In the western world, kissing and cuddling between couples of opposite sex, at public places like trains and parks, is a common sight. The locals there are so used to such scenes that no one pays any attention to these love birds. In one such incident a young couple boarded a train and occupied their seats in a remote corner of the compartment. Soon they started hugging and fondling each other and gradually went into a more compromising posture. The co-passengers, though, having known about what was going on in the corner of the train, turned a blind eye and kept busy with their normal activity, reading books, chatting or looking out of the windows. No one in the train seemed to have paid any special attention to them unless the couple, after the act, lighted a cigarette and started smoking. It was at this point of time that almost every one around them got up in protest and forced them to put off the cigarette. The couple apologised and complied immediately. Well, it was the act of smoking which posed a threat to the health of the passengers and to the fire safety of the train.
In our country it is the other way round. People would smoke, spit, pee and even defaecate in public with impunity and no one seems to bother. But at the same time, try holding hand of your man/woman/spouse in a public place and you will find all the eyes ogling at you alone. And God forbid if you proceed further in your act of love for your partner, like kissing or hugging, you are in for a harsher treatment at the hands of our self styled moral policemen.
Those who oppose such acts, keep harping upon saving the ethos and values of our culture and heritage. I have published a picture below which i took at one of the most famous ancient heritage sites of India, the Sun Temple at Konark. This and many more such poses, sculpted out of stone, adorn the outer walls of the temple. These sculptures not only show the act of sexual pleasure between men and women but also reflect polygamy, polyandry, extra marital relationships and different poses and postures to enjoy sensual pleasures.
After a closer look at the walls of the temple, embellished with many more such stone idols of men and women, i could only conclude that either such a display in a temple was not considered vulgar, or else this was not a temple. Or was it a club, or a pub ? If some one argues that no worship takes place at Konark and Khajuraho, then please go and visit Shri Jagan Nath Temple at Puri, which is one of our four 'Dhams' swarmed by hundreds of greedy 'Pandas' ready to fleece you on one pretext or the other. There again such sculptures are a plenty all over the outer most walls of the temple. Only one can't take a photograph there. Go take a round of the outer periphery of the temple (if at all you are released by the attending 'Panda' to do so) and figure out for yourselves.
Here i am not trying to find any fault with any religion as such, nor i have an intention to hurt any religious feelings (please forgive me if i have done so) but i am only wondering that why such acts, which were considered so pious that they were chiseled in stone and were preserved to be displayed on the outer walls of the world famous structures, standing over centuries as sentinels of religious and cultural heritage of our country, are stamped today as vulgar if seen in public in flesh and blood by the followers of the same religion.
In our country it is the other way round. People would smoke, spit, pee and even defaecate in public with impunity and no one seems to bother. But at the same time, try holding hand of your man/woman/spouse in a public place and you will find all the eyes ogling at you alone. And God forbid if you proceed further in your act of love for your partner, like kissing or hugging, you are in for a harsher treatment at the hands of our self styled moral policemen.
Those who oppose such acts, keep harping upon saving the ethos and values of our culture and heritage. I have published a picture below which i took at one of the most famous ancient heritage sites of India, the Sun Temple at Konark. This and many more such poses, sculpted out of stone, adorn the outer walls of the temple. These sculptures not only show the act of sexual pleasure between men and women but also reflect polygamy, polyandry, extra marital relationships and different poses and postures to enjoy sensual pleasures.
After a closer look at the walls of the temple, embellished with many more such stone idols of men and women, i could only conclude that either such a display in a temple was not considered vulgar, or else this was not a temple. Or was it a club, or a pub ? If some one argues that no worship takes place at Konark and Khajuraho, then please go and visit Shri Jagan Nath Temple at Puri, which is one of our four 'Dhams' swarmed by hundreds of greedy 'Pandas' ready to fleece you on one pretext or the other. There again such sculptures are a plenty all over the outer most walls of the temple. Only one can't take a photograph there. Go take a round of the outer periphery of the temple (if at all you are released by the attending 'Panda' to do so) and figure out for yourselves.
Here i am not trying to find any fault with any religion as such, nor i have an intention to hurt any religious feelings (please forgive me if i have done so) but i am only wondering that why such acts, which were considered so pious that they were chiseled in stone and were preserved to be displayed on the outer walls of the world famous structures, standing over centuries as sentinels of religious and cultural heritage of our country, are stamped today as vulgar if seen in public in flesh and blood by the followers of the same religion.
Sun Temple , Konark, Orissa, India
Initially i was a little hesitant to up load this image here, but then this post would have been incomplete without it. Then i tried to edit it by erasing the vital parts but again decided against it because i do not want to join the group of the same hypocrites whom i am targetting here.
