Hartal and Bandhs

India can proudly claim to be one of the most environment friendly countries on the planet.We have this habit of emptying roads of all the vehicles once in a while.Today it was the turn of Kerala.The political parties are ofcourse behind such a noble venture.It's obvious you just can't ask people not to ply the roads and not to go for work.There has to be a reason.So the opposition communists here have declared a "hartal" because police clashed with tribals in the jungles of Kerala err..about a month or so ago.Well actually ,that is not the real reason of course.These dear lovable politician folks care so much about the polluted environment.The air definitely needed some cleaning up and "hartal" it had to be.Now you folks in the west can learn something from us regarding this "hartal" business.

First a little history.These hartals were called "bandhs" first and were effectively used as a weapon against the British by Gandhiji.Basically shops,offices,schools etc are closed. Lately the ever busy body courts here banned "bandhs" because of some cock and bull story of infringement of fundamental rights.Lately ,due to the moral degradation of the people, they have to be forced to close shops.They have the impunity especially , folks with two wheelers, to go about as if nothing's happened.I ventured out today coz I had to go for work.Saw a couple of cars with "examination" posted on the glass.As if the blokes who will do the stone throwing are going to pause and read.Oh I forgot,there was this little uncomfortable business of an examination (nationwide boards C.B.S.E,I.C.S.E).The Govt made a big issue out of it asking the opposition to withdraw the hartal.What nonsense!!

Now all you westerners, you have no idea how the youth of this country look upto the politicians here.One of my friends said the other day :"All politicians are bastards,but the Indian ones are shameless bastards"...tch tch ..he's an exception folks.I mean just imagining what all personal sacrifices they undertake for the country,I'm....sorry, I'm too emotional to continue on this subject..*wipes tears and blows nose into hanky*


Oh yesterday some student activists torched two government cars after they were "lathicharged"..Lathi means cane ,and a very thick stout one too..These poor fellas went for a march to the Govt Secretariat ..They were prevented mid way through by the police.Some stones were pelted on the police,naturally.Just for that they beat the students black and blue..Ouch that hurts..I should know Ive got one when I was a student of The Govt Arts College here.The SFI(student organisation of the communist party) used to round up us students and force us to march shouting slogans against the Govt.In one of these excursions,I got in an intimate relation with the lathi...Lathi in malayalam also means one who talks too much about nothing.At the risk of being called that ,I am stopping for the time being.