From reading all the post regarding India, I get the impression that India is a truly free and democratic country where people can express their opinions without fear of intimidation. Now---why the h$ll was an arrest warrant issued for Richard Gere for kissing an Indian movie actress consensually?? Is it illegal to kiss people from opposite sex in public in India? With all the development and stuff, is India still living in stone-age in this area?
Kissing in public is not the norm in India and against the local culture ( although it seems to be becoming increasingly prevalant in Hindi movies ). The media blew this issue out of proportion since they have nothing better to report about.
However, the same question you posed can be applied to the the American context. Why is gay marriage such a big deal in the US? With all the free speech and rights that America boasts of, why is it such a problem? If two men want to get married in a peaceful manner, whats the big deal? To quote you, "With all the development and stuff, is the US still living in stone-age in this area?"
Just because it is widely accepted in the US does not mean that it should be widely accepted in India. Each country has the right to do as it pleases. Richard Gere would dare not do such a thing in the Middle East. If the conservative Muslims in the Middle East do not appreciate sch behaviour, then why do you expect the conservative muslims in India to accept it? ( I am not targeting the Muslims.. THe conservative Hindus also do not approve of this act). Being a secular country, its hard to keep everyone happy. Every country has its problems and this is one of India's major ones
Cheers