According to the Animal Welfare Board of India “hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness.” And they urge all citizens to do this rather than emphasize romantic love this coming Valentine’s day.
While most young people in India celebrate Valentine’s day in a similar fashion to people in the West, hard-line Hindu nationalists are trying to erase the holiday because they say it promotes promiscuity and the “dazzle of western civilization” over their traditional Hindu values.
The announcement inspired mockery from many of the young people, but having a government agency make the announcement with a clear religious message, is troubling for many who have watched the line between government and religion blur more and more in recent years.
Photo 19528604 / Cow India © Nilanjan Bhattacharya | Dreamstime.com