declare Free Hospitalization Day on fifteenth Feb.
— Kajol Srinivasan – Turned on by unsolicited recommendation (@LOLrakshak) February 8, 2023
Pls take consent earlier than you hug a cow. #HugDay #CowHugDay
— Pooja Prasanna (@PoojaPrasanna4) February 9, 2023
When no one hugs you on Cow Hug Day. pic.twitter.com/tYLWQ11Grt
— Advaid അദ്വൈത് (@Advaidism) February 8, 2023
Will there be celeb selfies on Cow hug day? ♥️🐮
— Hana Mohsin Khan | هناء (@girlpilot_) February 9, 2023
