For centuries, cows have been considered sacred by India's majority Hindu population, a symbol of both the Earth and the divine. So revered are the animals that authorities had planned to rebrand Valentine's Day as "Cow Hug Day", hoping the move would both boost citizens' "emotional richness" and strike a blow for local heritage over what is seen as a western cultural import.
But the move appears to have backfired and been abandoned after it prompted a flood of internet memes, cartoons and jokes by TV hosts about the importance of consent.
