DO NOT TAKE TO THE STREETS, E-PROTEST INSTEAD

The world thinks bandhs are a peculiar South Asian phenomenon—when everything is shut down and public infrastructure is set afire. But we have a new choice now

- HARISH BIJOOR

I grew up surrounded by a culture of bandhs. As a kid, I used to enjoy a bandh thoroughly. When for whatever reason a shutdown was announced, the first thing to look forward to was a school holiday. Children were the first ones to be protected from the ruckus that would or would not happen on the streets.

Public transport was always the first target of a bandh. Those who dared to disobey the call faced a barrage of stones and worse still, rioters torched public transport-which at the end of it belonged to us all.

Now, what is a bandh? Wikipedia defines it as, "A form of protest used by political activists in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. It is similar to a general strike. During a bandh, a political party or a community declares a general strike." Ouch. Bandh seems to have a specific geography. And in this case, it is all about India and Nepal. Strange.

As an adult now, my understanding of bandh is a day when a city or a state decides to shut down to show solidarity to protest something or to mourn an unfortunate event. Earlier this month, a rather unsuccessful bandh in Bengaluru was held to protest the loss of business for auto rickshaw and private transport operators due to the implementation of the Karnataka government's Shakti Scheme, which provides free bus travel for women in the state. And today, even as you read this, Bengaluru city is possibly witnessing one more shutdown. This time, to protest the state government's decision to release Cauvery water into Tamil Nadu. My guess is that more such bandhs are in the queue.