6 Days a Week

6 Days a Week

          For the rest of the country and even the world at large, a week is 7 days long. In Kerala, it is only 6 days long. The reason – ‘Harthal’! One never knows who declares a harthal and for what!

   It appeals to different people in different ways. The student community love it. They get a welcome day off. People who don’t like to work also like it for the same reason. Business men hate it for they lose a day’s profit. Politicians love it or hate it depending on whether it is their party which is sponsoring the harthal or not.

      There came a time when TV channels started scheduling primetime programs on harthal days. We the people also lapped it up with elaborate lunch and get together at our homes. It became as frequent as Wednesdays in a week. It is then that better sense prevailed and harthals became monitored.

    Other than Bengal, I don’t think there is any other state in India who takes Harthals as seriously as we do. 

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