I'm very curious to understand the definition of conservative position in the Indian context. I ask this question with genuine curiousity given that the whole "liberal" v. "conservative" movement is primarily a western construct. What features of the conservative political thought is the "Conservative Union of Law" looking to preserve?

If I can get into this deeper - convervatism per wikipedia is, "conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in which it appears."

So the first question to ask is - which cultural, social or political philosophy is sought to be promoted and preserved?

As the LegallyIndia moderator has somewhat pointed out - a lot of the "conservative" movement in the online space today is an offshot of the "political right" in the western political movement, whose presense is grounded in bigotry, xenophobia, racism and sexism - and which for some reason, some Indians seem to adopt and call as a political philosophy. If you believe you are not in that bucket - then please highlight specific positions where you are espousing a conservative philosophy that isn't in any of the above mentioned buckets.

Here in India, a lot of our social, political and cultural positioning is a mixture of our colonial history, our independent Indian development and our ancient historical mixture of religions and traditions. It weaves a rich tapestry that is neither easy to categorise as a singular tradition nor a unified culture. So once again - please specifically identify your socio-political positioning before assuming that there is a bias.

Last, before quoting Voltaire - I would strongly suggest that you stop listening to political ideology from the western lens and instead look to first understand the underlying lens basis which you make such demands.

Well this is certainly helpful and enlightening (as to where you were coming from).

From what you say, I understand you are largely talking about cultural conservative positioning. It's important to note that you don't seem to (for example) be speaking of fiscal conservative positions or model of governance from a conservative point of view.

I make note of this precisely because it illustrates the point I was making. You are not conservative in the sense that you think you are. Perhaps you can consider shedding these western labels when you take such positions in the future.

First - I will speak in this post largely on the so-called Hindu traditions and cultures. I'm consciously leaving out the long and rich history we have with Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jain(ism?), Parsi cultures in our country. In particular, Islam has been in India for more than a millenia so I'm not sure why we should forget it but we'll leave that be.

Second - to address the link to this being conservative, I would like to note that only the Americans (and maybe to some extent the Brits) really see this whole "preservation" of traditional family values as a core tent built into their socio-political conversation.

To be clear, they have to do this because Christianity is a religion. But let's be clear on "hinduism" - this is a term the british put together for us. Hinduism can at most be categorised as a family of religions - but it is really a way of life. As a general rule of thumb, Hinduism hasn't had a singular scripture to guide us - it is an outcome of the evolution of tradition and culture over millenia.

The point being that this is so-called tradition you are trying to preserve is not "hindu" culture but rather the colonial values that have been brought to down to us by the british. There is ample of evidence of same sex relationships having existed in our history, LGBT folks and their relationships having been recognised in various literary works from ancient India - best to read up on those before you call these out as being non-traditional. Here is a link that I dug from a quick google - https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2022/10/homosexuality-hinduism-and-the-concept-of-sin/

Sure, divorce as a concept may not have been categorised as much in ancient India - but do note that it was common for men to have multiple wives (yes even in Hindu tradition) - and I guess there's something to be said for evolution and growth as a culture (though I can see why you would disagree here if you are a conservative). Meaning - things do change and the Hindu "religion" revognises such change. Here is a nice article that really outlines how the Hindu scriptures themselves have evolved on this topic - https://www.dailyo.in/lifestyle/hindu-marriage-divorce-puranas-dharmashastra-hinduism-19280.

Third - On the other aspects of family / community / togetherness etc. While I do agree that our culture was (and is to some extent if you are in touch with your roots) based in community and family - and this is something I also strongly believe in, I'm not entirely sure what legallyindia is doing to suppress as a thought. I don't think anybody here is censoring those kinds of thoughts.

Last and in conclusion - if you are indeed a strong believer in empathy towards society as a whole, I would suggest that you embrace that empathy and find belief in that each person is just trying to do the best for themselves and for the world. If somebody wants to get divorced its for their happiness. If somebody wants to marry someone of the same sex its for their won happiness. Community and togetherness doesn't come from homgeneity and uniformity, it comes from equity and happiness for all.

I'll leave with this comment. Peace.