The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

TRADE UNIONS TRADE WELL THEIR DAYLONG NATIONWIDE STRIKE

As is the norm, Arun Jaitley dismissed yesterday's  nationwide strike. PTI quotes him saying -  'Bharat bandh has marginal or inconsequential impact.'

His reaction was on the expected line. After all, a government is not expected to laud a protest event against it - certainly not in the current political scenario prevailing in India. And Arun Jaitely is one of its senior-most politicians and ministers.

But, then, let's look at what reports basically said about yesterday's nationwide strike. Here are some headlines.

The Indian Express - Bandh halts life, spurs violence

The Times of India - TU strike takes a toll on services; 1000 held as Bengal turns warn zone

Hindustan Times - Trade union strike halts public transport, shuts factories

Mail Today - Bengal worst hit as bandh slows down life

The Hindu - Strike hits banking, transport services

The Economic Times - Strike hits normal life, coal output; Violent clashes in West Bengal

BBC News - Indian workers strike over Modi labour reforms

Reuters - Millions strike in India to protest against Modi's labor reforms

AFP - In huge show of strength, lakhs of workers go on strike over 'anti-labour' reforms

CNNMoney - India's workers strike to challenge Modi

Wall Street Journal - India on Strike: In Pictures

These headlines, and many more, tell what happened really, that, normal life was badly affected by the daylong strike called by 10 central trade unions, many state level trade unions and supported by unions of employees of banks and insurance companies.

Public transport was badly struck in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, and also Meghalaya.

The Hindu said the 'shutdown disrupted life and business in many states'. 'Banking, transportation, postal and shipping services were the worst hit', the report wrote further.

 The Indian Express reported the similar outcome of the bandh - "a daylong nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions on Wednesday disrupted normal life in various parts of the country with coal production, banking operations and transport services being hit the most. The day also witnessed violent clashes in Odisha and West Bengal."

The Times of India observed the same, and so the reports by other dailies and national and international news agencies. Detailed articles carried essay sort of photographs that were available to the camera lenses in plenty.

As most of the trade unions are Left-oriented and as the RSS/BJP led Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS), a large outfit, had walked out of the strike, a natural curiosity was about the extent of the success of the bandh. And if we, indeed, see the daylong protest event as a 'show of strength' as the Times of India wrote, it was totally successful, even if it didn't prove out to be the largest one in the nation's history as the unions had claimed.

If Delhi was any indication, where normal life of citizens was badly affected due to non-availability of transportation means on roads, we can gauge how troublesome the life would have been for those in other parts of the country who would have chosen to venture out or had to venture out on the day.

In many states, public transportation means were completely shut. Activities like banking, insurance, mining, shipping and even civil defence were struck by protesting employees or by their 'absence'. Schools and colleges were closed on the day in some states.

Yes, we can say the 'September 2 Bharat Bandh' was traded well by the trade unions to 'show their strength'. Protesters (and workers) bought the deal that was being promoted in the name of opposing the reported anti-labour policy changes (proposed) of the government.

While we may debate on the nature of our 'mixed economy, time's requirement and government's decisions (political decisions) in that context', we need to accept that the Left-oriented trade unions still hold sway over a larger sections of workers across the country even if the Left-front political parties are fast becoming 'politically' obsolete in India's politics.

That also gives them some points to ponder over - that why is that happening?

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/