Thursday, December 21, 2006

Kerala Strike Tourism

Kerala is uniquely blessed with heavenly pristine climate, lush green filled hillstations, exotic backwaters, calm beaches and hermitage-like Ayurveda treatment centers. These factors attract tens of thousands of visitors from around the world to Kerala. If you happen to visit this land on wrong days, you will be greeted with least expected troubles.

The days to avoid are days of strike organized political parties. 'Bandh' is a form of strike that Kerala High Court has banned many years ago. Politicians discovered a new name 'Harthal', only name changed nature of strike didn't. High Court banned Harthal too. The ban remains on paper. The nature of strike will leave an outsider jaw-dropped.

In the name of democracy and democratic rights, these group of strikers just hijack the democratic rights of all other people. It is the norm that you shall not open your shop, get your vehicles on road or shall pursue your daily bread.

That is the nature of the strike - no vehicles on road, no shops opened. The streets will be hunting ground for those strikers. If an unlucky man happens to drive his car out, it is almost sure he will be pelleted.

It is not a rare sight to see people reaching Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala only to get trapped at Railway Station or Airport on a harthal day.

Does anywhere else experience this phenomenon and do you really enjoy such a situation?

Is this how Kerala becoming God's Own Country? or is it dog's own country as these guys think?
If you happen to be in such an unlucky situation repeating in the name of democracy and democratic rights, you have an option to seek assistance from the police, who can help you get to a hotel or your place of accomodation.