Government of India, Ministry of Animal Welfare has called for February 14 this year to be named as ‘Cow Hug Day’ to promote Hindu values, not as a celebration of love.
Indian cow
India’s animal welfare department’s request to citizens to name this year’s Valentine’s Day as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values and not as a celebration of love has been mocked on social media.
“Holding a cow provides emotional enrichment and enhances individual and collective well-being,” the Animal Welfare Commission of India said in a statement on Wednesday.
Bhakti Hindus, who worship the cow as sacred, say the Western holiday conflicts with traditional Indian values.
In recent years, far-right Hindu groups have raided shops in the city, burning cards and gifts and forcing couples holding hands out of restaurants and parks, saying Valentine’s Day promotes debauchery.
Groups like the Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal say such measures pave the way for Hindu identity.
Regardless of religion, educated young Indians usually celebrate the holiday by crowding parks and restaurants, exchanging gifts and throwing parties like other Indian festivals. In the early 1990s, when India started the process of economic liberalization.
The Hindu nationalist government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has pushed the Hindu agenda and seeks religious supremacy at the expense of a secular state known for its diversity.
Hindus make up about 80 percent of the population of about 1.4 billion. Muslims make up 14% and the remaining 6% are mostly Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains.
Cows have long been a part of Hindu ethos and are held in high esteem by many like their mothers. Most states in India prohibit cow slaughter.
According to data analytics site India Spend, between 2012 and 2018, at least 45 people were killed by Hindu vigilantes in India.
The Animal Welfare Commission is asking people to go out and hug cows on February 14.
