Surat students to worship parents on Valentine's Day

Manas Dasgupta

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Ahmedabad, February 8

In an apparent bid to please the ruling dispensation in Gujarat, the Surat district education officer has directed all the schools in his area to celebrate February 14 as the Father-Mother Worshipping Day instead of the westernised culture of celebrating Valentine’s Day.

The Sangh Parivar’s dislike for the Valentine’s Day was well known but despite the BJP ruling over the state for the last 25 years or so, the state government had refrained from issuing any orders against celebrating February 14 as the day of lovers though the Bajrang Dal had often deployed its volunteers to disrupt any public functions in memory of St Valentine, the epitome of love.

The Surat DEO has directed the schools to invite parents of the students of Class V-X on February 14 and organise functions in the presence of other invited guests. The schools had also been directed to videograph the functions and submit the same to the DEO’s office as proof of following the instructions.

The authorities in several schools in Surat have welcomed the instructions.The DEO circular, however, was criticised by the state Congress for diverting the students’ attention from their main task which was to study. The state BJP hit back stating that the Congress was only “advertising its distorted mindset” to destroy the Indian culture and tradition.