Hindu nationalists are regularly and predictably outraged over any sign that any sort of Christian influence has entered India's culture. Like clockwork, every year they issue condemnations of Christian customs and threaten anyone who is caught observing them - including Valentine's Day.

Newsday explains:

"The faces of those not heeding our request will be blackened and their heads will be shaved," Ved Prakash Sachchan, of the militant Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, said Thursday in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh state. "We will not allow any foreign festival which is a violation of Indian culture."

On Wednesday, another Hindu hard-line group, the Shiv Sena, which is a part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, waved bamboo sticks at a rally in Lucknow threatening to beat people who observe Valentine's Day. "We will not allow westernization of Indian culture as St. Valentine was a Christian and celebrating Valentine's Day would be a violation of Indian culture," Sachchan said.

These aren't completely idle threats - in the past mobs have vandalized shops selling Valentine-themed items like cards and couples who appear to be having too much fun on Valentine's Day have been accosted. Fortunately, most Hindus in India don't appear to be all that worried and they certainly don't feel much agreement with the nationalists.

Read More:

• Religious Intolerance & Bigotry
• Religion in India
• Religious Tensions in India