Kerala, the Southernmost State of India was the victim of hartals/bandhs ( in effect strike) for about 180 days during the last ten months. An outsider would think it absurd. An average person with no political leaning considers this sort of strike imposed on the people as persecution. During hartals/bandhs, public transport grinds to a halt. Shops and business houses remain closed. If anyone opens shop, the strikers would attack them. The police cannot do much.

If someone falls sick, he can’t go to hospital. The strikers would not allow them to move.
Kerala is the most literate state in India. It appears everything has gone topsy turvy.

There are state-wide hartals and local hartals. Local hartals are limited to the area the callers prescribe.

The other day a tourist cruise liner berthed at Cochin. The tourists could not go sight-seeing or shopping.

We have lost our reasoning power, it seems