Recent episodes of protest against moral policing and the uniqueness of means to achieve the ends has generated a furor. First such attempt was made out at Marine Drive, Kochi on November 2, 2014 in backdrop of various unethical acts of moral policing in the name of protecting the ethics and culture of Indian society. Though the activists of the movement were arrested by the Kerala Police, it could not stop them from replicating the event in the capital and that too in front of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's office.
Undoubtedly, the movement was a bold step on the part of youths in asserting their individual freedom. Many right-wing organisations (Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha, Bajrang Dal, HinduSena) as expected, gave their valuable time to "Akhil Bhartiya Sanskriti Bachao Sankalp", which was earlier reserved for "Akhil Bhartiya Love Jihad-Love Jihad Chillao Karyakram" . Later, in social media, while many people were busy in celebrating the movement as a watershed in fight against 'moral fascism', many people argued about inconsistency of such movement with their version of Indian culture. It was like a tug-of-war, where you can only choose between two extreme stances - either black or white - while neglecting a vast grey area.
Section 294 of Indian Penal Code says:
Whoever, to annoyance of others-
(a) does any obscene act in public place, or
(b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment for either discription for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.
To answer this question we must know what are ethics.
Let us go back to our definition of ethics. Is kissing in public is rooted in cultural ethos of Indian society and acceptable to society? The answer is subjective one. There are art and architectural forms of ancient and medieval India, which are master-piece in themselves, manifest Indian culture as one that believe in wider expression of love. So one can brag out that if it was ethical earlier than it is today also. But, as asserted earlier, ethics vary in same society with time. It was our culture once but today it is not considered appropriate. Notwithstanding, man is not only product but also producer of his culture. A person not only learns but can also change the ethical system of society. Examples of such personalities are Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B R Ambedkar, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr etc.
In the current scenario of globalization with vast developments in Science and Technology, people have much closer to each other. Indian culture is making inroads to other societies, and certain values of other cultures are also experiencing same phenomenon. In this process, it is very much possible that kissing in public, which considered unethical in current Indian society, can gain much popularity with time. This is what Indian culture is all about. From time immemorial it has acquired elements of innumerable cultures, and through this process composite Indian culture has evolved. And If kissing in public becomes part of Indian culture, then one should have no problem with that. One can remember graceful lines written by Indian poet Firaq Gorakhpuri:
"Sar Zamin-e-hind par aqwaam-e-alam ke firaq, kafile baste gae Hindustan banta gaya"
Was it legal?
Section 294 of Indian Penal Code says:
Whoever, to annoyance of others-
(a) does any obscene act in public place, or
(b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment for either discription for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.
What is ethical conduct?
To answer this question we must know what are ethics.
Ethics are rooted in cultural context of society and set guidelines for desirable and undesirable behaviour. They cannot be shaped or sustained in isolation. A person is not born with ethical conduct. It is his environment ( family, peers, school, profession) which shape his ethical conduct from time to time.
Many people tend to equate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is not a matter of following one's feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil from doing what is right. In fact feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical.
Similarly, many people tend to equate ethics with religion. No one should identify ethics with religion. Most religion of course, advocate high ethical standard. Yet, if ethics were confined to religion, then ethics would apply to only religious people. But they apply as much to the behaviour of the atheist as to that of devout religious person.
Being ethical is also not same as following the law. The law often incorporates the ethical standards to which citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. Pre-Civil War slavery in USA and old apartheid laws of South Africa are examples of laws that deviate from what is ethical.
Finally, if being ethical is not the same as doing "whatever society blindly accepts". Though most people of society accepts standards that are ethical, there is a window left open for a society to follow unethical standards. An entire society can become ethically corrupt, best example being Nazi Germany.
While considering ethics, one thing shall always be kept in mind. Ethics vary across the contexts. These contexts are person, place and time.
Is kissing in public ethical?
Let us go back to our definition of ethics. Is kissing in public is rooted in cultural ethos of Indian society and acceptable to society? The answer is subjective one. There are art and architectural forms of ancient and medieval India, which are master-piece in themselves, manifest Indian culture as one that believe in wider expression of love. So one can brag out that if it was ethical earlier than it is today also. But, as asserted earlier, ethics vary in same society with time. It was our culture once but today it is not considered appropriate. Notwithstanding, man is not only product but also producer of his culture. A person not only learns but can also change the ethical system of society. Examples of such personalities are Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B R Ambedkar, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr etc.In the current scenario of globalization with vast developments in Science and Technology, people have much closer to each other. Indian culture is making inroads to other societies, and certain values of other cultures are also experiencing same phenomenon. In this process, it is very much possible that kissing in public, which considered unethical in current Indian society, can gain much popularity with time. This is what Indian culture is all about. From time immemorial it has acquired elements of innumerable cultures, and through this process composite Indian culture has evolved. And If kissing in public becomes part of Indian culture, then one should have no problem with that. One can remember graceful lines written by Indian poet Firaq Gorakhpuri:
"Sar Zamin-e-hind par aqwaam-e-alam ke firaq, kafile baste gae Hindustan banta gaya"
(“In the land of Hind, the caravans of the peoples of the world kept coming in and India kept getting formed”)
However, if the question remains straight forward, is it ethical to kiss in public "today"? Answer remains No. Can it be ethical? - Yes. It require much commitment, dedication and perseverance on the part of these activists to encourage society, particularly, the conservative sections, to adapt to the emerging value system. Rather than radical approach, they should adopt a liberal-radical approach that focuses as much on means as on ends. Focusing only on ends, while neglecting means may lead their movement remain only a "movement" forever, and would never get incorporated into Indian culture, consequently, will never get an ethical backing. Through the vast coverage provided to it by the media, the movement should also try to tap the potential of vast grey area by advocating for other social causes which are consistent with it's fundamental cause. Such methods will provide movement a wider social base. One should employ such approach which encourage people to think about those grey areas which are visible only to some people today. The true success is achieved when there is harmony between means and end.
Right Wingers
Coming to the approach of the right-wing advocates of moral fascism, there is nothing new in strategy which is being followed. Their threat and vandalism continues to haunt peaceful protesters. Their ideology has nothing new to offer other then strict conservativeness.
Viktor E Frankl once said, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, and to choose one's own way."
Attitude cannot be changed through coercion. Attitude change requires moral persuasion. This fact out rightly negates the success of these right-wing organisations. They are bound to fail in their mission. And despite their failure, Indian culture will flourish. In fact no culture can face adverse consequences due assimilation of new trends. No one possess the power to destroy a culture. It was existent even before advent of human civilization, and will continue to exist so even after. If any culture could have ever harmed another culture, Indian culture would have been the most destroyed one. How is it possible that Indian culture is one of the richest cultures of the world today? The answer is, culture thrives with assimilation of new trends. One should always encourage this assimilation.
However, if the question remains straight forward, is it ethical to kiss in public "today"? Answer remains No. Can it be ethical? - Yes. It require much commitment, dedication and perseverance on the part of these activists to encourage society, particularly, the conservative sections, to adapt to the emerging value system. Rather than radical approach, they should adopt a liberal-radical approach that focuses as much on means as on ends. Focusing only on ends, while neglecting means may lead their movement remain only a "movement" forever, and would never get incorporated into Indian culture, consequently, will never get an ethical backing. Through the vast coverage provided to it by the media, the movement should also try to tap the potential of vast grey area by advocating for other social causes which are consistent with it's fundamental cause. Such methods will provide movement a wider social base. One should employ such approach which encourage people to think about those grey areas which are visible only to some people today. The true success is achieved when there is harmony between means and end.
Right Wingers
Coming to the approach of the right-wing advocates of moral fascism, there is nothing new in strategy which is being followed. Their threat and vandalism continues to haunt peaceful protesters. Their ideology has nothing new to offer other then strict conservativeness.
Viktor E Frankl once said, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, and to choose one's own way."
Attitude cannot be changed through coercion. Attitude change requires moral persuasion. This fact out rightly negates the success of these right-wing organisations. They are bound to fail in their mission. And despite their failure, Indian culture will flourish. In fact no culture can face adverse consequences due assimilation of new trends. No one possess the power to destroy a culture. It was existent even before advent of human civilization, and will continue to exist so even after. If any culture could have ever harmed another culture, Indian culture would have been the most destroyed one. How is it possible that Indian culture is one of the richest cultures of the world today? The answer is, culture thrives with assimilation of new trends. One should always encourage this assimilation.
