If you are Hindu and reading this, you better not be going to any Christmas parties next week. You have been warned. Not by me, but one of the morality policemen of ‘new India’. The Vishva Hindu Parishad has ordained that Hindus will be going against their ‘culture’ if they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, as they usually do, because Indians love any excuse for a party. At least that is how it was in old India, when we did not know it was against our ‘culture’ to have a good time.

The ban on Christmas came from a Delhi VHP official. The VHP is one of the uglier offspring of the RSS. Asked if this was not a restriction on the right that our constitution gives us to worship as we wish, he made it clear that this was not about religion but about conversion. It is not just private festivities that the VHP seeks to ban, but in shops and malls as well. It delighted me to see my local mall filled with Christmas decorations and good cheer.

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