India- the country of Love?

Indians are hypocritical creatures.

Just mention the Taj and they get all pumped up about how it symbolises the true love that a Mughal king had for his dead wife. And how the Taj Mahal was all he could see from his cell window in the last years of his life. India has many love stories to boast about. Heer- Ranjha are considered India's very own Romeo-Juliet. We proudly tell stories about how Prithviraj Chauhan (considered to be the most romantic king of all times) carried off his love, Shakuntala, from the middle of her own swayamvar. And who can forget the Salim-Anarkali love story; the tale of the crown Prince falling for the insignificant courtesan.

Aren't we are all suckers for love stories? All our movies have one central concept- that of love. They celebrate this feeling of elation; the little moments of happiness of a young couple deeply in love. From Mughal-e-Azam to Veer Zaara to Baghban; from Prithvi Raj Kapoor to SRK to Amitabh Bachchan; this is what Hindi cinema has been all about.

Then why does society today still look down on love marriages, why is Valentine's Day still attacked by Shiv Sena, why can't people hold hands/ hug/ kiss in public? Why do we Indians always look at any public display of affection with suspicion. Why can't we just look at them and say, "Look at that happy couple!" Loving someone cannot be against the culture of any country.
We need to break free from the shackles of age-old taboos and move forward. Next time you see a couple kissing behind an umbrella on bandstand, or just having a nice time on the park bench; don't behave like a grumpy old man...just revel in the happiness of these strangers and hope that someday you also find someone to love.