Of Guns and Roses

How strange- show of terror is justified but expression of love is not! Its ok to move around with a gun, flash your Rampuri or carry an acid bottle in your back-pocket, but if you happen to hold a blooming red rose, you are courting trouble. Great. Well, what else can be expected if perverts and frustrated blokes are allowed field day... Moral Guardians let loose to corrupt innocent minds!

But then if the perverts and frustrated are out to mar some simple fun, there are thousands and thousands who simply enjoy their feelings and emotions without giving a damn- and not only on a particular day, all through the year, whole of 365 days!

Let me share with you one of the most romantic scenes I have ever seen, and it is playing out right in front of me as I write this blog. Its display of love for all to see and understand. Right in front of me is the central park of my apartment dotted with trees and terracotta shades where sun plays hide and seek. And, under one of such shades is a couple, obviously engrossed in themselves sharing much more than a warm afternoon sun. The husband, sporting a white mundu and green shirt, holding a Cornetto, while the gap toothed wife, wrapped in orange south indian cotton saree, is biting on the chilled cream concoction lovingly.... its a sight that holds you. The salt in their hair has outgrown pepper but the sweetness of their smile has simply surpassed the tang of the growing age. A couple in the twilight of their life, display a bond, a love that has stood the test of time! This couple, like many others, are from small towns now living a new life of sorts in the IT capital with their "working couple" children. Today, they are free to share a smile and hold hands uninhibitedly - something they longed to do all along perhaps but could not.

I am sure in their prime they would hardly ever have had the opportunity for such luxury, of enjoying each others' company so freely. There would have been hundred and ten different priorities and then the poking nose of family elders... the generation of our parents enjoyed Shammi Kapoor movies but still had to manage with Lalita Pawars at home! They would definitely have wanted to dance to "Yahoo!" on snow peaked Kashmir or do a Rajesh Khanna jig in one of the Vrindavan Gardens miniatures in theor respective towns... but the show of love and exuberance was restricted to hushed bedrooms - and despite near-ban on public display of feelings, our population boom was at an all time peak!!

Today, if a couple- age, caste, religion, class- notwithstanding is happy to enjoy a little sunshine why do Moral Guardians object? And, by the way who appointed these perverts as our moral guardians? Ask them are they virgins? Don't they enjoy romantic bollywood flicks? Are they allergic to sweet-nothings and loving touch? Grow up man! Even a ten year old knows babies are not made of boiled egg!

So, gun wielding love-haters find some other way to gain publicity. Do not cut your nose to spite your face - enjoy togetherness while you can. Believe me a rose is much safer and cheaper than a gun any day. Ask hundred billion plus Indians what would they choose - Guns or Roses? I am sure, I need not tell you what the answer would be.... :)