Lovers throng beach, parks on V Day, Hindu activists stage protest

CHENNAI: Lovers thronged the Marina beach, Parks and Shopping malls to celebrate the Valentine’s day, even as activists of Hindu Munnani and Hindu Maha Saba, staged protests, conducting mock marriages to dogs and donkeys in Tamil Nadu today. As the day broke out, lovers, attired in their bests, took off from their routine and visited the Marina, the longest beach in the world, shopping malls and parks and celebrated the Valentine’s Day. They exchanged gifts, cards, chocolates and roses as a mark of expressing their love and affection for each other and hanged out, enjoying the day. Braving sweltering heat, a large number of lovers thronged the marina. Shopping malls like the Spencer’s Plaza, Express Avenue and Star City also drew large number of lovers. Restaurants in these malls came out with special menu on the occasion. Opposing the celebration saying that it went against the Indian culture, Hindu Munnani and Hindu Maha Saba activists, staged protests, conducting ‘’dog marriage’’ in front of Gandhi statue at Pulianthope and a ‘marriage’ between a dog and a donkey, much to the amusement of onlookers at R K Nagar in the city. A report from Kanniyakumari said activists of Hindu Maha Saba, observing Valentine’s day as Black day, conducted a marriage for dogs, after hoisting black fl ags. The Valentine’s Day celebrations were not part of Indian culture; the activists said and accused multinational companies of popularising the event to promote their business. However, coming in support of the lovers, members of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, organised functions and cut cakes, encouraging the lovers to go ahead with the celebrations. Love marriages helped to break the caste barriers and promoted intercaste marriages, they said.