Patria is in the front lines of the War on Valentines Day

As Patria celebrated Vasant Panchami - the day devoted to worship of Patria's traditional Head of State, Saraswati Devi - on Friday (Feb. 12) and World Radio Day today, more shots were fired in Patria's ongoing war against Valentine's Day.

The men's rights advocates in the National Union have condemned Valentine's Day for years, because of its unfair financial costs on men who have to pick up the tab for flowers, chocolates, lingerie, etc. in order to keep their girlfriends/significant others happy and willing to go to bed with them. But the strongest calls to ban Valentine's Day in Patria come from the hard-core Hindu nationalist, fundamentalist or revivalist organizations usually allied with the SRM. One such group, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) claims that the day is a "cultural conversion of Hindus" away from the path of Sanatan Dharma toward decadent Western values. According to the HJS, the over-commercialized Feb. 14 Hallmark Holiday should be banned (particularly among teenagers and young adults) for the following reasons:

• Hindu young men, please answer! Why are you spreading depravity in college by celebrating immoral Valentine’s Day?
• Realize the selfish interests of multinational companies to fill their coffers by selling their products!
• Shame! Shame on those colleges, Principals and Professors who are giving tacit consent to Valentine’s Day!
• Open your eyes, wake up ! Take active part in prevention of mental ‘Christianization’ of Hindu youth!
• It is the prime duty of every Hindu to stop mental and cultural conversion of Hindus happening in the name of Valentine’s Day!
• Future generation of Hindus getting entrapped in western ‘Days’ is social, national and religious harm!

In 2014, Patria moved on from being a "safe place for social conservatives". Patria no longer advocates modest dress for women and a ban on public displays of affection by couples. But Patria must remain a safe place for those who are asexual, those who are unable to navigate the ins and outs of long-term romantic relationships due to Asperger's or autism spectrum disorders, as well as those who are involuntarily celibate for any reason. Involuntary celibacy is a very real and very frustrating phenomenon, particularly for men who approach age 30, 40 or even 50 without ever getting a sniff of sex other than masturbation.

Valentine's Day is not officially banned in Patria as it is in Iran and in Pakistan (apparently this is one thing Hindus and Muslims can agree on!), except in grade school. Nonetheless, Patria has a duty to promote a healthy, wholesome definition of love that unlike mainstream pop-culture songs, advertisements, television shows and other entertainment, does not place an inordinate emphasis on sexuality.

No Valentines in Patria. It's "Parents' Worship Day"

As in the Indian state of Chhatisgarh, Valentine's Day is officially banned in Patria. February 14 is now observed as Parents' Worship Day (Sanskrit: Matru-Pitru Divas).

On this day, children are encouraged to perform puja and arati to their mother and father, garland them with flowers and offer them sweets.

Patria has long sought to ban meaningless, over-commercialized US-pop culture "Hallmark holidays" such as Mother's Day. But Valentines Day is particularly loathed in Patria because of its focus on heterosexual between-the-sheets love, to the virtual exclusion of all other forms of affection or intimacy, many of which have no need for traditional missionary-position lovemaking. Valentines Day is particularly painful for men who are involuntarily celibate, socially inept, or are unable to form intimate relationships because of Asperger's/ASD (Autism Spectrum disorder). And for those men who do have girlfriends or significant others, Feb. 14 imposes a needless financial burden, as they are virtually forced by their so-called sweethearts to spend hard-earned money on chocolates, flowers and sexy lingerie.

As one of Patria's Hindu leaders in Congress says, “Patria is a country where all 365 days are days for love, why then must couples observe only February 14 as Valentine’s Day ?”

Vasant Panchami, not Valentines Day

Celebrate me on Feb. 14, 2013.

For many years, Patria has been leading the campaign to boycott - if not completely abolish - Valentines Day. Patria's dislike of the bogus Hallmark Holiday on Feb. 14 is well-known: over-commercialization, over-focus on "love" as only between heterosexual partners and only related to sexuality, but mainly because the day brutally excludes those who are involuntarily celibate (often because of Asperger's, now officially called autism spectrum disorders), do not have the social skills to function in an intimate partner relationship, are so devoted to their jobs or academic studies that they do not have time for a relationship, or are simply introverted. Not to mention those who are asexual. For men who do have girlfriends or significant others, Valentines Day forces these poor suckers to spend hard-earned money needlessly on useless "gifts" like flowers, chocolates and lingerie in the hope of getting some action between the sheets. Finally, in the northern hemisphere, the day falls in the middle of the coldest, dreariest month of the year. What Monday is to the week, February is to the year. For anyone who suffers from winter blahs or seasonal affective disorder, Valentines Day is just another crappy day that you could do without in a seemingly endless winter.

Incidentally, Patria discourages public displays of affection between couples. Kissing, fondling, tonsil hockey and other such acts in full view of children and vulnerable socially-disabled adults in public places such as buses, subways and park benches is frowned upon and could get you arrested in precincts with strong National Union and other conservative party representation. Patria is intended to be a safe place for "no sex until marriage, if at all" social conservatives and those whose autism spectrum social disability has made them de facto social conservatives.

Rather than Valentines Day, on Feb. 14th Patria will celebrate Vasant Panchami or Saraswati Jayanti. This day, in late January or early February according to the Hindu lunar calendar, celebrates the "birthday" or incarnation day of Mother Saraswati, the presiding deity of speech, language, literature and the arts. In her incarnation as Amma Karunamayi, Saraswati is Patria's Speaker of the House and ceremonial Head of State.

The most significant aspect of Vasant Panchami is that it is also the most auspicious day to begin laying one’s foundations of education – of how to read and write. Pre-school children are given their first lesson in reading and writing on this day. All Hindu educational institutions conduct special prayer for Saraswati on this day. It is also a great day to inaugurate training institutes and new schools

Screw Valentines Day. Do Saraswati Puja. Use those flowers for archana and chocolates for prasad. Saraswati Mata Ki Jai! The following is the traditional Saraswati arati song:

Om jaya Saraswati mata, jaya jaya Saraswati mata!

Sadaguna vaibhava shalini (2),

tribhuvana vikhyata. Jai jai Saraswati mata.

Victory to you, O Mother Saraswati!  You are renowned throughout the three worlds as the treasure-house of all great noble virtues.  Let all sing to the glory of your name!

Chandravadani padmasani dyuti mangalakare.  Maiya dyuti mangalakare.

Sohe shubha hamsa savare (2),

atula tejadhare.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

O infinitely radiant goddess, you are beautiful and bright as the moon and are seated in lotus posture; you are lustrous in appearance and source of all blessings; your vehicle, the auspicious swan, looks elegant.

Bayem kara me vina, dayem kara mala.  Maiya dayem kara mala.

Shisha mukuta mani sohe (2),

gala motiyana mala.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

In your left hand, O Mother Saraswati, is the vina and in the right a wreath; on your head lies a splendid coronet of gems and around your neck a mala of pearls.

Devi sharana jo ae, unaka uddhara kiya.  Maiya unaka uddhara kiya.

Paithi manthara dasi (2),

Ravana samhara kiya.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

O Goddess, whoever sought refuge in you was released from the cycle of birth and death.  By perverting the mind of Kaikeyi's dull-witted hand­maid, Manthara, you became instrumental in the destruction of Ravana.

Vidya jñana pradayani, jñana prakasha bharo.  Maiya jñana prakasha bharo.

Moha ajñana timira ka (2),

jaga se nasha karo.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

O bestower of learning and skill, illumine the world with light of knowledge and dispel the darkness of ignorance and infatuation.

Dhupa dipa phala meva, mam swikara karo.  Maiya mam swikara karo.

Jñana chakshu de mata (2),

jaga nistara karo.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

O Mother, pray accept my gift of incense, light, both green and dry fruits, and endowing the world with the eyes of knowledge, ferry it across the ocean of the phenomenal world.

Mata Saraswati ki arati, jo koi jana gavai.  Maiya jo koi jana gavai.

Hitakari sukhakari (2),

Jñana bhakti pavai.  Jai jai Saraswati mata.

Whoever offers this arati to Mother Saraswati becomes a recipient of knowledge and devotion, both of which are beneficial and yield great happiness.

Boycott Valentine's Day in Patria

As we turn the calendar page to February (made me shiver, with every paper I deliver...), if on the 3rd of this month you think of Clear Lake, Iowa or "the day the music died" you need to get a life. Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens have been dead for 53 years. Time to move on.

Having blasted aging baby boomers with the above mini-rant, on the 14th of this month, Patria is leading the campaign to BOYCOTT VALENTINE'S DAY! It is a tawdry, sexist, over-commercialized "Hallmark holiday" that leaves Aspies, social conservatives and many others out of the loop and feeling like crap. Whether you're the nerdy grade schooler who didn't get any Valentines, the bookish college student who still hasn't gone out on a date, or the lonely 40 year old virgin playing World of Warcraft in the basement of his mom & dad's place, V-Day only reminds you of what a loser you are. And if you do have a girlfriend or some kind of relationship, there are several reasons why you should boycott V-Day:

1. All about her
2. Phony, expected, guilt-driven, overpriced
3. All about her
4. Facebook says it’s breakup day
5. All about her

Noted men's rights activist Paul Elam says:

If you are a man in a relationship and you like doing nice things for your partner, fine. There are 364 other days in the year to do it. Just don’t do it on February 14th. And by the way, if you think loving someone means your wallet comes out while her purse remains closed then you will delighted to know that A Voice for Men will be selling monogrammed knee pads in the near future. All we need is the circumference of your knees and what sort of flooring is in your bedroom. We expect an endorsement from Joe Biden.

Read Elam's entire rant.

Marc Rudov, the "No Nonsense Man", is also advocating a boycott of this dreadful day.

Boycotting Valentine's Day is not just a National Union effort. The Hindu nationalists in the Amrita Party and SRM are also taking part in the campaign. During the month of February we need to focus on days that really matter and have some spiritual value, such as Shiva Ratri (Feb. 19-20).