"Arrey Bhai, aaj kyun bandh hai??"
"FDI Retail ko leke hai bhaiya."
"Acha, fir parso kyun tha??"
"Woh Coal scam mein ruling party paisa kha gayi hai na... Isliye"
"Oh! Aur peechle hafte???"
"Woh! Jat Bhaiyon ko bhi SC/ST mein shaamil hona hai na, isliye Bharat Bandh kiya tha."
"Arrey bhai, aaj India-Pak ka cricket match hai na??"
"Haan! Aur agar Indian Team aaj haar gayi to kal isliye bandh kar denge ki Captain, BCCI aur Sports Minister ka resignation chahiye..."
This "Bharat Bandh" culture has now become the part of the our social spectrum now. On every small or major issue, social or political parties organize Bandh in the country, state or city. The emergence of Anna and Baba Ramdev too has further re-ignited this form of protest, which in the last few years, was somewhat not too visible.
But is it justified??? Is our society so ignorant that you need to force every citizen of the society to go through the ordeal of not performing their respective duties? Can't these issues be managed without disrupting the routine social duties??
The society has given us other tools to register the protest. Media is one such medium which can be used to give interviews, press releases to put forward your opinion. Another medium are "Courts". In case you feel some unjustified is happening around you, you may also approach the court of law for the same. Only if these two mediums don't work for you and you still feel that unjustified is happening, one may resort to "Dharnas, Bharat Bandh or similar measures". So this should only be used as the last medium, not as the first medium of protest.
One should be sensitized that such bandhs usually don't affect those whom against these are organized. For instance, today's Bharat Bandh for Retail will only affect common man as he is not able to reach office, kids don't able to attend school, markets closed so major needs are not fulfilled, the ill people not getting treatment in the hospitals.. Will Prime Minister / Finance Minister not get food that day because markets are closed, or will he not able to reach office due to lack of buses, or will he not been attended in case of medical emergency???
Thus, it is my view that until and unless there is strong consensus among the common men, one should not call for Bharat Bandh, etc...
