Manipur Bandh

Bandhs/market closings called by any organization affect mostly the poor and daily wage earners in the community. There is no compensation or earning for them unlike the government workers, who get salary whether work or no work. Private sectors get paid by services, or on a daily basis. Market Imas earn their daily wage by selling vegetables, fruits and fish in the market. They borrow money on daily interest from lenders at higher rates. Their merchandises are perishable under the sun. So, it is a double loss for Imas and farmers during bandhs. Think of it, when you have harvested your vegetable and fruits and it is time for marketing/selling, then there is a bandh called by any club or organization one day after the other. Buses are not plying on the road, there are no cold storage facilities,and the vegetables and fruits are rotting. The farmers whole years of effort is now going down the drain, his son or daughter is waiting for money in Delhi, Bangalore, Madras, Mumbai, Hyderabad, etc. for exam fees and rents. It is a chain reaction for society, just for a few grunting organizations, it may seem local but it effect goes much far beyond the local politics. Bandhs are not generally effective in any demand. So, we should try to minimize calling Bandhs at any time and should think seriously beyond our own limited views for the general good and welfare of the poor farmers and market Imas and their children who depend on them for a day's meal. There are others forms of protest in a democracy, which spare the poor and your demand can be heard simultaneously.