I was reading this article recently and was going through the reactions of the readers. I didn't exactly do a count, but it did strike me that people are about evenly divided between condemning the fine and accepting it.
The real question, it seems to me, is not whether kissing in public is to be allowed or not; the more pertinent question is, who decides what's decent in a public place? I would think that the decision about decency would be made by individuals, and not anyone claiming to be enforcers of the law. If you're in a public place with your partner, and there are no "impressionable" (in your judgment) young ones (or old ones, for that matter) around, then go right ahead and do your thing, as long as it is love that drives you to do so. Don't do it out of a feeling of defiance, to prove that you don't care what others think; to show your parents and others who controls your life.
The reason I even have to add the clause about impressionable young (or old) people around is that in India, kissing, holding hands, etc. are simply not acceptable to many people. I suppose there was a time when the same situation existed many decades ago in England and other countries in Europe. And I'm equally sure that the first couple to have kissed in public would have raised a lot of eyebrows. But now, the people over there have gotten to a point where such things are common, and may cause embarrassment only if there is an old person around. Especially one who is staring!
We're still a young country in the post-British era, and we're experimenting with societal changes now. Yes, it's going to be painful for some of us to accept certain things, and everyone is welcome to express his / her opinion for and against the topic, but in the absence of a consensus, penalising such public displays of affection seems not only crude and totalitarian, but also irrational.
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