The ‘Virgin-Tree Puja’ at Hindu College is carried out despite an agreement to scrap it amid much controversy and polarised opinions.
Amid much controversy and deliberation, the ‘Virgin Tree Puja’ conducted annually on Valentine’s Day took place at Hindu College this year as well. This long-running tradition has come under fire for being a ‘highly sexist and misogynistic celebration’ with some calling for it to be scrapped while some remain in support of it, encouraging dialogue on how to make the tradition more inclusive and acceptable to all.
Traditionally, the students of the boys’ hostel conduct a poll to choose an actress to be ‘Damdami Mai’ and put up a poster of her on the Virgin Tree, which is followed by a ‘puja’ that is led by ‘Mr Fresher’ of the year who is dressed up as a priest. It is believed that the puja brings ‘good luck’ and many believe the tradition is synonymous with romance. In recent times, there has been dialogue and attempts to ‘modernise’ the tradition with the inclusion of a male actor as ‘Love Guru’, yet many still believe the tradition is still discriminatory and derogatory and should be scrapped, with the girls’ hostel calling the tradition ‘misogynistic, patriarchal and Brahminical’ in a post. Following negotiations and discussions, a joint statement of solidarity was released by the Presidents of the Girls’ and Boys’ Hostels which stated that the Virgin-Tree Puja would be reformed into a ‘Valentine’s Day Celebration which would encompass an inclusive celebration’ and that ‘No Pooja of any conventional sense’ would be held. However, on the 14thof February, a procession to the Virgin Tree was carried out with drums and slogans and while some attempted to stop the procession, they were allegedly paid no heed and mistreated.
A group called the ‘Dissenting Voices of Hindu’ called out the administration and police for their inaction calling them ‘extremely inefficient and ineffective’ and alleged that members of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) entered the College and joined the ‘Puja’. The Girls’ hostel also called the slogans, drums, procession and posters a ‘violation of the agreements made between the two hostels’ and said the Girls’ Hostel Union felt ‘disrespected and let down by the breach of trust’ while calling for ‘disciplinary action against all the people present there breaking the agreement and supporting the agreement-breachers’. Students put up a poster of Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and actress Deepika Padukone and chanted slogans in support of the tradition, despite the agreement not to do so. In a statement to the Times of India, the Principal said “There was an agreement to keep the event inclusive. However, there are students who claim the agreement was violated. We will look into the issue.”
Following the kerfuffle, there was a call for a protest ‘against unsafe spaces in campuses’ with the incident being called an ‘absolute breach of formal agreement’. While it is true that the agreement to not conduct the ‘Puja’ was violated, opinions still vary on the matter with some pushing the College administration to put out an official notice condemning the tradition and punishing the offenders, while some believe that the tradition is a part is harmless and should continue to be carried out. Does this tradition really promote misogyny and Brahminical values, or is it simply a fun tradition that should be seen as nothing more than a symbolic and humorous celebration of romance? While it does seem that reforms are in order to make this long-running tradition more inclusive, what is really needed, is for the students in support and against this tradition to find common ground and engage in a discussion without demonizing or trivialising each other’s sentiments and taking a ‘moral high-horse’ or the path of stubbornness.
Picture Credits: Tashi Dorjay Sherpa for DU Beat
Tashi Dorjay Sherpa