It was like any other day.. I got up early, and started getting ready for college, when it suddenly dawned on me that it was a holiday. No it wasn't a Sunday, but a "Bandh day"....No buses, minibuses, autorickshaws or taxis, no means of transport plying on the roads.. So no means to defy the bandh either.
As is the case today,most of the times i don't even realise the reason why they've called the strike.. I mean if some atrocity has actually happened, why incovenience innocent people who have no hand in the trouble caused?
O.... I forgot.. people do not matter do they?
Things sometimes need to be sacrificed.. and if strikes were "sometimes" called, it's understandable.. but how is a bandh called at the drop of a hat going to fo
rward your cause?
I remember an ad which used to be broadcast on the radio a few years back.. an ad for a biscuit company.. There they would announce a bandh because the company was offering 33% extra biscuits in the pack !!!!
Some people have made it a habit of announcing strikes on the slightest of pretexts and the ad captures this very essence..
And another major hindrance is the public apathy towards these strikes....They consider it an extra holiday.. I guess the people are in dire need of holidays.. but if people start supporting these strikes indirectly, when will they ever stop?
But why would people want the bandh culture to end when they get benefited from it? On the one hand they'll keep harping about no development in the city..and on the other, encourage such lawlessness....
Was getting bored at home....so wrote all this up in the midst of chattin with some friends.... i hope i wasn't too busy that i wrote something incoherent !!
very good post straight from the heart reflecting the feelings of a common citizen..by the way,the last part cud have been done away with("Was getting bored at home....so wrote all this up in the midst..)just takes the seriousness away from the post...
ReplyDeleteas for this debate about bandhs,well in the late 60's and early 70's bandh used to be a very powerful form of non co-operation movement against the government.it must be admitted(sadly) that bandh has now-a-days become the only form of protest against this non-functional government..so it feels that every week is a bandh..but the bandh has its own significance.
Even our chief minister argues that calling a bandh will not provide any solutions..fine,agreed.but no one calls a bandh to find any solutions.it is a warning to the government that some of its actions are wrong and common people are suffering coz of that..it is also used to point out the govt that certain mass of people are against its policies and so they are non co-operating as a form of protest.also bandh is called with a motive to show solidarity to the issue..suppose few villages are burnt in east midnapore and as a form of protest bandh paralyses the whole bengal itself..now,for some this is of no use and causing hazards to innocent people who are not a part of that problem but also it cud be a way to show solidarity to the people of east midnapore who faced the atrocities which cud happen at west midnapore again maybe few days later...frequent bandhs are really a hazard for the toiling masses like vendors,rickshaw pullers,coolies etc but had our govt reacted to the innumerable number of bandhs called till date and addressed the problem which led to the bandh being called then this situation wud'nt have arised. ..blame the govt not the bandh..one more thing,the opposition also seem to remain happy just by calling a one-day bandh and then forget all about it.bandhs are called to paralyse the govt so that they are forced to act but is the govt paralysed??they hardly care much about bandhs being called..its a status quo situation here..its also true that now-a-days people hardly care about all these and bandh is holiday...a certain section of people suffer but they are alienated from the rest of the society..but bandhs do have a significant political meaning..
BLAME THE GOVT,NOT THE BANDHS..
ReplyDelete"if strikes were "sometimes"
ReplyDeletecalled,it's understandable.. but how does a bandh called at the drop of a
hat going to forward your cause?"--- I agree with it.Nice work.go ahead..
it is one thing that our state's people enjoy,it is one thing that has become one of the holidays ,it is one thing that gives power to a political party and it shows the party's gentle culture that it wants to deliver to our state after winning the election.....we watch it,support it,support that culture......So"BLAME THE GOVT,NOT THE BANDHS"...
ReplyDeleteWell written! It is so sad that strikes have transformed from being 'of the people, by the people, for the people' to a means of power play by different political parties causing severe in-convenience to the common people. It is no longer a voice of protest as it is no longer used as a last resort.
ReplyDeleteHowever this is shocking, ...we must "BLAME THE GOVT, NOT THE BANDHS" as...
THE TELEGRAPH reports on 25 July 2009...in section BENGAL(Pg 7)..."Scores of women today broke down in front of visiting Left legislators in Mangalkot and said their men had stoned the congress delegation last week because it was accompanied by those behind a popular CPM leader's murder."...still the anarchy inflicted on the city as a protest is justified?!
I would request people to write their names while commenting.. Even I would like to know who's reading my blog.. :)
ReplyDelete