First Strike !

No! I am not referring to Jackie Chan’s movie of the same name nor am I using this phrase in the nuclear context nor is this a reference to any sporting action.

I am referring to today’s dawn to dusk motor strike. Barely had the new cabinet (Kerala State Government) been sworn in than we had our first taste of Hartal/Strike/Bandh.

The motor unions gave the call to strike to protest the petrol price hike and the public complied with the call- more out of fear for life and property than anything else.

A sample of things to come in the next five years perhaps?

Did the petrol price come down at the end of the twelve hours of inactivity? NO

What else was achieved by the strike other than loss of productive time and money? NOTHING.

Will those who call for these Hartals learn anything from the experience? NEVER

There is a saying in Malayalam which states that even if you put a dog’s tail in a straight pipe, it will still be curved when you take it out of the pipe. How apt!

Every cloud has a silver lining. On the personal front, Hartals are the only occasions when I clean my Hero Honda bike and use it for my daily commute. Else it is tucked away in a corner of the garage and left to rust. A Hartal once in a few months keeps my bike clean and in running condition.