If you are young and in love, then do ensure that your parents stay away from television this Valentine’s day. Hasyamev Jayate, a voluntary organization run by therapist Kamlesh Masalawala, in the diamond city of Surat has come up with this bizarre initiative, to add to the woes of those in love, already bearing the brunt of their family. The organization is going to make 10,000 students from 12 schools pledge that they will never marry without their parents’ consent.
Masalawala who proposed this outlandish initiative was quoted as saying, “These days, many youngsters fall in love and take an impulsive decision to get married. Many even run away from homes and get married, but such relationships turn out to be short-lived. We want to promote the importance of parents’ guidance when it comes to taking such a big decision of life,”. Clearly, he is oblivious to modern values and ethos like, ‘consent’, ‘freedom of choice’ and ‘individual liberty’.
The students as a part of the oath will recite eight lines of a Gujarati poem written by a city-based child psychiatrist and a poet Dr. Mukul Choksi.
The poem reads: “Jeevan Naamna Prabhu e apela uphar ne prem karishu, Keval premijan ne nahi, aakha pariwar ne prem karishu, Shani, ravi jemaj Som thi Shukrawar ne prem karishu, sikshan naamna jeevan na sacha adhar ne prem karishu, Ekaj Janne shane mate? ek hajaar ne prem karishu, Shala college, teacher, vali, salahkar ne prem karishu, Valentine ne Vasantpanchmina aa tehvar ne prem karishu, pan pehla, Maa Baap-e apela sanskar ne prem karishu’ (We will love this gift of life given by God, not just our lover, we shall love the whole family. We shall love Mondays to Fridays just as we do Saturdays and Sundays, We shall love education which is the true essence of life, Why only one, we shall love a thousand, we shall love our school, college, teachers, guardian, and counselor, We shall love the festivals of Valentine’s (Day) and Vasant Panchami, but first we shall love the virtues instilled by our parents)”.
These school students, most of whom are too young to understand, the moral certitudes of society and their implications on an individual’s life choices, will be pledging to marry their love with parents’ consent only, even if it means ending an ongoing affair. “Over 1,000 students from classes 8 to 12 will take oath in the morning, and over 600 students of Classes 6 and 7 will take oath at both the branches of our schools.” said the school administrator Ulhas Pawar.
The day of love which is celebrated annually on February 14, has always been in the bad books of the conservative sections of the society, as they think it is corrupting young minds and against the principles of ‘Indian Culture’. This pledge certainly comes as a wave of fresh air to them.
Ironically, the organization Hasyamev Jayate runs a laughter club, and this valentines day, it has given us something really ludicrous to laugh about.