License To Kiss? The Politics of "Kiss of Love" By K.P. Sasi Comments

chandrasekharan

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 19:49:40 +0000

For love has more power than lathis and swords!

K.P. Sasi

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:48:01 +0000

Sanulla, there is nothing called history of ancient India. In ancient times, there was no India. At a popular level, India was just a company initiated by the Britishers, a company known as East India Company. When they came, there were several countries in this region. It is high time professor Romila Thapar reinvestigate on her own historical terminologies.

K.P. Sasi

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:42:49 +0000

Dear Sushmita, I think if you explore the history of Jharkhand, the terms like `love', `sex' , `romance' have two meanings: One for the Adivasis and Jharkhandis and the other for the Dikkus (outsiders). The Dikku culture received more political and economic power and even Adivasis are getting forced to follow this culture. Please remember that even today, in 15 Adivasi languages in Jharkhand do not even have a word called `rape'. However, with diplacement initiated by the Dikkus and cultural imbalancement of the indigenous population, situations are changing. If you look at the historical times of people like Birsa Munda, things were very different. And before the arrival of British, the culture was much more cleaner as far as man woman relationships are concerned. I am not romanticising that everything about Adivasi culture is right. But certainly there are enough to learn from this. Ranchi is no exception to any small town in India. What is most important is also to look at cultural displacement while we talk about economic displacement and ecological displacement. Such debates are usually missed out among the activist circles. I can only say that these discussions should continue. Thanks for your response.

K S Parthasarathy

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:18:05 +0000

About religion and Culture..KM Panikkar. opines in Indua Religion and culture intertwine ..Left while attacking Religion unwittingly attacks culture as much ..thus BJP gets exclusive space of both religion and culture..Left needs to sort out this tangle and should occupy culture space ..

Sushmita

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 11:13:39 +0000

Dear Mr. Sasi, I really like the article and the fact that you have accurately described the sequence of events , of attack on the shop owned by a Muslim shopkeeper, a fact which has escaped mainstream media highlights, and for all the known reasons to us. However, I feel that a point that you have missed and the entire kiss of love 'movement' ( I still have my reservations in calling it one ) has missed, is the very articulation of 'love' within and across different sections and classes of people . The articulation of love is very different when we look at 'working class' people . In fact, if one interacts with them, phenomena like 'love' , 'romance' etc. are completely absent from their vocabulary, if not their lives. I hail from a small place, Ranchi. Here , forget kissing in public, if I am just seen with a male counterpart it may create a lot of ruckus. Even the middle and elite classes in Ranchi would be distanced from this. In that context, how far a so called movement like kiss of love succeeds in collectivizing and bringing people together ? Or It just alienates people further. For me, these are important questions, if you can answer these, very well. Regards, Sushmita

avinashk1975

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 09:14:57 +0000

@ N Venugopal, forget the "cheddiwalas". Now one of our Comrade is in trouble for loving a Muslim girl http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-othe... . Can you and Mr. Sasi pl help them? Last heard, some Supari gangs is after them.

Janarddan

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 07:46:13 +0000

"Historians" and politicians do lie. But Genes don't lie. http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1812/181208...

Jayachandran

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 07:30:23 +0000

Nice article which will strengthen the discourse of freedom of people to choose their friends irrespective of caste, religion and gender. Everybody has the right to love and live together.

N Venugopal

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 06:17:46 +0000

Dear Sasi, Great. Ever since Gaon Chodab Nahin, you are always my favourite. This write-up brought out all the relevant and necessary issues. Thank you. The controversy on kiss reminded me of a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore, published way back in 1884. http://allpoetry.com/The-Kiss----------English-Tr.... See how delicately he dealt the subject and see our own cheddiwalas' rough, inhuman, insane way of dealing with it after 130 years! I used this occasion to translate the poem into Telugu and published on a web magazine...

Kandathil Sebastian

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:41:13 +0000

Enjoyed reading it. We need to reclaim our lost spaces of love!

sanaulla

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:34:16 +0000

I think she is correct. Please read the history of ancient India by professor Romila Thapar.

avinashk1975

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 18:09:13 +0000

Mahabharata War was an OBC conspiracy (Lord Krishna was an OBC) against the Brahmins and Kshatriyas!!!! None of the Pandavas were Sons of Pandu and they had no rights over the Throne at Hastinapura. Though Kauravas were created by Veda Vyasa by cloning, they still carried the genes of Dritarashtra and were the rightful inheritors of the Throne.

kishore

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:27:42 +0000

Agree with your argument on moral Policing. but the second part- about the history of communities in south /Kerala and Aryan invasion all are crap, you need to update your understanding on that. and putting Nair par with Kshatriya and Brahmans in Kerala is really funny as . the role of nairs in under Kshatriya/Brahman rules of ancient/medieval Kerala is well documented.

justiceforishrat

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:00:32 +0000

Wah, wah, wah!!