The debate over public displays of affection in India is an old one and has been raging on for years now. While many espouse the traditional ways of Indian society, others have decided to embrace PDA as a part of a normal and healthy society. Since the beginning of India’s modernization and subsequent shift towards a more open culture, detractors of the new ‘western’ ways have been aplenty.
The recent viral video of a couple kissing on the Delhi metro has initiated another such debate on twitter. While the more old fashioned among us believe it is unacceptable, some even calling it a disgrace, most Twitter users are using this opportunity to call for acceptance towards public displays of affection. Many have sighted that PDA is an acceptable part of public life in foreign counties, in their opinion, it is high time that people begin to get used to it in India as well. Being a nation that consistently sights its traditional values as something to uphold and respect, there are many that believe the normalization of kissing in public would lead to a break down in the values of Indian society. If kissing is accepted in public today, what will couples do tomorrow they ask.
Beyond these questions, many on the more liberal end of the spectrum have also raised questions about the individual who took the video of the couple. Should it be acceptable for anyone to whip out a camera and take a video of a couple without their consent? Others have scoffed at this by saying that if the couple wanted their intimate moment to be private, they should have sought just that, privacy. The flip side of the coin is that many believe a simple and harmless kiss is being blown out of proportion. The belief in this case, being that there are more important issues at hand than a couple having a moment. Regardless of which side you fall on, this debate has become an unavoidable part of the lives of Twitter users.