In today's political climb, there are sporadic holidays added to one's calendar due to bandhs and other form of protests.
While school goers might welcome it as a break, the reality for daily wage earners is quite different.
Now with the Karnataka bandh today, many daily wage earners are lamenting.
For Ram, a street vendor, it will be a day when his family will go to bed without dinner.
Standing in scorching heat, Ram sells peanuts for a living.
“I know this bandh is for the water problems we are facing.
But has anything come out of a bandh.
“Humara to roz ki kamai hai, bandh ke din apne parivar ko kya khilaunga? (I am a daily wage worker, on the day of bandh, what will my family eat?)” he asks, with the only sparkle on his face being from the beads of sweat on his forehead.
Wiping his face he says that these issues sound good when debated, but what importance do they have in his life when he doesn't even have food to eat.
Taking a cue, Aslam Khan, a sugarcane juice seller, jumped into the conversation.
“My one day's earning which is Rs 200, will go that day.
But I don't care about the money.
If sleeping hungry means for one day will solve our water problems, then I am ready to give up a month's salary,” he said.
He further added, “Water is more important than money.
How will we survive without water?” he asked.
The string of strikes in the last few months have taken its toll on these people.
The last such strike was two weeks ago against the FDI in multi-brand retail.
“What is the point of these bandhs? Every other day there is some strike and we are not allowed to put our stall. What will we earn and how will we feed our children? Does the government think about these things? Or we don't matter to them at all?” a labourer asked.
