Of bandhs and shutdowns

Amit Sharma
Issues and problems are as old as human existence. Wherever civilizations have inhabited, problems automatically creep-up and so did conflicts. Wherever people are there, some groups amongst them emerges as natural leaders and they become rulers or so called ‘sevaks’ in modern humble language. The next thing which happens over the time is the expectation levels from those who occupy the seats of power and the interests of those who are being governed by them. So there is always a gap between both, the deliverance and the expectations, which becomes the basis of conflict or discontent amongst the masses.
In a nation like ours, which carries a great heritage and richness in terms of culture, civilization, tradition and even values, the best course adopted and acceptable by historically successful conventions are non-violent forms of protests in terms of bandhs, dharnas, marches, slogan-raising, hunger-strikes, work-strikes, etc. These seem to be least damaging and most effective ways to achieve ends until and unless the same take some ugly, violent or communal colour and result into colossal losses to the life and property.
Here, before moving further in my expression of ideas, I want all of us to recall the natural damages/calamities which keep on happening often either due to floods, cloudbursts, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. which are beyond human control but nonetheless, we always wish and pray for least damages due to them. In this era of such furies of nature striking us quite frequently wherein everything automatically comes to a standstill for days together and when there is only one goal or mission in human minds which is to save our lives, lives of our nears & dears alongwith our belongings, nobody can ever imagine about human-made or public-crafted catastrophes.
But at times, when nature is at peace with humans, the human-minds keep wavering here and there for one or the other issue which keeps pricking them, mostly for the right obvious reasons. This further becomes the basis of public debates, followed by conflict situations as majority of the people are emotional by nature and it does not take much time to get swayed by their emotions in pretext of one cause/reason or the other. Here, my intention is neither to blame somebody for igniting others’ emotions nor am I raising questions over innocence of masses who get swayed away due to varied issues but the purpose of mine here is purely to raise the questions over the way things are done in the context of holding protests over various issues. I know, wherever the systems are working and well in-place, conflicts go side-by-side and so does the oppositions and protests, which follow eventually, as a natural consequence of it and more often than not, they result into betterment of systems in many ways.
With above background, I would only say that protesting against the things/issues which imminently hurt or damage interests of public need to be probed properly, protested for or even taken to logical conclusion but the ways and means adopted to achieve such ends hold great significance, especially in the present times. We find majority of people suffer at times of protests, especially during the protests taking place in the form of bandhs or shutdowns or work suspensions, which, I believe, by any means or standards, are the worst forms of protests in the present times. Even Honourable Courts, have time and again, at different times have nullified these forms of protest and forbidden masses from doing so in future.
In nutshell, what actually happens when such shutdowns or bandhs or work suspensions take place, the worst-hit is the common masses. Although the outcome or the cause of same bandhs may or may not be related to the janta but everyone suffers due to it. Whether it happens in the form of a chakka-jam or shutdown of shops and business establishments or even strikes in offices or Courts, the worst suffering goes in the account of public in general and nobody else.
Let’s just imagine for a while about a daily wager or two-square meals’ earner whose whole family depends upon his/her whole day’s work, what that family survives with when a long phase of these bandhs and shutdowns is going-on. How such people whether labourers, hawkers or day-based workers and their dependents manage to move and remain alive when such shutdowns or bandh protests occur, especially for days together.
Is there any enmasse insurance policy in the world to guarantee their livelihood during such period of bandhs or shutdowns. The straight answer is ‘No’. Then, how is it possible that the same basic thoughts don’t strike the minds of chief planners, architects or executors of such protests, even if these are so-called ‘non-violent’ protests. I strongly believe that there cannot be any bigger ‘acts of violence or cruelty’ against ‘humanity’ than these ones. Or else do these shutdown or bandh callers or organizations have sufficient resources to sponsor the livelihood of these daily-earning dependent masses or can take care of their safe survival during the entire period of protests. I am again sure, they don’t have. And when we are not having enough capability to help or support these struggling masses during times of such bandhs or shutdowns, then we have absolutely no right whatsoever to stop them from working towards earning their daily livelihood for supporting their nears and dears.
Here, I would also like to add more thing. There are many alternate ways to lodge peaceful protests and fight for the basic rights other than bandhs and shutdowns which have totally lost their relevance in the present era. The only need is to innovate and explore all such ways of protesting which can become most effective way to shake the system so that it realizes the gravity involved in our grievances but without affecting the daily routines or working of common public and it becomes a win-win situation both ends. Western world and even many amongst our Asian nations like Japan have already successfully explored and implemented such models of protesting and we also need to follow suit.
Let’s understand that the beauty lies in achieving all justifiable goals and objectives with rightful ways and means. Lot of historical evidence and facts are lying in front of us to realize the worth and depth of all issues I have touched upon here. So, we must leave upon the goodness or mercy  of nature as well few things to keep showering its benevolence upon us (human races) and else, if we try to compete with nature’s might for everything by trying to become Demi-Gods, then the doom’s day (or Qayamat or Pralay ka Din) is not far away, as they say it !
{The writer is a Senior KAS Officer of J&K Government and a specialist in e-Governance who can be reached at his blog: amit1kas.blogspot.com or amit1kas (facebook id) or amit1kas@gmail.com for comments/suggestions}

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