Will there be another Pink Chaddi campaign this year?

It’s that time of the year when love is in the air. And it’s the most opportune moment for the otherwise-obscure Shri Ram Sene, the self-styled moral brigade of Karnataka, to grab media attention with its moral policing statements.

Last year, the group was in the eye of a storm after its alleged activists attacked women at a pub in Mangalore and their moral policing acts sparked off an interesting ‘Pink Chaddi’ protest campaign.

Shri Ram Sene attacks women on Mangalore pub

This year again, the Sene has said it will not allow Valentine's Day celebrations in Karnataka.

In fact, this year, Pramod Muthalik, chief of the moral brigade, has assured that "If a couple in love is really interested, the Sene will contact their parents and arrange to get them married".

Ram Sene is back with Valentine's Day threat

Interestingly, this tame statement is much in contrast to the hyper activity displayed by the Sene last year. On January 24, 2009, about 40 activists of the Shri Ram Sene raided a pub in Mangalore and bashed up a few young girls for "violating traditional Indian norms”.

On the eve of the Valentine’s Day last year, the Sene also launched a ‘tie or die campaign’ across the state with its volunteers threatening any lovers seen in public places to get married or to get thrashed to death.

However, this was all reined in by the Chaddi campaign of a few daring youth. The ‘Pink Chaddi’ campaign -- started as a means to register protest against the attack on women on Facebook by a Delhi-based journalist -- caught on like wild fire and ended up as parcels of pink underwear at Shri Ram Sene’s office.

Pink Chaddy Campaign: To Muthalik, with love

So, is there any such innovative Gandhigiri attempts to tackle the Sene this year? “As of now, no. We have no problem in people advocating their views and expressing their ideas in a peaceful way,” says Nithin Manayath, one of the key coordinators of the Pink Chaddi Campaign.

“This year, we haven’t discussed anything as yet. We are not averse to Sene preaching its ideals. It’s only when they get into dirty acts, we will register our protest,” says the teacher of media studies at a Bangalore college.

However, the group will hold a march against such victimization of lovers on their D-day and “if required, we may even come up with another innovative Gandhigiri protest plan”, says Nithin.

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