Live: Are DU’s Valentine’s Day Rituals Sexist? Students Take Sides

Delhi University students debate whether the age-old tradition of virginity-oath smacks of patriarchy or not?

A day after Valentine’s Day, a group of students belonging to Pinjra Tod – a students and alumni collective against discriminatory hostel curfews – organised an event in an effort to decode the word ‘love’ which is being viewed through a certain prism these days. The Quint spoke to the participants of the ‘Karenge Politics, Karenge Pyar’ event, as we tried to understand the reason behind anger among girl students over the regressive tradition of worshiping a “virgin tree” by male students of Hindu College in Delhi University.

Talking about her inhibition over a rather bizarre tradition of praying to a made up, sexualised “maa or mother” for a girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, Natasha said:

It is completely a men’s show. This has nothing to do with sex positivity. It’s all about asserting their masculinity.

Students unhappy with the annual Damdami mai ritual had also approached the Internal Complaints Committee at Hindu College, but no action has been taken by the concerned authorities so far.

Posters of yesteryear actor Madhubala with the slogan, ‘Karenge Politics, Karenge Pyar, Sangh Parivar, Bazaar Khabardar,’ adorned the road leading up to the Faculty of Arts in North Campus.

Talking about the rationale behind the event and the message that it intends to send, Natasha, a volunteer with Pinjra Tod, said:

We are trying to unpack this rhetoric of love in the backdrop of a rising right wing as well as growth in neo-liberal politics.

Ritika, a student from Hindu College says:

Such kind of practices at a premier institute are sexist and they need to be challenged.

Boys studying at Delhi University, however, feel that’s this is just a tradition and should be seen in a lighthearted way.

Ahmed Hussain, a post graduate student who completed his graduation from Hindu College said:

This is just a tradition, there is no compulsion to participate. It is just a ritual and should change with time.

Giridhar, a student from the law faculty, was of the view that such practices are ‘not reasonable’. V-day oath or St Stephen’s ANGA pledge may have been a guy thing for long, but if certain practices are making girls on the campus feel uncomfortable then it might not be too late to withdraw such traditions.