Disclaimer: The identity of the author has been kept anonymous, as per their request owing to personal reasons.
Millennial are celebrating Valentine’s Day today with chocolates, roses and everything mushy and red, meanwhile City Montessori School in Lucknow, is celebrating another successful “Family Unity Day“.
According to the Founder of the school, Valentine’s Day has created an “adverse effect” on the youth and therefore this day should be celebrated to mark ‘Family Solidarity’.
If you think this is all, it isn’t.
They have a rock solid reason to do so.
In a pamphlet, circulated by the school, every year, on Valentine’s Day, the consolidated history of the sacrifice of Saint Valentine for his family, is briefly mentioned.
So, if you think this is funny, you should know the school even holds a WordPress account to make the youth “aware” of Family Solidarity Day and keep them away from the “adverse effect” of Valentine’s Day.
So meanwhile the school holds events and propagate the values of Saint Valentine, we wonder what the students feel about it.
Imagine being a student and bringing a rose in your pocket while attending a special assembly on the ‘ill effects’ of Valentine’s Day.
Our sources tell us, that while the founder has been trying to prevent the youth from losing their “Family Solidarity values”, the students haven’t quite let the love die in the campus.
Bump in some corners of the school, and you’d know we are not lying.
Can we really blame the school for thinking V-Day has an ‘ill affect’ on the youth?
In times when the youth is committing suicide because of problems in their love life, in situations where maximum conversation is about sex and yet no one really knows what it is, in times of rapes, infidelity and child pregnancy, can we really blame the school?
Although, I wonder if it wise on the part of the school to ignore the elephant in the room and not acknowledge the fact that the youth is actively involved in dating and relationships.
In my opinion, we would change as a society the day we start acknowledging, talking and questioning things.
Youth of India, however difficult it may be to accept, needs sex education, and no, I don’t mean porn or class 8th Biology book where students giggle and teachers feel ashamed.
I mean, a proper, open discussion, acknowledging the needs of teenagers who are confused about the changes in their body and their feelings.
In the advance world of social media, there are kind of mixed emotions that a teenager goes through, every day. Every day they are dumped with tedious morality at the hands of the society. Most moments are spent in peer pressure that they are bound to face.
So can we, for once, let them know, we are here and most importantly, we understand? Can we try to understand at all?
On that note, I’d let you pick your day today; Valentine’s Day or Family Unity Day?
–Jai Jagat
Image Source: Confidential
Sources: Confidential
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