Date:02/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/02/stories/2007110251090200.htm

Kerala

Hartal: cause does not matter

The public is divided in its response to the succession of hartals organised by political parties and service organisations. While one section feels that disruptive methods of agitation will tell on the State’s image and take a heavy toll on productivity, another section, mostly comprising office-goers, views hartals as a welcome break from the daily grind at the workplace. Preparations to ‘celebrate’ a hartal include stocking up for the day’s grand lunch and on CDs of the latest films. Cold storage owners say sale of meat products witnesses a spurt on the eve of every hartal.

T. Nandakumar