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.
Bandh is not a phenomenon restricted to a single state in India. It happens across the country. But then it dawned upon me that bandh is all about a yesterday we have been through. Been there, done that. A yesterday that believed in demonstrative protests which had the attention of all riveted to the cause in question. Over the last two decades, if you look at the number of bandh calls, you will see that they have decreased for sure. The belief in the system is vanishing. Protest possibly has new ways. Protest used as a tool to cause discomfort to the common man on the street is something we believe less in.
I do believe we have started respecting public space much more. While we still fight within our homes, as we must, we refuse to let our discontent spill into the streets. We do believe that the public space belongs to us all and not one entity, organisation or cause. And when that is the case, protest must be expressed in a different manner altogether. In a manner that does not inconvenience anyone. In a manner that does not inconvenience people at railway stations and bus stops. Schools must be open. Offices must function. Public services must not be disturbed. The poor and impoverished need to earn their daily wages and so must not be disturbed. Shops need to remain open to sell to their customers, just as restaurants need to be able to dish out their fares to make their businesses tick. A bandh really disturbs all this.
Bandh is, therefore, an antediluvian instrument. A sabre that is rattled often, but thankfully, less often now than before. A little rattling is enough to make an entire set of people, businesses and transport options go into a half-closure mode, if not full. Must we allow this sabre-rattling to continue at all? Or should it be put back into the sheath of yesterday that it belongs to? Do bandhs misuse a form of protest that is not really necessary anymore?
What does it achieve? Typically, it brings the common cause or memory to the fore. It showcases the intent of those who are behind the call. It accords prominence to the cause in the media. And that’s where the positive and semi-positives stop. Then begin the negatives. A bandh is bad for business and business sentiments too. A city that goes into bandh mode too often is marked by businesses as a geography to steer clear of.
Protest we must. Is there an alternative way to do so then? Is there another way to work towards a good cause or mourn a great soul? In an era where we are progressively going digital, the e-protest just may be the way to go. Grab the cause at hand. Reveal who is behind the cause. Put together the photographs and names of all those who wish to be seen as lead protesters. Record grievances. Pass out videos to energise the cause. Put it all out there in the public domain using social media like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. The beauty of an e-protest is the fact that arson is never an option. Stopping someone from going about their life in the public space is never an option. Disturbing the peace and quiet is not an option. Compelling businesses to close is not an option. Disrupting life is not an option.
Strangely, protesting on e-platforms is possibly the most peaceful option at hand for us. Maybe we need a protest app which can reach all within a city, but one which just cannot disrupt the life of any one of those citizens. If not today, I think e-protest is the way to support a cause in the future. Peaceful protest is the way. Non-violent protest is the way. Protest without inconveniencing a citizen on the street is the right way. What better way than the e-way to do this?
In the old days, a factory strike meant a tools-down protest. On some days, this was used selectively for a couple of hours to impress upon the management what could happen with a full-scale tools-down protest. More often than not, it worked. Factory productivity would get hit and the owners woke up to the cause and the issue at hand to resolve. A tools-down strike in this digital day and age is an internet-down bandh. I guess even that shall happen. One day or the other. Till then, wishing you a happy and peaceful bandh!