Bandh -- a word Indians are familiar with, especially the people in Kerala. It involves complete shutdown, including essential services. Political parties call for bandh when their demands are not met or in opposition to a decision taken by the government.
Pitched as God's own country by the state tourism department, Kerala is also bandh's own country, albeit in a new name, hartal. Hartal is a toned down version of bandh that came into being after the court made it mandatory for political parties to take prior permission to hold a bandh and so that people aren't inconvenienced much.
Kerala is perhaps the worst affected by public strikes and shutdowns, thanks to the strong tade unions that are active across the state.
Hartal earlier would involve shutdown of business establishments and shops. After a virtual ban imposed by the court on bandh, hartal became the new bandh. Parties would announce hartal and make sure it is a complete shutdown, often resorting to violence on any resistance.
Precious work hours are lost, businesses suffer huge loss, damage to public property is immense... not to forget about the inconveniences the public is put through.
It's high time political parties turned sensible, and sensitive towards the people and stopped such invasion of their spaceand time.
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