It is safe to say that the “Kiss of Love” has initiated intense debate within the Malayali society and created quite some resentment amongst the right wing groups. It all started when a television channel aired a video of a couple kissing at a café. This was followed by vandalism of the café by a right wing group.
The ides of Kiss of Love protest was conceived in response to this, and was held on November 2, at Marine Drive in Kochi. Some of the protesters kissed, a few hugged, some displayed placards; peacefully protesting. Predictably, the police sided with those who were offended by these actions; which ironically enough includes the united forces of the Hindutva groups, Muslim youth organizations and a Congress lead group. The rationale provided was that since there were many who had gathered to only be spectators and leer at women, the protest may result in violent clashes. The protesters continued with their act of dissent by kissing in the police vans as they were taken away and then even in the station.
This was simply meant to be a non-violent act of resistance against the fascist and moralizing forces in Kerala. It is a sentiment that has spread to other cities of India, with solidarity from IIT-B, University of Hyderabad and if reports are to be believed will be taken forward with Kolkata. Check out the hash tag KissofLove for some very interesting tweets.
